Montana State takes on Idaho after King’s 27-point outing

By Canadian Press on January 9, 2026.

Montana State Bobcats (9-7, 3-0 Big Sky) at Idaho Vandals (9-6, 1-1 Big Sky)

Moscow; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Montana State visits Idaho after Christian King scored 27 points in Montana State’s 68-64 victory over the Eastern Washington Eagles.

The Vandals are 5-1 on their home court. Idaho is 4-3 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 10.8 turnovers per game.

The Bobcats are 3-0 in Big Sky play. Montana State ranks seventh in the Big Sky with 22.4 defensive rebounds per game led by King averaging 3.9.

Idaho averages 11.0 made 3-pointers per game, 5.3 more made shots than the 5.7 per game Montana State allows. Montana State has shot at a 47.1% rate from the field this season, 4.2 percentage points above the 42.9% shooting opponents of Idaho have averaged.

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kolton Mitchell is averaging 14.5 points and 3.5 assists for the Vandals. Biko Johnson is averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Jed Miller is shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc with 2.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Bobcats, while averaging 12.9 points and 1.6 steals. Patrick McMahon is averaging 15 points and 5.2 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Vandals: 6-4, averaging 79.7 points, 32.7 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 6.5 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.6 points per game.

Bobcats: 7-3, averaging 77.6 points, 33.0 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 6.4 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.0 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press