The Big Sky Tournament, also known as Starch Madness, because it takes place in Boise, ID, is one of the more underrated tournaments of Championship week. There is usually chaos, and the top seed rarely wins. The 2026 Big Sky tournament was no exception. The top 4 seeds all lost early, creating pure chaos heading into the tournament final. That is where the Idaho Vandals stepped up and grabbed the Big Sky automatic bid.
Idaho qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1990 season, when Kermit Davis was their head coach. The boys from Moscow are making their 5th appearance in the Big Dance and are hoping that under current head coach Alex Pribble, this can be more than a flash-in-the-pan season. Let’s introduce everyone to the Idaho Vandals.
Legendary Coaches
There are very few individuals who know much about the Idaho basketball program, and with good reason. Idaho doesn’t have a very illustrious history except for one thing. It's an odd thing, but it's what makes Idaho go from a random team to one people should pay attention to.
The number of legendary coaches to get their start in Moscow is vast. Dan Monson, who people may know from Long Beach State history, is responsible for the only NCAA Tournament win in Idaho history. In 1982, the Vandals finished the season with a 27-3 overall record and an NCAA Tournament win.
That is just one in a long line of good coaches. Kermit Davis led the team to the 1990 NCAA Tournament. Larry Eustachy, who later succeeded at Colorado State and Iowa State, began in Moscow. Now, Alex Pribble is the head coach. While Pribble has far to go before matching these names in Vandals history, this NCAA Tournament appearance puts him on the right track.
Three Point Line
Modern basketball teams must choose: take many threes and stack shooters, play old-school post-up and defend the arc, or, as Idaho does, both—shoot many threes on offense and defend the three-point line on defense.
The Vandals head to the tournament as a high-volume three-point team, taking 28 attempts per night and making 36% of them. Idaho has won games this season by outshooting opponents from the three-point line, demonstrating the value of their perimeter attack.
The Vandals also sell out to defend the three-point line, and it doesn’t hurt that 7’0” mountain Brody Rowbury patrols the middle of the paint so the Vandals can sell out. The weird thing is that even with trying to prevent threes, teams still hit 34% of them, and the Idaho defense isn’t all that good. Guys like Kolton Mitchell and Isaiah Brickner are the three-point specialists who both shoot almost 40% from deep.
Program Trajectory
Idaho is a feel-good story for many reasons: its first tournament appearance since 1990, likable players, and an attractive style of play. Yet the most compelling storyline is the one about where the program stood when head coach Alex Pribble arrived.
Zac Claus, the former coach at Idaho, won 28 games in 4 years (an average of 7 wins per season) and never showed sustainable progress. This is a business of winning, and since Claus didn’t win, he was relieved of his duties, and Coach Pribble was hired. Pribble had more wins in his first season in Moscow (let's say, 10 wins) than Claus ever had in any season, and now, in year 3, the Vandals make the NCAA Tournament.
That is notable progress, and with much of the team set or eligible to return, Idaho could be in for a special season next year. This program could become the next Big Sky powerhouse. I enjoy watching them play and hope the program maintains its upward trajectory, becoming a tournament regular.