VANDALS HEADED TO THE NCAAs: Pribble's vision comes to fruition in Year 3

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

When Isaiah Brickner tossed the ball high in the air as the buzzer sounded late Wednesday night at Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise, Kolton Mitchell admitted it didn’t even feel real. 

“It was like, I can’t believe what happened,” said Idaho’s redshirt freshman point guard from Lake City High, after the Vandals had just clinched their first trip to the NCAA tournament in 36 years. “Just a sense of pride for this team, and our program and the community of Moscow.”

Seated next to Mitchell at a postgame news conference, while the celebration continued nearby on the court, was Brody Rowbury, the Meridian High grad who played his first three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana, before coming to Idaho for his final season. 

“For me personally, spending the last three years far away from home, to come back and do it in my final year ... “ Rowbury said. “I chose this place for a reason, and this is what I came here to do. Just to get it done is amazing. I look up (in the crowd) and see my family and close friends in the stands is an awesome feeling.” 

To their right at the presser was third-year Vandal head coach Alex Pribble. 

In his first two seasons in Moscow, the Vandals went 11-21 and 14-19. 

In Year 3, Idaho reached a conference championship game for the first time since 2014, when the Vandals were in the Western Athletic Conference. It was the first time Idaho played for the Big Sky title since 1993, when Larry Eustachy was coach. 

“This was the vision three years ago, when we took over the program, was to build a program that we could be proud of, compete for championships and did it the right way,” Pribble said. “We have extremely high character young men, and so to add a championship to some of the GPA records and community service things they’re doing, just makes this come full-circle.” 

What’s weird is, until nearly the end of the regular season, the Vandals didn’t look like a team that was going to win four games in five days in the conference tournament, and knock off the No. 2, 3 and 4 seeds en route to the title. 

During conference play, Idaho lost at Idaho State. 

The Vandals lost at home to Weber State. They lost to Northern Colorado on senior day. 

They never won more than two straight games all season — until when it mattered most. 

Idaho won at Eastern Washington on the final day of the regular season, then carried that momemtum to Boise. 

“It’s a group of guys that, every day they show up and work hard,” Pribble said. “They trust the process; they get better. We had a lot of adversity this year, and I think we learned the lessons that we needed to through that adversity. Without that adversity, we would not have been here today.” 

Just before the season, beloved former Idaho coach Don Monson, who led the Vandals to the Sweet 16 in 1982, died at age 92. 

The Vandals honored him at a game in January against Eastern Washington, which is coached by his son, Dan. 

“It’s been a special year of Idaho basketball,” Pribble added. “With the passing of coach Monson, I think it’s just been a year of importance in our program, and we wanted to make sure we were doing right by him and his family as well, and make him proud of our program.” 

Heck, in one regard, the Idaho men’s team just wanted to live up to the standard set by the Vandal women’s team. 

The season opener for both teams was a doubleheader at Washington State. 

The Vandal women beat the Cougars, “so we were kinda feeling the heat,” Pribble said. 

Idaho’s men went on to beat WSU as well. 

Earlier Wednesday, the Vandal women beat Montana State to advance to the NCAAs for the first time since 2016. 

“Man, you guys have been putting the pressure on us all year,” Pribble said to UI women’s coach Arthur Moreira. 

And then for the Idaho men to beat Montana in the title game ... 

Since Idaho’s last Big Sky Conference title in 1990, the Griz had won 12, most recently in 2025. More importantly, Montana had won the last eight meetings with Idaho. 

“It felt super nice, because this is the first time I’ve ever beat Montana,” Mitchell said. “Even when I was at Idaho State (as a true freshman) we got swept by them, and last year we struggled with them, and this regular season we struggled with them.  

“So when we knew that’s who we were playing in the championship, it kinda put a little extra edge on us, and it was great to win a championship, and also be against Montana.” 

Brickner, in his second year as a Vandal after playing two seasons at Marist College, totaled 23 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game. 

“He did a great job attacking the rim,” Pribble said. “When he attacks the rim, when he gets into the paint, he causes defenses a lot of problems.” 

Idaho will find out Sunday where it’s headed for its first NCAA game since the Vandals, coached by Kermit Davis, lost to Louisville, coached by Denny Crum, in the first round in 1990 in Salt Lake City. 

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Idaho playing Howard in a 16-vs.-16 seed First Four game in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner advancing to play No. 1 Michigan in Buffalo. 

CBSsports.com has Idaho as a 15 seed, playing No. 2 Illinois in the West Region.

Asked late Wednesday night if he had any preference who the Vandals played, or where, Mitchell said no.  

"We’re just happy that we won, and we’ll figure that out when Selection Sunday comes,” he said. “I know once our name gets drawn up there, our coaches are going to whip out their computers and start a scout.” 

    IDAHO ATHLETICS Idaho men's basketball coach Alex Pribble is doused after the Vandals won the Big Sky Conference tournament Wednesday night in Boise.