Northwest Notes Oct. 9, 2026
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 1 hour, 54 minutes AGO
Idaho State announces gift from ICCU for new basketball arena
POCATELLO — Thanks to a donation from ICCU, Idaho State University announced a state-of-the-art basketball arena and multi-purpose facility will be built on the Pocatello.
The project is projected to cost between $70-80M and will be fully funded through private fundraising, in addition to ICCU's gift.
The future ICCU Bengal Arena will serve Bengals athletics teams, along with being a premier venue for university events. The arena will be constructed on the north side of the ICCU Dome, home of the ISU football team.
The arena is expected to seat approximately 4,500.
Other types of university and community events, such as concerts, high school state tournaments, trade shows, commencement ceremonies, and other engagements are possibilities for the arena.
In recent years, the ISU men's basketball teams have played in aging Reed Gym.
Years ago, the ISU men played at the ICCU Dome.
ICCU Bengal Arena will include traditional as well as premium seating spaces, concession areas, a practice and competition floor, and is intended to offer a versatile venue that will be able to accommodate other types of events. This facility has long been a significant need, ISU officials said, as constraints on space in the current venue of Reed Gymnasium dramatically limit use, and the seating capacity has limited access for the community and region to participate as fans.
Construction will begin once ISU secures all required private funding, officials said. A construction schedule will be established as design and fundraising progress.
A similar facility at the University of Idaho, dubbed the ICCU Arena, opened in fall 2021.
Information: isu.edu/iccubengalarena
Vandal men set for exhibition clash with Boise State
Idaho men’s basketball opens its 2026-27 season with an exhibition game against Boise State on Saturday at Idaho Central Arena, the second exhibition meeting between the two teams in as many years.
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. PDT, with the game airing on KTVB Channel 7.2 in the Boise area and the KTVB+ app. The KTVB+ app is available for free on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV, as well as at KTVB.com/Watch. Tickets are on sale now through the Idaho Central Arena box office.