Idaho Vandals men's basketball
The Idaho Vandals men's basketball team represents the University of Idaho, located in Moscow, Idaho, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They currently compete in the Big Sky Conference. The Vandals are currently coached by Zac Claus and play their home games on campus at the Cowan Spectrum at the Kibbie Dome; the Memorial Gym is the alternate venue. The university is preparing to build the new Idaho Central Credit Union Arena; when the 4,200-seat venue opens in 2021, the men's basketball team, as well as the women's basketball and volleyball teams, will move to the new facility.
The program's two most notable seasons were in 1962–63 and 1981–82. The Vandals went in 1963 and featured future hall of famer The 1982 team was ranked sixth in both polls at the end of the regular repeated as regular season and conference tournament and reached the Sweet Sixteen of the
Post-season
NCAA Tournament results
The Vandals have appeared in four NCAA Tournaments, with an overall record of 1–4.| 1981 | 7 W | Round of 48 | Pittsburgh | L 69–70 OT | Don Monson |
| 1982 | 3 W | Round of 48 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen | Bye #16 Iowa #4 Oregon State | — W 69–67 OT L 42–60 | Don Monson |
| 1989 | 13 W | Round of 64 | #15 UNLV | L 56–68 | Kermit Davis |
| 1990 | 13 W | Round of 64 | #16 Louisville | L 59–78 | Kermit Davis |
NIT results
Idaho has one National Invitation Tournament appearance and lost in the first round;it was the first NIT invitation for the Big Sky
| 1983 | First Round | at Oregon State | L 59–77 | Don Monson |
CIT results
The Vandals have participated in four CollegeInsider.com Tournaments,and their combined record is
| 2009 | First Round Quarterfinals | Drake at Pacific | W 69–67 L 59–69 | Don Verlin |
| 2011 | First Round | at San Francisco | L 73–81 | Don Verlin |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round | UC Santa Barbara at Utah State | W 86–83 L 56–76 | Don Verlin |
| 2017 | First Round Second Round | Stephen F. Austin at Texas State | W 73–50 L 55–64 | Don Verlin |
CBI results
The Vandals have participated in the one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 0–1.| 2016 | First Round | at Seattle | L 63–68 | Don Verlin |
Other postseason
Idaho also participated in the very first national championship tournament ever held in intercollegiate basketball, the 1922 National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament, where they lost in the quarterfinals to Kalamazoo College.Individual records
Notable players
- Kaniel Dickens – 50th overall selection in 2000 NBA draft
- Gus Johnson – 10th overall selection in 1963 NBA draft – dominant NBA power forward in the 1960s – Basketball Hall of Fame
- Orlando Lightfoot all-time leading scorer of the Vandals with 2,102 points.
Retired numbers