3 Things Houston Fans Need To Know About The Idaho Vandals

The Houston Cougars will take on the Idaho Vandals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Dec 10, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cole Certa (5) looks to pass as Idaho Vandals forward Seth Joba (21) defends during the second half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

On Selection Sunday, the Houston Cougars earned the No. 2 seed in the South Region, and they will take on the 15-seeded Idaho Vandals on Thursday, March 19, at 9:10 p.m., inside Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

The Cougars are 23.5-point favorites in the game, and they have a 98.2% chance to win, according to ESPN Analytics.

Head coach Kelvin Sampson is very familiar with the Vandals from his time at Washington State, and there are three key things that Houston fans should know about Idaho.

Houston vs Idaho First Round Matchup Overview

Dec 10, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Idaho Vandals forward Jackson Rasmussen (12) celebrates after hitting a 3-point shot against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Kelvin Sampson Is Very Familiar With Idaho

Dating back to his Washington State days, Sampson and his team became instant foes with the Idaho Vandals.

Sampson was the head coach at Washington State from 1987-1994, where he faced off against the Vandals eight times.

Idaho got the best of him in that time, handing the veteran head coach a 3-5 head-to-head record.

Tonight, he will have a chance to get another win against his old rival in the first ever matchup in the NCAA Tournament between Houston and Idaho.

The Vandals’ Youth Can Play

The Cougars have reaped the benefits of having talented freshman who have led the charge all season long.

The Vandals are very similar, with arguably their best two players being freshman forward Jackson Rasmussen and sophomore guard Kolton Mitchell.

Rasmussen leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game. The rookie led his team to a Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship, and he is a real threat down low that Houston needs to watch out for.

On the other hand, Mitchell is a guard who can shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor, which complements Rasmussen’s game very nicely.

He averages 13.7 points per game on the season, and he is not afraid to shoot it from behind the arc.

Idaho’s Height Could Make Things Interesting

The Cougars have struggled all season long against teams that can limit their offensive rebounding.

Idaho has three bigs that can disrupt Houston in that category. First, while Rasmussen is an elite scorer, he also stands at 6-foot-7 and can cause a mismatch on a smaller guard.

The other two playmakers are senior forward Brody Rowbury and junior forward Seth Joba.

Rowbury is 6-foot-11, and he can out rebound just about anyone on a lose ball. Joba also causes problems at 6-foot-9, and his athleticism is what makes him an issue on the boards.

If the Vandals can limit Houston on offensive rebounding, they have a real chance to make it an interesting first-round matchup.