Here’s How To Watch Houston vs Idaho in March Madness
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The moment everyone has been waiting for.
March Madness. It’s finally here.
It’s the world’s greatest tournament in all of sports, and the first round is about to get underway in Oklahoma City as No. 2 seed Houston squares off with No. 15 seed Idaho.
Here’s how to catch the action and more information needed to know before catching the game between the Cougars and Vandals.
How To Watch
Heading to OKC and the NCAA Tournament…#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/oQwxyFIGCZ
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) March 17, 2026
Who: Houston Cougars 28-6 (14-4 Big 12) vs. Idaho Vandals 18-12 (21-14 Big Sky)
What: First Round of NCAA Tournament
When: Thursday, March 19, at 9:10 p.m.
Where: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
TV/Streaming: truTV
Radio: KPRC 950 AM, The Varsity Network
Radio Announcers: Jeremy Branham (play-by-play)
Last Season: Houston concluded with a 30-5 record (15-3 Big 12 play) and advanced to the National Championship Game before dropping the finale to Florida. Idaho wrapped up its season at 14-19 (8-10 Big Sky play).
Series History: The Cougars lead the all-time series 1-0, with Oklahoma City being the only meeting between the schools.
Meet the Coaches
Kelvin Sampson: Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is in his 12th season with the program and is coming off a Final Four appearance, where he reached the championship game but lost to Florida. He’s led his teams to seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances and has recorded over 300 wins during his tenure.
Alex Pribble: It is Year 3 for Alex Pribble, the coach who is a native of Fairfax, California. He was announced as the new head coach on March 21, 2023, and coached at six different schools before his stop. Pribble had been a head coach at the DⅡ level for Saint Martin’s and is also one of only three Idaho coaches to take the program to an NCAA Tournament.
Interesting Statistics to Know About Idaho Basketball
To get to where the Vandals are this season and punch their ticket to March Madness, they had to defeat the Montana Grizzlies 77-66 in the Big Sky Championship to survive and advance.
In that contest, the highest scorer on the team was guard Isaiah Brickner, registering 23 points and 210 rebounds for the double-double. There were three other players who recorded double digits and powered Idaho to where it is now.
Over the season, the Vandals faced tough teams like UC San Diego, San Diego, Cal State Bakersfield, Sam Houston, and Notre Dame, all of which resulted in losses. They had no Quad 1 wins and none in Quad 2, going 0-3.
In Quad 3, the team was 9-8, and in Quad 4, it went 9-3, so the resume isn’t the strongest, but playing the best basketball is most important at this time of year. The offense is posting 78.7 points per game, along with averaging 37.4 rebounds and 12.5 assists. From the field, the Vandals are shooting 44.8 percent and 35.6 percent from three. At the free throw line, they are also at 73.5 percent.
Kolton Becker is a journalist for Texas A&M Aggies and Houston Cougars On SI from Port Lavaca, Texas. He is a graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism and a minor in sport management. As a former sports reporter with TexAgs and The Battalion, he has covered Texas A&M football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track & field, cross country, swim & dive and equestrian. In his spare time, he loves to hunt, fish, cook, do play-by-play announcing at high school sporting events, spend time with family/friends as well as be involved with his local church.
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