Big Sky foes will collide when the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (5-15) face off against the Idaho Vandals (13-9) at Centrum Arena. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 4.
The Thunderbirds are hoping to rebound after their 77-50 loss to Weber State in their last matchup. John Marshall had a good outing, recording four points, four rebounds, and two steals for Southern Utah. The Vandals, meanwhile, are coming off a 56-55 win against Portland State in their last game. Nate Sherwood led the team in scoring by accounting for 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
Second-chance opportunities could be few and far between for the Thunderbirds in this one. They rank 339th in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of just 22.8%), while Idaho is 13th-best in the nation on the defensive glass (DR% of 75.9%).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Thunderbirds winning the first matchup 85-83. Despite the loss, Victor Sanders had a standout performance with 29 points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, two blocks, and four three-pointers.
Notes
In its last game, Southern Utah lost by a margin of 27 points. Idaho is 3-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Southern Utah has a 2-6 record in blowouts.
The Idaho Vandals have a defensive rating of 97.1 (ranked 58th), while the Southern Utah Thunderbirds have an offensive rating of 101.0 (ranked 265th).
Idaho has an average field goal percentage of 43.4%. Southern Utah is an abysmal 2-14 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Southern Utah attempts 19.0 three pointers and Idaho attempts 18.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds have a 2-6 record while the Idaho Vandals have a winning 5-3 record.
Idaho has forced an average turnover percentage of 20.1% this season. Southern Utah has a subpar 2-6 record when its TO% is 20.1% or higher.
