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Team: Idaho Vandals
Sport: NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
Home Games: Kibbie Dome
Head Coach: Zac Claus
Conference Championships: 7 regular season, 4 tournament
First Season: 1905-06
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The Idaho Vandals have been a driving force on the basketball court for over 100 years. They have won several conference titles, and they're always a threat to bust some brackets in the NCAA Tournament. Idaho is a charter member of the Big Sky Conference, which was formed in 1963. While the Vandals now call the
Kibbie Dome
its home, there are plans to build a new basketball arena. The Vandals always have a tough schedule, and fans enjoy watching the team strive against its rivals. The
Cougars
from Washington State are the Vandals’ longest-running foes on the court. To see all the excitement generated by this popular program in Idaho, grab your Idaho Vandals' basketball tickets at StubHub today.
''Zac Claus is the interim head coach for the Idaho Vandals men's basketball team for the 2019/2020 season. Claus has been with the Vandals as an assistant coach since 2015. During his time as an assistant, the Vandals won 62 total games and appeared in two postseason tournaments. Prior to coming to Idaho, Claus was with the Nevada Wolfpack men's basketball team for 10 seasons. During his time there, the Wolfpack won four regular-season championships and had six postseason spots.'
'The Idaho Vandals men's basketball team has played its home games at the Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center, also known as the Kibbie Dome, since 1975. This was the same year the Kibbie Dome received a new barrel-arch roof that garnered the America's Outstanding Structural Engineering Achievement award in 1976. The Kibbie Dome is 14 stories tall and took seven years to build. Kibbie Dome was renovated in 2004 and received improved student-athlete support facilities. In 2010-11, the training and equipment rooms were upgraded and expanded, the plywood end walls were replaced with KalWall translucent panels and the Litehouse Center and the Bud and June Ford Club were added. Also added were premium seating, loge boxes, suites and a rebuilt press box. The Vandals' basketball teams play in the Cowan Spectrum section of the Kibbie Dome. There are plans underway to construct a new arena on the north side of Kibbie Dome that will seat 4,200. The Idaho Central Credit Union Arena project is currently in a fundraising status.'
'The Idaho Vandals have many worthy opponents, and it has a special rivalry with the Washington State Cougars' basketball team. Every year, these two rivals meet during the Battle of the Palouse, and the overall rivalry is now entering its 115th year of competition. This is the longest-running collegiate basketball rivalry beyond the Ivy League. As of the 2018-19 season, the Vandals have won three of the last four in the series to include a 27-point lead for the winning 2018-19 season matchup. For the 2019-20 season, the Vandals will meet the Cougars for the Battle of the Palouse in Moscow on December 4.'
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The Idaho Vandals are part of the Big Sky Conference, which has existed for over half a century. The Big Sky Conference was instituted in 1963 with six original members: Idaho, Idaho State, Montana State, Montana, Weber State and Gonzaga. The name Big Sky comes from the A.B. Guthrie novel
Big Sky
. Idaho has had most of its athletic programs in the conference since 2014.
''The Idaho Vandals men's basketball team has many greats. One of its notable players is Gus Johnson, who played with the Vandals during the 1962-63 season. Johnson was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. Johnson's No. 43 jersey was retired in 1987, and he was placed in the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. Johnson holds 12 of the top 14 single-game rebounding totals in Vandal basketball history.'