‘They emptied the tanks.’ Houston flexes muscle in rout of Idaho in NCAA opener

OKLAHOMA CITY (Idaho Statesman) — The University of Idaho’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 36 years ended up being short-lived.

Playing against South Region No. 2 seed Houston — a 23.5-point favorite and last year’s national runner-up — the Vandals fell 78-47 to the Cougars of the Big 12 in the first round Thursday night at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

Houston (29-6) shot 50% from the field, scored 36 points in the paint and out-rebounded Idaho 47-32 while holding the Vandals to just 28.6% shooting. Five Cougars scored in double figures, led by freshman guard Kingston Flemings, an All-America third-team pick, with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

“I think our guys really battled to put themselves in a position where they could play in March Madness,” Idaho coach Alex Pribble said. “They played seven games in 13 days leading up to this, an emotionally draining run through the conference tournament. You get paired up with a team like Houston, I think a lot of teams would have kind of backed away, and I don’t think our guys did at all.

“I think they fought for 40 minutes. I thought they gave everything they had. They emptied the tanks.”

The Vandals held an early 10-7 lead after a 3-pointer from senior guard Biko Johnson followed by a hook shot from Big Sky Freshman of the Year Jackson Rasmussen with 15:42 on the clock in the first half.

But Houston used a 24-3 run over the next 6 minutes to dispel any hope the 15th-seeded Vandals had of an upset. The Cougars led 48-24 at the half and continued to expand that lead over the final 20 minutes to set up a second-round matchup with No. 10 Texas A&M.

Redshirt sophomore guard Kolton Mitchell — playing with two broken ribs sustained in a game in February, according to the truTV broadcast — paced Idaho with 14 points, three rebounds and one assist.

“I think our foundation and our culture has been built,” Mitchell said. “We have a championship culture now at Idaho. And the expectation is the expectation. We expect to win championships now. So going in, the guys who we’ll recruit and get here are gonna be expected to work their butts off.”

Mitchell is one of five Gem State products on Idaho’s roster, joined by Rasmussen (Owyhee High), senior forward Brody Rowbury (Meridian High), redshirt junior guard Jack Payne (Owyhee High) and redshirt junior guard Titus Yearout (Lapwai High).

Idaho qualified for its first NCAA Tournament since 1990 by winning four games in five days at the Big Sky Tournament at Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise.

The seventh-seeded Vandals defeated No. 8 Sacramento State in the first round, No. 2 Montana State in the second round, No. 3 Eastern Washington in the semifinals and finally defending tournament champion and fourth-seeded Montana in the title match.

Idaho was a 13-seed in its last tournament appearance in 1990, losing to Louisville 78-59 in Salt Lake City. The Vandals have one Sweet 16 showing in program history, beating No. 6 Iowa in the Round of 32 in 1982.

Idaho finishes the season 21-16 overall, just its third 20-win season since 1993. The Vandals’ 355 3-pointers made is the most in a single season in program history, surpassing the previous record of 308, set last season.

Pribble, in his third season at the helm, has steadily built Idaho into a conference contender. The Vandals had just one win during the 2021-22 season and have earned 11, 14 and now 21 wins under Pribble.

“Anybody that wants to make their program tougher, they look at Houston. Anybody that wants to make their program more physical, they look at Houston,” Pribble said. “To hear that (Houston) coach (Kelvin) Sampson has some respect for us playing with a level of physicality and toughness, that’s special. Because I think our guys have worked really hard to improve that part of our identity.”

With 4:45 left in the game, Johnson sank a 3-pointer to put him over 1,000 points in his career. The senior from Carlson, California, finished the game with eight points, six boards, two assists and one steal. Redshirt junior Trevon Blassingame also had eight points in the loss.