The Big Sky Tournament, also known as Starch Madness, because it takes place in Boise, ID, is one of the more underrated tournaments of Championship week. There is usually chaos, and the top seed rarely wins. The 2026 Big Sky tournament was no exception. The top 4 seeds all lost early, creating pure chaos heading into the tournament final. That is where the Idaho Vandals stepped up and grabbed the Big Sky automatic bid.
Idaho qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1990 season, when Kermit Davis was their head coach. The boys from Moscow are making their 5th appearance in the Big Dance and are hoping that under current head coach Alex Pribble, this can be more than a flash-in-the-pan season. Let’s introduce everyone to the Idaho Vandals.
Legendary Coaches
There are very few individuals who know much about the Idaho basketball program, and with good reason. Idaho doesn’t have a very illustrious history except for one thing. It’s an odd thing, but it’s what makes Idaho go from a random team to one people should pay attention to.
The number of legendary coaches to get their start in Moscow is vast. Dan Monson, who people may know from Long Beach State history, is responsible for the only NCAA Tournament win in Idaho history. In 1982, the Vandals finished the season with a 27-3 overall record and an NCAA Tournament win…