Idaho men’s basketball draws No. 15 seed in NCAA Tournament, will open against Houston

The Idaho men’s basketball team received its save the date for the NCAA Tournament when the Vandals made a surprise run through the Big Sky Conference Tournament. On Sunday, Idaho got its formal invitation to join the Big Dance for the first time in 36 years.

The Vandals drew a No. 15 seed in the South Region and will open against second-seeded Houston on Thursday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

Idaho (21-14) finished the season ranked No. 144 in the NET and won seven of its final eight games, including four games in five nights to claim the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship in Boise.

The Vandals clinched their first trip to March Madness since 1990 last Wednesday with a 77-66 win over Montana in the conference title game. Idaho also topped Sacramento State, Montana State and Eastern Washington throughout the tournament as the conference’s No. 7 seed.

The Vandals were shown on screen during the CBS Selection Show, watching patiently from ICCU Arena in Moscow with a large contingent of fans behind them. They had to wait a while to hear their name called. The Idaho/Houston matchup was the final game revealed during the show.

Houston went 28-6 this season under 12th-year coach Kelvin Sampson, who served as Washington State’s head coach from 1987-94. Houston fell to Arizona on Saturday in the Big 12 Conference Tournament championship game.

This story will be updated.