Montana Grizzlies vs Idaho Vandals Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Montana Grizzlies vs Idaho Vandals

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: ICCU Arena in Moscow, ID

TV: ESPN+

The Idaho Vandals (9-5) will take on the Montana Grizzlies (8-7) at ICCU Arena on Thursday.

The Montana Grizzlies took the court against Northern Colorado and notched a win by a score of 88-79 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Grizzlies walked away with 19 while Northern Colorado recorded 24 fouls. They buried 11 out of their 35 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Northern Colorado went 76.2% when shooting free throws by burying 16 of 21 shots. Furthermore, Northern Colorado collected 31 rebounds (8 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't have a block. Northern Colorado distributed 19 assists and had 4 steals for the game. Regarding defense, Montana let their opponent shoot 36.6% from the floor on 26 of 71 shooting. They also recorded 15 assists in the game while creating 10 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When it comes to getting rebounds, they earned 34 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Grizzlies made 35 of 38 tries for a percentage of 92.1%. Montana wrapped up the contest having earned a 44.2% field goal percentage (23 of 52) and made 7 out of their 24 three-point attempts.

Money Williams is someone who was important for the contest. He went 46.7% from the floor and dished out 5 assists. He was on the court for 34 mins played and grabbed 4 boards. He walked away with 31 points on 7 of 15 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Montana will take the court with a win-loss record of 8-7 so far this season. They turn it over 14.1 times per game and as a team they commit 17.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Montana is snagging 37.5 rebounds per game and has totaled 243 assists on the campaign, which ranks 93rd in the country in terms of passing. The Grizzlies are shooting 35.1% on three-point attempts (127 of 362) and 76.0% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 81.2 points per outing (105th in D-1) while shooting 49.2% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Grizzlies are forcing 11.1 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.3 fouls. They are surrendering 30.5% on 3-point attempts while they are 211th in college in PPG from their opponents (74.4). The Grizzlies defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 42.2% (406 of 962) and they surrender 34.5 boards per game as a group. They currently rank 191st in the nation in giving up assists with 203 conceded on the year.

For their last game, the Idaho Vandals walked away with a victory by a final of 84-81 when they played Eastern Washington. When talking about team rebounding, Idaho allowed Eastern Washington to pull down 41 in all (23 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 36.4% from three-point range by going 8 out of 22 and ended up shooting 17 of 25 at the charity stripe (68.0%). The Vandals allowed Eastern Washington to knock down 28 of their 70 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.0% in the game. When the final whistle blew, the Vandals finished 26 out of 53 from the field which had them shooting 49.1%. When talking about shooting from beyond the arc, Idaho knocked down 11 out of their 29 tries (37.9%). They were able to bury 21 of those for a rate of 72.4%. Eastern Washington committed 23 fouls in this matchup which got the Vandals to the free throw line for a total of 29 shots. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while earning 9 steals for the matchup. The Vandals pulled down 19 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 29 for the matchup.

Kolton Mitchell was important for the Vandals for the matchup. He racked up 32 points in his 37 mins of playing time and had 2 assists in the game. He buried 10 out of 15 for this contest for a rate of 66.7%, and earned 2 rebounds.

Idaho has a win-loss mark of 9-5 so far this year. The Vandals are committing 17.7 personal fouls per game and they connect on 76.5% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 14.7 times per game (157th in Division 1) and they turn the ball over 11.5 times per game. Idaho has earned 1,139 pts for the season (81.4 per game) and they snag 37.9 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Vandals are shooting 45.4% from the field, which ranks 194th in Division 1.

The Idaho defense surrenders 33.1% on 3-pointers (113 of 341) and opponents are connecting on 68.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 12.1 assists and 32.4 boards per contest, which ranks them 77th and 81st in the country. The Vandals on the defensive side of the court are 150th in college in points per game surrendered with 72.0. They are forcing 11.4 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.5% from the floor (130th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Montana

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.