Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Idaho State
'Cats host Bengals Saturday at 1:00
1/30/2026 9:46:00 AM | Men's Basketball
It's the annual Mascot Game at halftime on Saturday.
• Weber State is back home to host a longtime rival when the Wildcats take on the Idaho State Bengals on Saturday afternoon.
• Saturday's game between the Wildcats and Bengals will tipoff at 1:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Tony Parks and former Weber State head coach Joe Cravens on the call.
The Weber State radio broadcast with Carl Arky and former Weber State standout and Big Sky MVP David Patten will be on 103.1 FM.
Live stats and video links are at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Saturday's game marks the halfway point of the 18-game Big Sky regular season schedule. Both teams enter the game at 10-11 overall and both have lost their last three games.
Weber State is 4-4 in Big Sky play and coming off road losses at Montana and Montana State last week. Idaho State is 3-5 in conference play and has also lost three straight games.
• Tijan Saine Jr. averaged 19.5 points in the two road games last week, including 24 points at Montana State. Saine leads the Wildcats in scoring at 15.3 points per game and has reached 20 or more points in five of the eight Big Sky games. In conference games, he is averaging 20.3 points per game, fifth best in the Big Sky.
Overall, Saine is second in the Big Sky in free throw percentage at 87.3 percent and is shooting 90 percent in conference games. He was 12 of 12 from the line last week and has made 52 of his last 55 free throw attempts. He also ranks fourth in the league in assist to turnover radio and is sixth in assists.
• Viljami Vartiainen added 15 points with four 3-pointers in Saturday's game at Montana State and has reached double figures 12 times in 15 games played this year.
Vartiainen is second on the Wildcat team in scoring at 12.3 points per game. He ranks second in the Big Sky in 3-pointers per game at 3.0 and is fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage at 41.3 percent.
Vartiainen is also approaching a spot in the WSU record books. He has 147 career 3-pointers and needs just five more to move past Kyle Bullinger and into the WSU all-time top 10 in career 3-pointers made.
• Sophomore Trevor Hennig also added 15 points in Saturday's game, the 10th time this season he has reached double figures in scoring. Hennig is fifth on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game.
• Weber State junior Jace Whiting missed both games last week with a foot injury and is expected to be out a few more weeks. Whiting is third on the WSU team in scoring at 11.6 points per game this season.
• Weber State leads the Big Sky Conference in 3-point defense and rebounding. The 'Cats are also second in the conference in steals, scoring offense, and turnover margin. WSU is also third in rebounding margin.
• WSU ranks 15th in the nation in 3-point defense at 29.1 percent and is also first in the Big Sky and 24th in the country in fastbreak points at 15.8 per game.
• This season Weber State is 8-3 when leading at halftime and 2-7 when trailing. The 'Cats are also 9-1 when leading in field goal percentage and 1-9 when trailing. WSU is 3-8 in games decided by 10 points or less, including 2-5 in games by five points for less, and is 7-3 in games decided by 11 or more points.
• Saturday's game is the annual Mascot Game at Weber State as Waldo the Wildcat will host several other sports teams and business mascots in a game at halftime.
• The game begins a stretch of four games over eight days for the Wildcats, with three games at the Dee Events Center. Weber State will play at Sacramento State on Monday, February 2, then host Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona next Thursday and Saturday.
• Idaho State has also lost three straight games heading into Saturday and the Bengals are 3-5 in Big Sky play.
ISU is second in the conference in blocks at 4.2 per game. They are also fourth in scoring defense and rebounding margin. Evan Otten leads the conference in blocks at 1.7 per game. Jamison Guerra is second in assist/turnover ratio and fifth in assists.
• Last season ISU was 15-15 overall and finished fourth in the Big Sky at 10-8 with Big Sky MVP Dylan Darling. The Bengals were picked fifth in this year's preseason media poll and eighth in the coaches poll.
Idaho State is coached by Ryan Looney who is in his seventh season.
• This will be the 137th all-time meeting between the two longtime rivals, both charter members of the Big Sky Conference. Weber State holds an 86-50 all-time lead over Idaho State but the Bengals have won three of the last four and four of the last six against the Wildcats.
Last season the two teams split the series, each winning on the road.
Idaho State has won the last three games and four of the last five games played in Ogden. WSU is 50-16 all-time against the Bengals at home.
• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who is in his fourth season as head coach and his 20th season overall at Weber State. He spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe before becoming the 10th head coach in WSU history in May 2022. He has been on the coaching staff for over 600 games at Weber State, more than anyone in WSU's history.
Last summer, NBA superstar and Wildcat legend Damian Lillard was named the General Manager of Weber State Basketball.
In January 2026, assistant coach Jorge Ruiz was named the Assistant General Manager for the Wildcats.
