Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Idaho State
Wildcats take on Bengals Saturday in Pocatello
2/27/2026 10:07:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Weber State has just two games left in the regular season.
• Weber State enters the final weekend of conference play with plenty on the line beginning Saturday afternoon with a matchup against longtime rival Idaho State.
• The Wildcats and Bengals will tipoff at 4 p.m. from Reed Gym in Pocatello. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with the WSU radio broadcast on 103.1 FM "The Coast".
• The Wildcats are 9-7 in Big Sky play with two conference games remaining. Weber State is currently tied for fourth in the conference standings and the Wildcats can still finish anywhere from second to seventh, depending on what happens in the final two games of the season.
Idaho State is 5-11 in conference play and currently tied for eighth in the league standings.
The Big Sky Tournament will be March 7-11 in Boise, Idaho.
• Weber State has won four of its last five games heading into Saturday's matchup and the 'Cats are coming off a home sweep of Montana State and Montana. WSU closed out the home portion of the season with a 92-72 dominating win over Montana last Saturday. The 'Cats shot 59 percent from the field and led by as many as 29 points. WSU was 9 of 18 from 3-point range.
• Saturday's win was highlighted by the performance of junior Viljami Vartiainen who scored a season-high 25 points and tied his career-high with seven 3-pointers. He was 9 of 11 from the field and made his first seven 3-pointers, before finishing 7 of 9 from 3-point range.
Vartiainen now leads the Big Sky and ranks 11th in the nation in 3-point percentage at 43.5 percent. He is also second in the conference in 3-pointers per game at 2.9. He is ninth in WSU history in career 3-pointers made at 169 and eighth in career 3-point percentage at 40.7.
• The Wildcats had five players score in double figures in both home wins last week.
On the season, the 'Cats are 11-5 this season when at least four players score in double figures, including 6-2 in Big Sky games.
• Weber State guard Tijan Saine continues to lead the conference in scoring in Big Sky games at 20.9 points per game. Saine has led the Wildcats in scoring in 12 of the 16 Big Sky games and has scored in double figures in 19 straight games.
Saine is also second in the Big Sky and 24th in the nation in free throw percentage at 89.6 percent, currently the third best percentage in a season in WSU history.
He is six points away from becoming the 26th player in Weber State history to score at least 500 points in a season.
• Sophomore Trevor Hennig averaged 17.5 points and shot 65 percent from the field in the two wins last week. Hennig, who had missed five of the previous six games, scored a season-high 19 points in the win over Montana State and added 16 in the win over Montana. On the year, Hennig is averaging 10.1 points per game.
• Weber State leads the Big Sky in rebounding at 37.4 per game. The 'Cats are also second in the conference in scoring offense and rebounding margin.
• Idaho State is also coming off two home wins over Montana and Montana State last week and ISU's Gus Etchison was named the Big Sky and the Collegeinsider.com Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Week for his performance in the two wins where he scored 29 points against Montana and a career-high 36 against Montana State. He also made seven 3-pointers in the two games.
The Bengals lead the Big Sky in blocked shots, averaging 4.2 per game.
• The Wildcats beat the Bengals 81-79 on January 31 in Ogden, highlighted by a 3-pointer from freshman ArDarius Grayson in the final seconds, made right in front of WSU General Manager Damian Lillard. Grayson scored 14 points and Tijan Saine Jr. had 28 points with eight assists.
• Weber State holds an 87-50 series lead over Idaho State, but the series is 3-3 over the last six games.
WSU is 32-31 all-time in games in Pocatello, including a 77-69 win last year.
• The final game of the regular season will be on Monday, March 2 at league-leading Portland State. The Big Sky Tournament will be held March 7-11 in Boise, Idaho.
