FARMINGTON, Utah (Jan. 6, 2026) – The first weekend of league play is in the books for all 10 Big Sky Conference men’s basketball teams, with plenty of exciting matchups on the horizon.
#BigSkyMBB Notes (Jan. 6, 2026)
Below are the latest news and notes from around the Big Sky.
PSU’s Henderson Named Player of the Week
With very impressive performances in back-to-back overtime contests on the road, Portland State’s Jaylin Henderson has been named Big Sky Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
In Ogden against Weber State, Henderson finished with 34 points, seven assists in six rebounds to help push the Vikings past the Wildcats. He was the catalyst to force OT, tying the game with just two seconds left on the clock in regulation. Including overtime, he scored 16 points in the final six minutes. His 34 points in that game ties him for the single-game high this season amongst Big Sky players. Against Idaho State, he finished with 19 points, while dishing out seven assists for the second-straight game. He also came up huge in the clutch against the Bengals, with five points and three assists in overtime.
Across both contests, he averaged 25.5 points per game, 7.0 assists per game and 6.0 rebounds per game. For the Vikings, it was their first road sweep in six years of Big Sky Conference action. This marks Henderson’s second-career Player of the Week title from the conference office.
Four Teams Start League Play Unbeaten
A trio of Big Sky teams started conference play 2-0, while another sits at 1-0 after the opening weekend.
Montana, Montana State and Portland State all swept their opening slates to enter this week 2-0 in league play. UM and MSU accomplished the feat at home, each knocking off 10-win Northern Colorado, while Portland State went 2-0 on the road.
Idaho knocked off Eastern Washington in their lone contest of the weekend, sitting at 1-0 in league play and 9-5 overall.
Stat Leaders
Through 12 games, Portland State’s Terri Miller Jr. has become the Big Sky’s leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points per game. Montana’s Money Williams is second in scoring at 18.6 ppg, while PSU’s Henderson is third at 18.5 ppg. Northern Colorado’s Quinn Denker rounds out players in the league averaging 18 points or more, sitting right at 18.0 ppg on the season.
Sacramento State’s Prophet Johnson remains the Big Sky’s leading rebounder, pulling down 86 rebounds per game. He’s followed by Portland State’s Tre-Vaughn Minott, who is averaging 8.4 rpg.
Johnson is also the Big Sky leader for steals, with 32 total for an average of 2.5 steals per game.
UNC’s Denker leads the Big Sky in assist average (6.4) while UM’s Williams leads the league in total assists (86).
Idaho State’s Evan Otten is the Big Sky leader in blocked shots, sending away 26 in total on the season for an average of 1.7 per game.
Upcoming Big Sky Men’s Basketball Games (MT)
Thursday, January 8
Weber State at Northern Arizona | ESPN+ | 6:00 p.m.
Idaho State at Northern Colorado | ESPN+ | 6:00 p.m.
Montana at Idaho | ESPN+ | 7:00 p.m.
Montana State at Eastern Washington | ESPN+ | 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 10
Sacramento State at Portland State | ESPN+ | 3:00 p.m.
Montana State at Idaho | ESPN+ | 3:00 p.m.
Montana at Eastern Washington | ESPN+ | 3:00 p.m.
Weber State at Northern Colorado | ESPN+ | 6:00 p.m.
Idaho State at Northern Arizona | ESPN+ | 6:00 p.m.