FARMINGTON, Utah (Feb. 17, 2026) – Only two weeks of Big Sky Conference men’s basketball regular season remain, with the national spotlight shining on one particular matchup this Thursday.
#BigSkyMBB Notes (Feb. 17, 2026)
Below are the latest news and notes from around the Big Sky.
UNC’s Denker Earns Fifth Weekly Award
After leading the Northern Colorado Bears to a pair of victories, Quinn Denker has been named Big Sky Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Denker did it all for UNC, averaging 22.5 points per game, 11.5 assists per game and 7.5 rebounds per game in victories over Portland State and Sacramento State.
Against Sac State, he broke the Northern Colorado single-game assists record with 16 against the Hornets. This marks Denker’s fifth weekly award from the Big Sky this season, and second since league play began.
Nationally Ranked for Dimes
Denker currently ranks fourth in Division I basketball for assists, with an average of 7.4 per contest. He currently only trails Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. (9.2), Purdue’s Braden Smith (8.9) and Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson (7.7).
National Spotlight on Big Sky Basketball
On Thursday night, Portland State will host Idaho in Viking Pavilion for a contest that will be aired nationally on ESPNU. The contest is scheduled to tip at 7:00 p.m. MT/6:00 p.m. PT.
This will be a pivotal matchup for both squads. Portland State is seeking its first regular season title since 2008, and getting a victory over the Vandals will get them another step closer to that goal. For the Vandals, sitting at 6-7 in Big Sky play puts them right on the line to play either Saturday or Monday in Boise for Starch Madness, and a win in Portland would go a long way to climbing out of the bottom four.
Championship Scenarios
While the Vikings cannot clinch a regular season title on Thursday night, there are a number of scenarios for Saturday that could result in Portland State clinching either a share of the Big Sky crown or claiming it outright.
DeCuire Chasing History
Montana head coach Travis DeCuire is just six victories away from tying for second all-time in Big Sky history for career wins. DeCuire currently has 240 career wins, and is chasing Montana State legend Mick Durham, who had 246 wins during his career. Long-time Weber State head coach Randy Rahe holds the Big Sky record for total coaching victories with 316 in 16 seasons.
Stat Leaders
Portland State’s Terri Miller Jr. currently leads the Big Sky in scoring by average, while Montana’s Money Williams leads the Big Sky in scoring by total points. Miller Jr. is averaging 19.7 points per game through 23 appearances for a total of 454, while Williams has dropped 510 points across 26 games for an average of 19.6 ppg.
PSU’s Tre-Vaughn Minott is currently the Big Sky’s top rebounder, averaging 8.7 rebounds per game across 24 contests.
As noted above, Denker leads the Big Sky in assists, followed by PSU’s Jaylin Henderson who is averaging 5.8 per game.
Sacramento State’s Prophet Johnson leads the league in steals with 63 total for an average of 2.6 across 24 contests.
Idaho State’s Evan Otten is the Big Sky’s blocks leader, averaging 1.7 for a total of 46 in 27 games.
Northern Colorado leads the Big Sky in total team offense, averaging 83.0 points per game through 27 contests. On the flip side, Portland State leads the league in total team defense, allowing opponents to score just 69.8 points per game.
Starch Madness
The 2026 Big Sky Basketball Championships in Boise, Idaho will take place from March 7-11 inside Idaho Central Arena. Visit
StarchMadness.com for more details.
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Upcoming Big Sky Men’s Basketball Games (MT)
Thursday, February 19
Montana State at Weber State | ESPN+ | 7:00 p.m.
Montana at Idaho State | ESPN+ | 7:00 p.m.
Idaho at Portland State | ESPNU | 7:00 p.m.
Eastern Washington at Sacramento State | ESPN+ | 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 21
Eastern Washington at Portland State | ESPN+ | 3:00 p.m.
Montana State at Idaho State | ESPN+ | 4:00 p.m.
Northern Arizona at Northern Colorado | ESPN+ | 6:00 p.m.
Montana at Weber State | ESPN+ | 7:30 p.m.
Idaho at Sacramento State | ESPN+/KMAX | 8:00 p.m.