The Idaho Vandals take on the Montana Grizzlies in Boise, Idaho. Tip-off is set for 11:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.
Idaho is favored by -2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -140. The total is set at 145.5 points.
Here’s my Idaho vs. Montana predictions and college basketball picks for March 12, 2026.
Idaho vs Montana Prediction
My Pick: Over 145.5
My Idaho vs Montana best bet is on the points total over. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Idaho vs. Montana Odds
| Idaho Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -106 | 145.5 -110o / -110u | -140 |
| Montana Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -114 | 145.5 -110o / -110u | +115 |
- Idaho vs Montana spread: Idaho -2.5 (-106), Montana +2.5 (-114)
- Idaho vs Montana over/under: 145.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Idaho vs Montana moneyline: Idaho -140, Montana +115
Idaho vs Montana College Basketball Betting Preview
Both Idaho and Montana have made improbable runs to the Big Sky Conference championship game.
The Grizzlies have knocked off two of the pre-tournament favorites, Northern Colorado and Portland State, as junior guard Money Williams has scored an eye-popping 72 points in two games. He has made plays at the rim and the entire Montana team has fed off of the momentum of his play.
Montana has held sizeable leads at halftime in both of its games, as veteran head coach Travis DeCuire has rebounded his team nicely from an embarrassing 29-point loss in the last game of the regular season. The Griz are hot right now and are playing with a ton of confidence.
Idaho has taken a different path to this point, having played an extra game. The Vandals' defense has really stepped up in critical junctures of its games during this run. Idaho held Sacramento State to just 45 points in the opener, and the defense did a good job of frustrating Montana State in the second half of their second game, allowing the Vandals to come back and seize control late.
Hot-shooting Eastern Washington didn’t see its shots fall in the 1st half yesterday and scored just 28 points before intermission. The Eagles finished just 3 of 20 from deep while also struggling at the foul line.
Idaho vs. Montana Betting Analysis
This line opened with Idaho listed as a short 1.5-point favorite with a total set at 145.5. I am going to play the over here.
Money Williams has completely taken over this tournament, and Montana is operating at an extremely efficient rate. The Griz are getting good looks and are being much more aggressive on offense. This is resulting in trips to the foul line much more frequently, which is bad news for Idaho, which has the worst defensive free-throw rate in the conference.
In the two regular-season meetings against the Vandals, Montana shot 40% from three-point range and should find more space for the shooters against one of the worst three-point defenses in Big Sky Conference Play in Idaho.
The hot shooting combined with the playmaking ability of Williams, who has completely taken over this tournament, leads me to believe Montana is going to score points here.
The Griz have been fortunate in both of their victories, as huge leads evaporated in the second half, and Montana lost all the game momentum at one point or another. Idaho already has a come-from-behind win over Montana State in this tournament, and with the wild swings we have seen between these two teams, no lead is safe.
I believe we are going to have pace here by these offenses, and Kolton Mitchell and Biko Johnson are going to keep Idaho in this game. Both of these teams should be in the 70’s here for point totals, and I expect a second-half scoring surge as we have seen from both of these teams in every game of this tournament.
We are going to see a ton of threes, and both teams have playmakers capable of making shots. This is going to be a fun bout with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line. I trust these shot-makers to do what they do, and with the abundance of deep shots and frequency of trips to the line we should see, I like the over here.
My Pick: Over 145.5
