Silver and Gold scrimmages Friday
Basketball season is almost here and that means it’s time for the annual Silver and Gold scrimmages for Idaho’s basketball teams. The scrimmages are 6 p.m. Friday for the women’s team and 7 p.m. Friday for the men’s team. The event is free for admission and both scrimmages will take place in Memorial Gym. The players will sign autographs after the event. The Idaho men’s team opens the season with two exhibition games — Oct. 31 against Simon Fraser and Nov. 7 against Lewis-Clark State College. Their regular-season opener is Nov. 14 against Eastern Oregon. The Vandal women’s team opens the season Nov. 4 against Central Washington. All the opening games are at home for Idaho.
Preseason basketball polls released
The defending WAC Champions will have to prove themselves in their new conference as the Idaho women’s basketball team was picked to finish fourth by the media and third by the coaches in the 2014-15 Big Sky standings preseason polls released Wednesday. The Vandals received 106 total points in the media poll, including two first-place votes. North Dakota, last year’s Big Sky champions, topped the poll with 147 points (eight first-place). Montana totaled three first-place votes and 136 total points, while Eastern Washington claimed 117 total points.
The Idaho men’s basketball team also has something to prove as the Vandals were chosen seventh by the coaches and eighth by the media out of the 12 teams in the conference. Weber State led both polls with Eastern Washington second in the coaches’ poll and third in the media poll, while Northern Arizona was voted second in the media poll and third among the coaches.
Track and field schedules set
Idaho coach Tim Cawley released the 2015 men’s and women’s outdoor track and field schedules Thursday to add to the indoor schedule already on tap. The Vandals have one indoor meet at home Jan. 23 at the Kibbie Dome when they host the Idaho Collegiate. Idaho also hosts an outdoor tournament March 28 for Vandal Jamboree at the Dan O’Brien Track and Field Complex. Other popular meet locations include Boise, Seattle for two meets, Pullman for two meets and Spokane as well as meets in Oregon, Arizona, California and Texas. The Big Sky Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held this season at Flagstaff, Arizona, while the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be Friday and Saturday, March 8-9, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.