NORTHWEST NOTES: Saturday, January 16, 2016

NIC returns to court to

face Southern Idaho today

The unbeaten North Idaho College men’s basketball team, ranked fifth in this week’s NJCAA poll, will put its 20-game win streak on the line today against the College of Southern Idaho in Scenic West Athletic Conference play starting at 4 p.m. PST.

NIC (5-0 in SWAC) beat Southern Idaho 103-83 in the conference opener for both schools on Dec. 12 in Coeur d’Alene. CSI enters the game 15-5, 3-2, beating Snow 87-86 in Twin Falls last Saturday.

“It’s a big one for us, but at this point they’re all big,” NIC coach Corey Symons said. “There’s no more nonconference games. They’re all big. We’ll keep preaching that everyone overlooked us at the beginning of the season. Now, we’ve got to keep that mentality that we’re underrated. Yes, we’ve got that target on our back, but as long as we keep that mentality that nobody thinks we’re good, we should be good. As long as we continue to come out and play hard, we’ll be all right.”

The CSI women (19-1, 4-1) — which knocked off previously unbeaten and top-ranked Salt Lake (19-1, 4-1) — lost to Snow 62-60 last Saturday in Twin Falls.

NIC (15-3, 3-2) enters the week ranked 25th in the NJCAA polls, losing to CSI in double overtime 87-83 on Dec. 12 at home.

Both games will be available via webcast at www.nicathletics.com.

Idaho, other Sun Belt teams

learn ’16 league foes

NEW ORLEANS — Idaho will play host to South Alabama (tied for fifth in the Sun Belt in 2015), Troy (T-5th), New Mexico State (T-5th) and Georgia State (fourth) in football this fall in Sun Belt Conference football games, the conference announced Friday.

The Vandals will travel to Louisiana-Lafayette (T-5th), Texas State (10th), Louisiana-Monroe (11th) and Appalachian State (second).

Idaho will not play Arkansas State, which won the Sun Belt in 2015, and Georgia Southern, which finished third, this fall.

Each of the 11 Sun Belt teams plays eight conference teams and misses two others.