In a flip from what’s been typical, WSU’s men’s team is at home for all three games and the women hit the road. The WSU men host Idaho on Thursday in the first of four straight home games and a now-or-never chance to start stringing together some victories.

The men first host Idaho at 7 p.m. Thursday — an improved Vandals team under second-year coach Alex Pribble — while trying to pick up a win to break a rare home skid.

With Idaho (9-12, 4-4 Big Sky) in town, Thursday’s game will feature the two worst defenses in the Big Sky when measured by opponents’ offensive efficiency. While points may be plentiful, Weber State (8-13, 2-5) hopes it’s found answers.

The Wildcats went with a new starting lineup Saturday at Sacramento State, sitting Miguel Tomley and Vasilije Vucinic for a starting five of Blaise Threatt, Viljami Vartiainen, Dyson Koehler, Nigel Burris and Alex Tew.

Robert Casey, WSU Athletics

Vartiainen scored a career-high 22 points while that group tallied a plus-13 mark (20-7) in 8:20 together. That advantage included 10-5 to open the game and 10-2 to open the second half. Additional stints outside the start of each half only lasted 64 seconds total due to foul trouble (scores were 0-0 in those 64 seconds).

That new starting five was likely set going forward due to its success, but even more so now that fifth-year guard Miguel Tomley has left the team to address what WSU called a serious medical situation.

The Wildcats will contend with Idaho’s talented guard line of Kristian Gonzalez and Kolton Mitchell.

Gonzalez, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, stepped into a starting role this season and averages 11.1 points per game. Mitchell is a redshirt sophomore who was injured last year at Idaho State before transferring closer to home. He averages 11 points, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Mitchell has been Idaho’s most consistent 3-point shooter at 38.1% against Division I opponents.

Another deep threat comes from Idaho’s bench in 6-foot-9 forward Kyson Rose. He’s 11 of 25 from distance against DI opponents and recently returned for the last three games after missing a month of action.

The Vandals don’t play a traditional center but senior Julius Mims (6-foot-9) can, and will, pose matchup problems. The rim-running lob threat averages 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds over six Big Sky games and can get active on the offensive glass.

Ken Pomeroy’s formula predicts WSU by three points at 61% probability.

Next in the Dee Events Center is Eastern Washington (6-15, 2-6) for a rare 1 p.m. Saturday matinee. The Eagles are under new management with veteran Dan Monson, in his 27th season as a head coach, now at the helm. EWU scheduled its usual lumps-taking slate of nonconference games and have been in every conference contest.

The Eagles are also fueled by two guards, but upperclassmen: senior transfer Andrew Cook and former JUCO player Nic McClain.

Cook transferred from NAIA Carroll College in Montana and has been great for EWU, scoring 15 points per game largely with a driving and slashing game. McClain (13.6 ppg) likes to get above the rim when possible but is also a threat from behind the arc (37.2% against DI opponents).

They’re bolstered by sophomores Mason Williams (12.9 ppg) and Sebastian Hartmann (9.8). Those four are all 6-foot-5 and under, and start together with freshman 6-foot-9 center Emmett Marquardt (8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds per game).

Per Ken Pomeroy, WSU is favored in that game by four points at 64% probability.

That concludes the first half of conference play; the second half begins at 7 p.m. Monday with the Wildcats trying to avenge their road loss at Northern Arizona (13-8, 4-4).

Trent McLaughlin is still the same 6-foot-6 matchup problem who scores 21.5 points per game, third-best in the nation as of this writing. Carson Towt (13.5 ppg), who was ejected in the first matchup in Flagstaff along with WSU’s Tew, is the nation’s No. 1 defensive rebounder by percentage (by average, he pulls down 12.3 per game).

Those two seniors and junior guard Jayden Jackson (12.3 ppg) make everything go for the Lumberjacks. All three are in double-figure scoring and average between 3.4 and 3.9 assists per game.

Ken Pomeroy’s formula gives Weber a slight two-point edge at 58% probability.

WOMEN HIT THE ROAD

The same stretch looks different for the Weber State women (7-10). At 4-3 in league play, the Wildcats currently sit in fourth place — but two of the next three are against the clear top-third contenders who are a combined 48-12 this season.

That starts Thursday at Idaho (14-5, 6-2), who was 6-1 before losing by 30 to Northern Arizona. Senior Olivia Nelson (13.4 ppg) leads a strong guard line for the Vandals.

Saturday’s trip to Eastern Washington (6-14, 2-6) looks like WSU’s best chance to stay in the top half of the standings during the trip. EWU has lost four straight and has four Division I wins, a marked drop from last season’s success.

While senior guard Peyton Howard (13.6 ppg) leads the Eagles in scoring, freshman forward Kourtney Grossman has turned heads while averaging 9.9 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Then the Wildcats take the long jaunt from Saturday afternoon in Cheney, Washington, to a Monday matchup at Northern Arizona (16-5, 7-1). NAU juniors Sophie Glancey (17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds per game) and Taylor Feldman (16.9 ppg) have proved almost impossible to stop.