2008-09 Portland State Men's Basketball Schedule
The Portland State Vikings men's basketball team will host 13 home games, compete in the Great Alaska Shootout and face several regional opponents as they defend their Big Sky Conference Championship in 2008-09.
Following a season-opener at Rice on Nov. 15, the Vikings will host the University of Portland on Nov. 18 in its season opening home game.
A return game from NCAA Tournament participant Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 23, and new Division I opponent Seattle University on Dec. 6 highlight the opening three weeks of play. PSU also hosts Lewis and Clark on Dec. 9.
Portland State will make a first-ever trip to the Great Alaska Shootout, Nov. 26-29. The Vikings will have a first-ever meeting with Northern Illinois on Nov. 26. The second round opponent will be either Hampton or Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 28. On Nov. 29, PSU will face either Louisiana Tech, San Diego State, Western Carolina or Seattle.
The Vikings take on a challenging road schedule in December, playing at Washington (Dec. 14), Cal Poly (Dec. 17), Gonzaga (Dec. 23), Texas Southern (Dec. 27) and Baylor (Dec. 29).
Big Sky Conference play, and defense of last season's title, begins with a Dec. 20 home game against the University of Montana. The Vikings then resume league play after the first of the year.
PSU plays eight at home and eight on the road during the 16-game Big Sky Conference schedule. Highlighted in that schedule are four Sunday afternoon Big Sky Conference/Altitude televised Games of the Week. PSU games at Northern Arizona (Jan. 4), Northern Colorado (Jan. 18), Montana State (Feb. 1) and at home against Sacramento State (Feb. 8) will be televised locally on Comcast SportsNet (channel 37).
For the first time ever, Portland State will host an ESPN BracketBuster game at the Stott Center. That game, which has the potential of being televised on ESPN, takes place on Feb. 21. The opponent and game time will be determined in January.
Other televised games on the Viking schedule are yet to be determined. Viking radio broadcasts will take place on AM 910 KTRO for the third consecutive season. Live video streaming at www.BigSkyTV.org will take place for all Viking home games and conference road games. This year, video streaming will be free to fans.
All Portland State home games are scheduled for the Peter W. Stott Center.
The Big Sky Conference Tournament runs Mar. 7-11, with quarterfinal round games at campus sites on Mar. 7. The Big Sky semifinals are Mar. 10, with the championship on Mar. 11, at the home site of the regular season champion.
PSU is coming off a 23-10 season in which it reached the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in school history. The Vikings set a school record for wins in a season behind Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year Ken Bone, and Big Sky Player of the Year Jeremiah Dominguez, before losing in the opening round of the tournament to eventual national champion Kansas.
PSU has three returning starters ? including Dominguez ? six returning letterwinners, three returning redshirts and five newcomers in 2008-09. The Vikings should be a favorite once again in the conference race.
