Complete notes and stats in pdf

The Portland State Vikings and Idaho State Bengals will meet this Sunday in the Altitude/Big Sky Game of the Week. The game, from Pocatello, ID, will be televised on Altitude TV and Comcast Sports Net in the Portland area (ch. 37/HD 737). Tip-off is 1:07 p.m. PT.
   
Portland State will try to bounce back from a poor showing in its conference opener Wednesday at the Stott Center. The Vikings lost 79-66 to Northern Colorado to drop to 7-6 on the season and 0-1 in Big Sky Conference play. PSU takes a 2-4 road record to ISU, but is 0-4 in true road games, 2-0 in neutral site games.
   
The Vikings have lost four of their last five games after starting 6-2. PSU, which plays three of four on the road beginning at ISU, got JR G Terry Coleman back for the Northern Colorado game after missing eight with a high ankle sprain. The Vikings are targeting Jan. 8 against Eastern Washington for the return of the long-injured SR F Phil Nelson (who has missed 25 straight games with a broken foot).
   
Idaho State is currently 4-8 this season. The Bengals will open Big Sky Conference play on Friday, hosting Sacramento State. ISU is 3-0 at home this season.
   
The Vikings and Bengals split last season's series with each team winning on its home court. PSU leads the series 24-14 all-time and 20-10 in Big Sky games. The most recent meeting was a 98-63 win by the Vikings on Feb. 26 at the Stott Center. That proved to be the largest margin of victory in the history of the series.

PORTLAND STATE (7-6, 0-1) vs. IDAHO STATE (4-8, 0-0)
Sunday, January 2, 2011, 1:07 p.m. PT @ Holt Arena (8,000), Pocatello, ID
Television: Altitude TV, Comcast Sports Net • Play-by-play: Rich Winter • Analyst: Jay McMillin
Radio: Freedom 970 AM, www.970.am • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 12:30 p.m.
Live Video Stream: www.b2tv.com • Live Stats: www.GoViks.com
All-Time Series: PSU leads 24-14 • PSU in Pocatello: 7-10
Big Sky Series: PSU leads 20-10 • PSU in Pocatello: 7-7
Streak: ISU has won the last two games in Pocatello

STORYLINES
• The series: Portland State leads the all-time series, 24-14, and the Big Sky series, 20-10... the Vikings have won five straight at home against ISU, and lost two straight at ISU... the Vikings have won nine of the last 11 in the series... PSU is 7-7 in Big Sky games at Pocatello... the Vikings have won both Big Sky Tournament meetings (both of which were semifinals) - one in Portland (2008) and one in Ogden (2009).
• Last year: The teams split the season series with each winning on their home court... the Vikings dropped an 88-80 overtime contest at Pocatello on Jan. 23. ISU shot .596 from the field, and was led by 30 points from Amorrow Morgan... the Vikings avenged that loss with a 98-63 win at the Stott Center on Feb. 26. It was the largest margin of victory in the 38-game history of the series (35 points). Dominic Waters scored 29 points, while Melvin Jones added 22 points and six assists... Jones scored 42 points in the two games against ISU.
• Home Away From Home: PSU's 7-7 mark in Big Sky games in Pocatello matches the Vikings' mark of 7-7 at Sacramento State for best road record against BSC opponents. PSU had a 7-5 mark and three-game winning streak over the Bengals before losing the last two seasons in Pocatello.
• The Bengals: Idaho State was 7-22 in 2009-10, including 4-12 and eighth place in the Big Sky Conference...one starter and four letterwinners return from that team... ISU has once again been picked to place eighth in the Big Sky in preseason polling.
• This year: The Bengals are currently 4-8 on the season, including 3-0 in home games... the Vikings and Bengals have one common opponent - Cal State Bakersfield. Both teams lost to the Roadrunners (ISU 75-56 in Bakersfield, PSU 92-77 in Bakersfield)... Idaho State ranks eighth in scoring (62.3) and three-pointers (4.7) in the Big Sky... the Bengals also have a -3.2 rebounding margin... SR G Broderick Gilchrest leads the team at 15.9 points per game... SR C Deividas Busma averages 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds.
• Head Coach Joe O'Brien: Now in his fifth season at Idaho State, Joe O'Brien has compiled a 49-85 record. He is 29-35 in Big Sky Conference games. O'Brien is 2-8 all-time against the Vikings, including 0-2 in Big Sky Tournament games.
 
VIKING HEAD COACH TYLER GEVING
Tyler Geving is in his second season as Head Coach and sixth season overall with the Portland State program. Geving has a 20-25 record with the Vikings. He was 13-19 in 2009-10 and led PSU to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals. Geving is a 1996 graduate of Central Washington and has been in collegiate coaching for 16 years.
   
Geving is 1-1 all-time against Idaho State, having split the season series last year. He is 8-11 all-time against Big Sky Conference opponents. Geving is 12-14 all-time in non-conference games.
   
The second-year Head Coach is assisted by Andy McClouskey (1st year, Oregon State, 1982), Eric Harper (6th year, Central Washington, 1995) and Anthony Owens (2nd year, Great Falls, 2006). Former Viking player Mickey Polis is the Director of Operations (2nd year, Portland State, 2009).

THE VIKINGS ON TELEVISION
Portland State is 16-30 in games televised in the Portland area since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97. That includes a 9-5 home record and 7-25 road record. PSU is 0-1 on TV this year (losing to Oregon).

The Vikings are 6-2 in the Altitude/Big Sky Conference Game of the Week over the last four seasons, including 4-1 at home, 2-1 on the road.

VIKINGS REWIND: NORTHERN COLORADO 79, PORTLAND STATE 66
Portland, OR - Devon Beitzel scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half, leading Northern Colorado to a 79-66 win over Portland State in the Big Sky Conference opener at the Stott Center Wednesday. Northern Colorado led start to finish in picking up the victory.
   
A taller Northern Colorado team jumped to a quick first-half lead. The Bears dominated the Vikings on the boards, using a 25-15 rebound advantage to build a 41-27 halftime lead. UNC grabbed 10 offensive rebounds in the half, getting 16 second-chance points.
   
The Vikings' deficit grew to 18 points early in the second half as PSU went down 45-28 two minutes in. A brief PSU rally, led by eight points from Charles Odum closed it to 49-38, before UNC grew the lead again.
   
Beitzel broke the game open with a breakaway layin, followed by two free throws on an intentional foul. That made it 58-38 with 14:02 to play.
   
Once Northern Colorado got the big lead it used a lot of clock on every possession the rest of the way. PSU closed the gap in the late-going but never got the deficit to single digits.
   
Beitzel, who came in as the Big Sky's second-leading scorer at 18.7 points per game, bettered his average by more than eight, hitting 9-15 from the field, 3-5 from three-point range and 5-6 at the line.
   
Northern Colorado shot .508 from the field for the game and committed just 10 turnovers.
   
Portland State finished at a respectable .481 shooting from the field, but played uphill all night. The Vikings, who entered the game at 78% at the free throw line, made only 9-17 (.529).
   
Odum led PSU with 16 points and three assists. Chehales Tapscott and Chris Harriel each scored 15 for the Vikings. Harriel added six boards, three steals and three blocked shots.
   
GAME NOTES: Northern Colorado won for the first time ever in Portland. The Vikings had won the previous six meetings at Stott Center, including four Big Sky games… PSU leads the all-time series, 11-2… JR G Terry Coleman played for the first time in nine games, returning from a high ankle sprain. He had two points and four rebounds in 10 minutes… the Vikings are 5-2 at the Stott Center this season.

FAST BREAKS
WINNING LINES 
• PSU is 5-2 at home this year... since the start of the 2007-08 season, Portland State is 38-8 at home, including 22-5 in Big Sky Conference games.
• The Vikings are 2-4 on the road this season, including 2-0 in neutral site games... PSU was 5-15 in road games in 2009-10, including 2-6 in Big Sky road games.
• PSU has gone 106-35 in 141 games at the Stott Center since the 1996-97 season. Including home games at Memorial Coliseum (12-6) and the Rose Garden (19-9), the Vikings are 137-50 at home over the past 15 seasons.
• PSU is 32-17 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 37-18 including tournament games.

HOT:
• JR F Chehales Tapscott has scored 68 points in his last four games, hitting 27-44 from the field (.614) and 13-18 at the line (.722). Tapscott is shooting .513 from the field and .746 at the line.
• Portland State ranked seventh in the nation in free throw shooting in the last NCAA report (Dec. 20).
• SO G Chris Harriel has scored in double figures 11 straight games and 12 of 13 this year.
• JR G Charles Odum is 34-67 (.507) in his last seven games and has averaged 15.3 points per game.

NOT:
• The Vikings are 0-4 in road games (2-4 counting neutral sites).
• SR G Melvin Jones is 12-47 shooting in his last four games (.254), including 5-30 from three-point range.
• PSU ranked 329th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.483, Dec. 20) - since improved to .476.
• PSU has made just 20-77 three-point field goals in the last three games (.260).

NEW LOOK: Head Coach Tyler Geving has gone with a different starting lineup the last two games with mixed results. PSU routed Utah Valley (W, 73-53) on Dec. 23, but then came out flat against Northern Colorado (L, 79-66) on Dec. 29... Geving replaced JR G Dane Johnson with JR G Charles Odum as a starter. The move has worked well for Odum, who has scored 33 points (12-23 FG, 2-5 3-pt FG, 7-11 FT) with 10 rebounds and five assists. Odum has led the team in scoring both games... Johnson had five points and four assists in 21 minutes against Utah Valley, but just two points and one assist in 10 minutes against Northern Colorado... the lineup of Johnson, SR G Melvin Jones, SO G Chris Harriel, JR F Chehales Tapscott and JR C Nate Lozeau had started the first 11 games, going 6-5, but were on a three-game losing streak... the move by Geving puts Jones in more of a ball-handling role, while Odum's offensive prowess and athleticism becomes available at the tip.

FREE IS A GOOD PRICE: The Vikings are making frequent trips to the free throw line thanks in part to the slashing styles of SO G Chris Harriel, JR F Chehales Tapscott, JR G Charles Odum, and the physical play of SR F Tree Thomas. The Vikings have shot 303 free throws, making 231, an average of 17.8-23.3 shooting per game for a .762 mark (last year PSU averaged 14.4-20.1, .717)... meanwhile opponents have attempted fewer FTs than the Vikings have made (149-221), an average of 11.5-17.0 per game for a .674 mark.

MISSING THE THREE: The Vikings are averaging 6.1 three-point field goals per game and shooting .322 from distance this season. The marks are down from recent years when PSU was regularly among the top long-range shooting teams in the Big Sky Conference. The 6.1 made per game is the lowest rate since 2004-05 and the .326 mark is the lowest since 2003-04. In fact, the Vikings led the Big Sky in three pointers in 2007-08 and 2008-09... PSU is just 15-59 from three-point range in its last three games (.256)... a big part of what is missing is SR F Phil Nelson, who has yet to play this year due to a foot injury. Nelson averaged 2.4 three-pointers per game last year while shooting .387 from the arc.

A SIMPLE ANALYSIS: Portland State is 4-1 when outshooting opponents, 4-0 when outrebounding opponents... the Vikings are just 1-4 when failing to score at least 70 points, and 5-0 when scoring over 80 points.

TERRY IS BACK, PHIL IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER: Portland State had dressed just nine healthy players for a span of eight games, prior to the return of JR G Terry Coleman against Northern Colorado. Coleman had not suited up for eight games due to a high left ankle sprain... SR F Phil Nelson has missed the entire season with a left foot injury (and 25 straight overall). That has cut down on the Vikings' size, athleticism and three-point shooting. Nelson should begin practicing next week with an eye on playing Jan. 8 against Eastern Washington.

PRESEASON REVIEW: Portland State wrapped up its preseason schedule with a 7-5 record (PSU still has two non-conference games to play this season - Feb. 19 Bracketbuster at home, and Mar. 10 at Seattle). Only Northern Arizona and Montana had better preseason records (both 8-4) than the Vikings as the Big Sky Conference opens a full slate of league games this week.
   
The Vikings were 5-7 in the preseason last year, 5-9 in non-conference games overall. The seven non-conference wins have only been bettered four times in the previous 14 seasons of Big Sky play for the Vikings. The best non-conference record was 10-5 in 2008-09.
   
So, 7-5 looks pretty good, especially considering the Vikings played without SR F Phil Nelson, considered the team's top returning player, and JR G Terry Coleman, who was expected to vie for the starting point guard spot, but has battled injuries and played in only four games. In fact, the Vikings suited up only nine players in their last eight games (going 4-4).