complete notes and stats in pdf

• Hear Viking Head Coach Tyler Geving Monday night at 6:45 p.m. on KPAM 860 AM with Ron Callan.

NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS (9-18, 5-10) vs. PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (15-13, 9-6)
Tuesday, February 28, 7:05 p.m. @ Peter W. Stott Center (1,500), Portland, OR
Television: None
Radio: Freedom 970 AM, www.freedom970.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 6:30 p.m.
Live Video Stream: www.b2tv.com • Live Stats: www.GoViks.com
All-Time Series: PSU leads 12-3 • PSU in Portland: 6-1
Big Sky Series: PSU leads 8-3 • PSU in Portland: 4-1

With a game left to play, the Portland State Vikings can revel in the fact that they have tied up third place and a first-round Big Sky Conference Tournament home game. That said, they can guarantee themselves a winning season and honor their seniors if they beat Northern Colorado in the regular season finale on Tuesday night. The Vikings host the Bears in a 7:05 p.m. game at the Stott Center. The game airs on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. There is a live video stream at www.b2tv.com.
    
Portland State stands at 15-13 overall this season, 9-6 in the Big Sky Conference. PSU has won its last five Big Sky games and is are 8-3 at home this year. In a prior meeting with the Bears, the Vikings came out the winner, 86-75 on Jan. 12 in Greeley, CO.
    
Northern Colorado did not qualify for the Big Sky Tournament. The Bears will finish in seventh place - win or lose. UNC is 9-18 this season, 5-10 in the Big Sky Conference. Northern Colorado is 2-9 on the road this year.  

SENIOR NIGHT
Portland State will honor its three seniors prior to Tuesday night's game. Charles Odum, a 6-foot guard from Lakewood, CA, has been a two-season starter for the Vikings and ranks second in the Big Sky this year, averaging 19.0 points per game. Odum was second team All-Big Sky Conference last year, a three-time Player of the Week this year, and is a strong candidate for All-Conference honors again.
    
Another two-year starter, Chehales Tapscott has been a dominant all-around player for the Vikings this year. The 6-5 forward from Hillsboro leads the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (9.3), blocked shots (40), ranks third in steals (52) and averages 13.9 points per game. He too, is in line for Big Sky post-season honors.
    
Nate Lozeau has also been a starter for the Vikings for two years. The 6-10 center from Marysville, WA leads the Big Sky Conference in field goal percentage this year at .582. Lozeau averages 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

STORYLINES
• The series: Portland State leads the all-time series, 12-3, and the Big Sky Conference series, 8-3... Portland State ended a three-game winning streak by the Bears with an 86-75 win in Greeley on Jan. 12... PSU is 6-1 all-time against Northern Colorado in Portland, 4-1 in Big Sky games.
• Jan. 12 - PSU 86, UNC 75: The Vikings made 17 of their first 21 shots to open the game and never trailed, leading by double-digits most of the game... PSU shot .617 for the game and made 13-21 from three-point range (.619)... Lateef McMullan scored a career-high 20 points to go with six assists... Charles Odum scored 22 points and had five assists... Michael Harthun scored 18 points to give the three starting guards 60 points... Mike Proctor had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead the Bears.
• The Bears: Northern Colorado is still a relatively new member of the Big Sky in just its sixth year. The Bears won their first Big Sky Championship in 2011 and made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament... UNC was 21-11 overall last season, 13-3 in winning the Big Sky... just one starter and seven letterwinners return from that team... Northern Colorado leads the nation in three-point shooting (.450) and the Big Sky in rebound margin (+5.2), but rank last in turnovers (16.5), turnover margin (-4.5) and points allowed (75.4)... Tate Unruh averages 11.0 points and shoots .459 from three-point range to lead the Bears... Tevin Svihovec averages 10.8 points... Mike Proctor leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game... Paul Garnica is shooting .490 from three-point range to lead the Big Sky Conference.
• Head Coach BJ Hill is in his second season at Northern Colorado after being an assistant coach for the Bears. Hill has a 30-29 record. He is 2-1 against the Vikings.

GAME WEEK ACTIVITIES
VIKINGS ON THE RADIO: All Portland State basketball games can be heard on Freedom 970 AM and www.freedom970.com. The Viking Pregame Show begins one-half hour prior to kickoff each week. Tom Hewitt does the play-by-play.
VIKINGS ON THE INTERNET: Live streaming video of all Portland State home and Big Sky Conference games can be seen free at www.b2tv.com... Live stats for Portland State home games are at www.GoViks.com.
TICKETS: Tickets for all home games are available for $15 (reserved) and $10 (general admission). Youth prices are $10 and $7. Groups of 15 or more get special admission prices. To purchase tickets by phone, call 1.888.VIK.TIKS or 503.725.3307. Tickets are on sale at the PSU Ticket Office, located in Smith Memorial Student Union. Tickets are also available at the Stott Center beginning 90 minutes prior to tipoff.

VIKING HEAD COACH TYLER GEVING
Tyler Geving is in his third season as Head Coach and seventh season overall with the Portland State program. This season, he has eclipsed his previous bests for wins in all categories at PSU (see below). Geving is a 1996 graduate of Central Washington and has been in collegiate coaching for 17 years.
    
The third-year Head Coach is assisted by Andy McClouskey (2nd year, Oregon State, 1982), Eric Harper (7th year, Central Washington, 1995) and Anthony Owens (3rd year, Great Falls, 2006). Former Viking player Mickey Polis is the Director of Operations (3rd year, Portland State, 2009).
    
Geving's record breakdown:
    • Geving is 42-48 all-time at Portland State.
    • 22-27 all-time against Big Sky Conference opponents, 20-21 all-time in non-conference games.
    • Geving is 26-12 at home. He is 16-36 on the road, including 4-2 in neutral site games.
    • Geving is 2-3 all-time against Northern Colorado, including 1-1 in Portland.

Tyler Geving's Record in 2011-12
• Most Season Wins (15)
• Most Big Sky Wins (9)
• Best Big Sky Finish (3rd)
• Best Home Winning Percentage (.727)
• Best Road Winning Percentage (.412)

PORTLAND STATE'S BEST RECORDS SINCE JOINING THE BIG SKY
Portland State is creeping up the best record list since joining the Big Sky Conference 16 years ago. With 15 wins so far this season, the 2011-12 Vikings rank sixth on that list. With nine Big Sky wins so far, PSU ranks fifth.

PSU's BEST RECORDS SINCE JOINING THE BIG SKY
Season
2007-08    23-10    
2008-09    23-10    
2004-05    19-9    
2006-07    19-13    
1998-99    17-11    
1997-98    15-12    
2011-12    15-13    
1999-00    15-14

Big Sky
2007-08    14-2
2008-09    11-5
2004-05    11-3
1997-98    10-6
2011-12    9-6
1998-99    9-7
2006-07    9-7

THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Portland State will open the six-team Big Sky Conference Tournament on Mar. 3 hosting a quarterfinal round game against Montana State. The Vikings are the number three seed, while MSU is the number six seed. The winner of that game will advance to the Big Sky Conference semifinals at either Montana or Weber State. Those two teams, both 14-1, will play for the Big Sky title on Tuesday night in Missoula and the right to host the Big Sky final four. The other quarterfinal game includes Eastern Washington and Idaho State. It will be played at the site at the winner of Tuesday's game between the two schools.
    
Portland State has reached the Big Sky Conference Tournament for the seventh straight year it has been eligible (PSU was not eligible in 2010-11 due to a low APR score). PSU has reached at least the semifinals in the last four years it has been in the tournament (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010).
    
Overall, PSU has reached the Big Sky Tournament in 10 of the 13 seasons it has been eligible. The Vikings are 7-7 all-time in Big Sky Conference Tournament games with titles in 2008 and 2009. PSU is 3-1 in Big Sky Tournament home games.
    
If Portland State can win its quarterfinal game over the Bobcats, it will face the second seed in the Big Sky semifinals, whether it is Montana or Weber State, in a neutral-site setting. The Vikings went 0-2 against each of those teams this season.

Saturday, March 3, Quarterfinals
No. 6 Montana State (11-16, 6-9) at No. 3 Portland State (15-13, 9-6), 7:05 p.m.
No. 4/5 Eastern Washington (13-16, 7-8) vs. No. 4/5  Idaho State (9-19, 7-8) - (seeds to be determined Tuesday)

Tuesday, March 6, Semifinals (Televised by Altitude/CSN at site TBA)
No. 1/2 Montana (22-6, 14-1) and No. 1/2 Weber State (23-4, 14-1) - (seeds to be determined Tuesday)

Wednesday, March 7, Championship (Televised by ESPN2 at site TBA)


PORTLAND STATE's ALL-TIME RECORD BY ROUND
Quarterfinals: 3-3 (1-0 at home, 1-2 neutral, 1-1 on road)
Semifinals: 2-4 (1-1 at home, 1-1 neutral, 0-2 on road)
Championship: 2-0 (1-0 at home, 1-0 neutral)

PORTLAND STATE VS. THIS YEAR'S TOURNAMENT TEAMS
vs. #1 Weber State (0-2): lost at Portland, 88-81 (1/7); lost at Ogden, 92-79 (2/2)
vs. #2 Montana (0-2): lost in Missoula, 75-64 (12/28); lost in Portland, 69-67 (1/29)
vs. #4/#5 Idaho State (2-0): won in Portland, 80-68 (1/16); won in Pocatello, 67-54 (2/9)
vs. #4/#5 Eastern Washington (2-0): won in Cheney, 78-76, in OT (1/21); won in Portland, 69-64 (2/25)
vs. #6 Montana State (0-2); lost in Bozeman, 86-73 (12/30); lost in Portland, 70-65 (1/25)

PORTLAND STATE's ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD VS. THIS YEAR'S FIELD
vs. Eastern Washington (1-1)
vs. Idaho State (2-0)
vs. Montana (0-0)
vs. Montana State (3-0)
vs. Weber State (0-4)

PORTLAND STATE vs. MONTANA STATE IN THE BIG SKY TOURNAMENT
Mar. 3, 2007: PSU 96, Montana State 71 (quarterfinal game at Stott Center)
Mar. 11, 2009: PSU 79, Montana State 77 (championship game at Ogden, UT)
Mar. 6, 2010: PSU 68, Montana State 65 (quarterfinal game at Bozeman, MT)

ODUM EARNS THIRD BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
For the third time this season, Portland State's Charles Odum has been named as the Big Sky Conference men's basketball Player of the Week.
    
Odum, a 6-foot senior guard from Lakewood, CA, averaged 26 points, four rebounds, and two assists per game as the Vikings notched wins over Sacramento State and Eastern Washington to secure the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Big Sky Conference Championship.
    
Odum recorded a career-high 38 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block in a 94-88 road win over Sacramento State last Thursday. He made 11-of-16 shots from the floor, was 11-of-12 from the free-throw line, and connected on a career-high 5-of-8 3-pointers.
    
In a 69-64 home victory over Eastern Washington on Saturday, Odum scored 14 points with three rebounds and two assists. Odum made 10-of-12 from the free-throw line.
    
Odum ranks second in the Big Sky and 24th in the nation in scoring with an average of 19.0 points per game. Odum is third in the Big Sky and 54th in the nation in free-throw percentage at 84.5 percent. He also shoots .537 from the field.
    
Odum is also approaching 1,000 career points in just two seasons at Portland State - a feat that has been accomplished by only two other two-year players. Odum has 952 points in 58 career games (16.4 ppg), with at least three games remaining in his season.

FAST BREAKS

WINNING LINES  
• THE BROOM: Portland State has swept four opponents this year (with a chance for a fifth against Northern Colorado). The Vikings went 2-0 against Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Northern Arizona and Sacramento State. PSU has been swept by Weber State, Montana and Montana State this season.
• BETTER ALL THE WAY AROUND: Portland State's 9-6 Big Sky Conference record has it four wins better than last season (5-11) with one game remaining. PSU now has third-year Head Coach Tyler Geving's best Big Sky record and season record (15-13).
• Portland State's 15 wins and nine Big Sky wins are the most since going 23-10/11-5 in 2008-09.
• The Vikings are 8-3 at home this year, 4-3 in Big Sky games... over the last six seasons, PSU is 63-17 at home, including 33-14 in Big Sky Conference games.
• The Vikings are 7-10 on the road this season, including two neutral site wins... the Vikings went 5-3 in Big Sky road games -the second-most Big Sky road wins in history (6-2 in 2007-08).
• PSU has gone 119-41 in 160 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 150-56 at home over the past 16 seasons.
• PSU is 45-33 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 50-34 including tournament games.

BIG SKY BEST: The Viking team leads the Big Sky Conference in field goal shooting (.484), and ranks second in scoring (76.5) and free throw percentage (.738)... SR F Chehales Tapscott leads the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (9.3), blocked shots (1.4) and double-doubles (11). He is also third in steals (1.9)... SR C Nate Lozeau leads the Big Sky Conference in field goal shooting percentage (.582)... SR G Charles Odum ranks second in scoring (19.0). He is third in free throw percentage (.845)... in Big Sky Conference only games, the Vikings also lead in field goal shooting (.494)... Tapscott leads in blocked shots (1.9) and rebounding (9.7)... Odum averages 20.9 points to rank second.

LIGHTS OUT: The Vikings have shot over .500 10 times this season and are 8-2 in those games... PSU has shot over .600 four times this year and are 4-0 in those games... PSU shot .673 (33-49) in a win over CSU Bakersfield (12/15). That was the best shooting by a Viking team in 66 games. The last time PSU shot better was a 33-48 (.688) performance against Eastern Washington on Dec. 5, 2009... the Vikings also missed just 16 shots in 40 minutes in a win over Sacramento State (85-67 on Feb. 15), going 30-46 (.652).

SHOOTING IS EVERYTHING FOR THIS TEAM: The Vikings are 15-1 when shooting a higher percentage than their opponents, 0-12 when opponents outshoot them.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: In NCAA statistics released on Friday, Portland State maintained some high rankings among the 338 Division I schools:
• 25th in scoring (76.5)
• 16th in field goal percentage (.484)
• 40th in free throw percentage (.738)
• SR G Charles Odum ranks 24th in scoring (19.0)
• SR G Charles Odum ranks 41st in field goal percentage (.537)
• SR G Charles Odum ranks 54th in free throw percentage (.845)
• SR F Chehales Tapscott ranks 39th in rebounding (9.3)

SCORING IN BUNCHES: SR G Charles Odum scored the most points by a Viking in more than three years when he exploded for 38 in Thursday's win over Sacramento State (2/23). Odum hit 11-16 field goals, 5-8 three-point field goals and 11-12 at the line, to go with five rebounds and two assists. It was the first time he has scored more than 30 in his career... the last Viking to score at least 30 points in a game was Dominic Waters with 32 in a win over Cal Poly on Nov. 21, 2009. The last Viking to score more than Odum's 38 was also Waters with 41 in a four-overtime win at Northern Arizona on Jan. 4, 2009.
• Odum has scored 20 or more points 11 times this season - with 10 of those coming on the road.
• In Odum's 20-point games, he is 87-144 from the field (.604), averaging 25.3 points
• The Vikings are 7-4 when Odum scores at least 20.
• Odum is averaging 21.4 points in league games.

STRAIGHT SHOOTER: JR F Renado Parker has scored in double figures in his last six games (13.0 ppg), and for good reason - he is having trouble missing his shots. Parker is 32-47 over those five games (.681)... Parker was a perfect 6-6 against Sacramento State on Feb. 15, 7-11 at Idaho on Saturday Feb. 18, then 7-12 against Sacramento State on Feb. 23... though only 6-5, Parker is a powerful post player who has performed well as the Vikings' sixth man. Parker averages 9.4 points and 5.1 rebounds and is shooting .580 from the field this season. Parker ranks second in the Big Sky Conference behind teammate Nate Lozeau in field goal percentage, 29th in scoring and 15th in rebounding despite not having started a game this year.