PORTLAND STATE: 0-1 • Home: 0-0 • Road: 0-1
PACIFIC LUTHERAN: 0-0 • Home: 0-0 • Road: 0-0

Live Video Stream: www.WatchBigSky.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt 
Live Audio Stream: www.GoViks.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats: www.vikslive.statb.us, www.viksmobile.com

All-Time Series: PLU leads 3-1 
Last meeting, Dec. 7, 2006: PSU 107-57

THE OPENING TIP
Portland State will host its home opener this Wednesday night at the Stott Center when the Vikings take on Pacific Lutheran University at 7:05 p.m.

The game with PLU will be the first home contest among a record 17 scheduled home games for PSU in 2013-14. A live video stream of the game can be found at www.WatchBigSky.com. Live audio is available at www.GoViks.com.

The Vikings come off a season-opening loss at UNLV last Friday, 67-48. PSU trailed by just a point at halftime but went cold in the second half. JR G Tim Douglas scored 18 points to lead the Vikings. JR C Brandon Cataldo added nine points and 10 rebounds.

Pacific Lutheran, an NCAA III program, comes off an 8-17 season. The Lutes will be playing their first game.

PSU begins a stretch of four straight at home and will play seven of its last eight non-conference games in the Stott Center.

INJURY REPORT: SR F Aaron Moore (back), who led the Vikings in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots last season, did not play against Northwest Christian. He returned for the UNLV game, but played only 15 minutes due to foul trouble... JR G Gary Winston (hernia), who led the Big Sky in three-point percentage in 2012-13, has not played yet, but may be available for the PLU game... SR C Lamont Prosser (knee) and JR F Tiegbe Bamba (achilles) will not play. Bamba is not likely to be available until December. 

THE COACHES: 
• Portland State Head Coach Tyler Geving has a 52-71 record in his fifth season. Geving has never faced Pacific Lutheran.
• Pacific Lutheran Head Coach Steve Dickerson begins his eighth year with the Lutes. He has a 71-96 record overall.

PACIFIC LUTHERAN: PLU is an NCAA Division III member of the Northwest Conference. The Lutes were 8-17 last year, 6-10 in the NWC... guard Daniel Landrum (7.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.1 apg) and forward Bryce Miller (6.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg) are the top returning players.

WORTH NOTING:
• Portland State and PLU have met only four times previously. The Vikings won a 107-57 contest on Dec. 7, 2006 in the Stott Center. Prior to that, the other three meetings took place during the 1960s.
• PLU leads the all-time series, 3-1.
• Portland State has lost only four non-conference home games since the start of the 2006-07 season (30-4). PSU is 18-4 against Division I schools, and 12-0 against lower division schools over that span.
• Portland State is 13-4 in home opening games since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97.

COMING UP
Portland State plays seven of its last eight non-conference games at home. A three-day Portland State Tournament takes place Nov. 22-24 as the Vikings host Loyola (IL), SIU-Edwardsville and UC Davis. 

The 20-game Big Sky Conference schedule begins Jan. 2. The 17 home games this season is the most ever for a PSU regular season schedule.

SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE QUICK NOTES

WINNING LINES
• Portland State was 8-20 in 2012-13. The Vikings were 8-6 at home, 0-14 on the road.
• PSU has won 12 of 18 at home dating to the 2011-12 season.
• The Vikings have lost their last 17 road games dating to the 2011-12 season.

Stott Stuff
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 73-23 at home, including 43-19 in Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament games.
• PSU has gone 129-47 in 176 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 160-62 at home over the past 18 seasons.
• Portland State has lost only four non-conference home games since the start of the 2006-07 season (30-4). PSU is 18-4 against Division I schools, and 12-0 against lower division schools over that span.

Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 137-145 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the tournament (8-8).
• PSU is 93-44 in home games, 41-97 in road games and 3-4 in neutral site games.
• PSU is 52-48 in Big Sky games since the start of the 2007-08 season, 58-50 including tournament games.

And The Trivial
• Portland State is 23-23 all-time in overtime. Coach Tyler Geving is 1-3 all-time in overtime.
• PSU is 2-15 against nationally-ranked opponents since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97.
• Head Coach Tyler Geving is 1-2 all-time against ranked opponents.
• Portland State is 17-39 in games televised in the Portland area since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97. That includes a 9-7 home record and 8-32 road record.

HOT SHOTS: 
• JR G Tim Douglas scored 18 points at UNLV to lead the team in his first game as a Viking.
• JR C Brandon Cataldo tied his career-high with nine points and set a career-high with 10 rebounds against UNLV.
• Last season, the Vikings shot .496 from the field, .441 from three-point range, and .772 at the line in the Stott Center, averaging 75.1 points.

NOT SO HOT: 
• Portland State was 0-14 on the road in 2012-13 and has lost 17 straight road games overall.
• The Vikings shot only .331 from the field at UNLV and were 0-7 from three-point range. JR G Marcus Hall shot 0-8 from the field.

THE MONKEY ON THEIR BACKS: Portland State opened its season with a road loss at UNLV. That marked the 17th straight road loss for the Vikings dating back to the 2011-12 season. PSU shot only .331 from the field and made 20 turnovers at UNLV. The good news is PSU plays its next four games and seven of the next eight at home.

GOOD STARTS: New point guard Tim Douglas is expected to make a big impact for the Vikings this season. In the opener at UNLV he did not disappoint, scoring a game-high 18 points... SR F Kyle Richardson also started his first game as a Viking and was an important player with nine points and nine rebounds.

THE BIG CAT IS READY TO PROWL: JR C Brandon Cataldo has been a "project" player for the Vikings the past two seasons. Now he appears ready to assert himself. The 6-10 Cataldo played a career-high 27 minutes at UNLV, matching his career high with nine points (4-7 FG, 1-1 FT) and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds.

TASTY TIDBITS: 
• The crowd of 13,148 at UNLV was the ninth-largest ever for a game in which the Portland State program has played.
• They are both from the state of Washington, had All-State credentials on their respective high school teams, and share the same last name. But JR Gs Gary Winston and Andre Winston Jr. are not related - it's just a happy coincidence.
• JR G Sebastian Suarez will redshirt this season due to complications with his transfer status. He needs to establish a year of residency and will be eligible to compete in the 2014-15 season.
• The Viking basketball program has graduated 16 of 17 players who have completed their eligibility under Head Coach Tyler Geving.
• Speaking of tasty, Portland State basketball fans will have the opportunity to Get Stuffed this winter at the Stott Center. Any fan purchasing a ticket for a seat at the Peter W. Stott Center will receive free concessions. That's right, all the food you can eat from the concession stand. Portland State students, with student tickets, will also take advantage of this promotion. It's just that simple. Buy your ticket and you eat for free.  To get your tickets, call the Portland State box office at (503) 725-3307 or go to www.GoViks.com.
• Portland State is in its 18th season as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I. PSU played basketball from 1946-1981 before discontinuing the program. Basketball was reinstated for the 1996-97 season.

VIKING ONE-LINERS (and sometimes two)

• Portland State has two players from foreign countries on its roster; Tiegbe Bamba (France) and Sebastian Suarez (Chile). Since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97, Portland State has had players from England and Canada (3), Nigeria and Lithuania.
• PSU has three players that competed for other Division I schools: Andre Winston, Jr. (Washington State), Tim Douglas (Portland) and Kyle Richardson (Long Beach State).
• FR G Zach Gengler was the Oregon 5A High School Player of the Year in 2012-13.
• SR F Kyle Richardson has already earned a degree in Communication Studies from Long Beach State. He has entered graduate school at Portland State and has one year of eligibility remaining.
• SR F Aaron Moore has a son, Aaiden, who turned six years old in October.
• Head Coach Tyler Geving and Associate Head Coach Jeff Hironaka were both assistant coaches on the 2000-01 Seattle Pacific basketball staff.
• Former Viking Ime Udoka played seven seasons in the NBA. He started 75 games for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2006-07. Udoka is now an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs.
• Julius Thomas, who holds Portland State records for games played (121), field goal percentage in a season and career (.671/.663), and career wins (78) is now the starting tight end for the Denver Broncos. Thomas played on two Big Sky Conference Championship/NCAA Tournament teams (2007-08, 2008-09) at PSU.
• Another former Viking, Chehales Tapscott, was drafted by the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League on Nov. 1. He was a first team All-Big Sky selection for the Vikings in 2011-12, averaging 14.1 points and leading the Big Sky in rebounding (9.3) and blocked shots (43).
• By the end the first of March, 14 of the 17 Vikings will be 22 or older. Only FR Zach Gengler and Kyle Benton are under 21 (both 18).