complete notes and stats in pdf

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (14-13, 8-9) vs. SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS (10-18, 7-10)
Saturday, March 7, 6 p.m. PT • The Centrum (5,300), Cedar City, UT
 
Live Video Stream: www.WatchBigSky.com
Live Audio Stream: www.GoViks.com • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 5:15 p.m.
Live Stats: http://www.suutbirds.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?
 
THE OPENING TIP
One game remaining and still so much to be decided. That is the case for the Big Sky Conference standings and the Portland State Vikings basketball team.
     
Following a loss at Northern Arizona on Thursday night, the Vikings (14-13, 8-9) need a win in their finale at Southern Utah (10-18, 7-10) to guarantee a berth in the eight-team Big Sky Tournament beginning next week.
     
Where will that tournament be played? It all depends on the outcome of Saturday games involving Eastern Washington (13-4), Sacramento State (13-4), Montana (13-4) and Northern Arizona (12-5). Any one of those teams still maintains a chance of winning the Big Sky regular season with a Saturday night win.
     
For the Vikings, a win is all that matters. Currently in a three-way tie for sixth place with Idaho and Weber State, a win could have them finish as high as fifth or sixth. A loss, and the Vikings could finish sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth, depending on the outcome of other games. If PSU were to lose, a variety of tie-breaker scenarios would come into play with Southern Utah - and potentially Idaho and Weber State if they lose - to determine who takes sixth, seventh, and eighth in the Big Sky. And also, who is on the outside looking in by finishing in ninth place.
     
Since the tie-breakers are determined by who is tied and how they finished in head-to-head competition, there are numerable possibilities. And, since the second tie-breaker is record vs. teams in the Big Sky in descending order of finish, it becomes even more complicated as the top four teams can still finish in any order. If PSU were to lose, a game that would help Portland State in a tie-breaker scenario would be a win by Eastern Washington over Weber State on Saturday. The Wildcats are 0-1 against the Vikings, 0-2 against Southern Utah and 1-1 against Idaho.
     
Obviously, the easiest math comes with a Viking win over Southern Utah. PSU beat the Thunderbirds, 71-68, on Jan. 1 in Portland and has won four straight in the series. Going into Saturday, Southern Utah has won two games in a row, three of four and five of its last seven to get into contention for a tournament berth.
     
Saturday's game tips off at 6:05 p.m. PT. A live video stream is available at www.WatchBigSky.com. Links to live video, audio and statistics can be found at GoViks.com by clicking on the Game Day box.
 
SATURDAY'S BIG SKY CONFERENCE GAMES
Sacramento State (13-4) at Northern Arizona (12-5)
North Dakota (4-13) at Northern Colorado (9-8)
Montana (13-4) at Montana State (4-13)
Idaho (8-9) at Idaho State (3-14)
Portland State (8-9) at Southern Utah (7-10)
Eastern Washington (13-4) at Weber State (8-9)
 
The Big Sky Conference Tournament runs Mar. 12-14. The quarterfinal round features 8 vs. 1, 7 vs. 2, 6 vs. 3 and 5 vs. 4 on Mar. 12. The semifinals are Mar. 13, with the Championship on Mar. 14, televised at 6 p.m. PT on ESPNU. The tournament winner receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE VS. SOUTHERN UTAH
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series 5-1. The series is tied 1-1 in Cedar City.
• BIG SKY CONFERENCE SERIES: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference series 4-1. The series is tied 1-1 in Cedar City.
• STREAK: Portland State has won four straight in the series.
• LAST MEETING: Jan. 1 at PSU: Portland State 71, Southern Utah 68: Portland State overcame a poor shooting night (.373) with lots of free throws (28-39). Gary Winston led the Vikings with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Braxton Tucker scored 16 points with six rebounds. Trey Kennedy scored 16 points to lead the Thunderbirds.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Tyler Geving (83-98, 6th season) is 4-1 all-time at against Southern Utah.  Thunderbirds Coach Nick Robinson (23-65, 3rd season) is 1-4 all-time against the Vikings.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH
• Southern Utah is in its third year as a member of the Big Sky Conference. The Thunderbirds were 2-27 last season, 1-19 in Big Sky Conference play. All five starters and eight letterwinners return from that team.
• At 10-18 overall, the T-Birds are having their best season in three years. Southern Utah is 7-10 in the Big Sky Conference. SUU has a 5-5 home record.
• Southern Utah averages 69.2 points per game and allows 73.6 per game. The Thunderbirds rank last in the Big Sky Conference in turnover margin (-2.4).
• Junior forward AJ Hess leads Southern Utah in scoring with 11.6 points per game. He has hit 55 three-point field goals and shoots .848 at the line.
• Freshman guard James McGee averages 8.5 points, has made 61 three-pointers and leads the Big Sky in three-point percentage at .517.
• Junior forward Casey Oliverson averages 7.4 points per game and leads the Big Sky Conference with a .621 shooting percentage.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 14-13 this season, 9-4 at home, 5-9 on the road.
• The Vikings are 8-9 in the Big Sky Conference, 5-4 at home, 3-5 on the road.
• PSU has lost two games in a row.
 
HOT SHOTS
• JR C Collin Spickerman has 13 blocked shots in the last two games. He set a Portland State school record with seven blocked shots against Sacramento State (2/28), then followed it with six at Northern Arizona (3/5). Spickerman has 25 blocks in the last six games (4.2). He has blocked at least one shot in 18 straight games, and 24 of 27 overall. He ranks second in the Big Sky Conference (2.4). His 64 blocks ranks third all-time in a season at Portland State and fourth all-time for a career. His 2.4 average ranks first all-time.
• In the last eight games SR F Tiegbe Bamba has scored 106 points (13.3), grabbed 58 rebounds (7.3) and had 12 steals (1.5). He has made 39-66 (.591) from the field and 25-34 at the line (.735).
• PSU is on a school-record pace at the free throw line (.749). The Vikings ranks second in the Big Sky Conference and rank 21st in the nation overall.
 
NOT SO HOT
• The Vikings' 51 points at Northern Arizona were the fewest against a Big Sky Conference opponent this season.
• Portland State was out-rebounded 55-32 in its loss at Northern Arizona, giving up 25 offensive rebounds.
• Portland State's -3.7 rebounding margin ranks last in the Big Sky Conference.
• SO F Braxton Tucker has missed the last two games due to a knee contusion.
• SO G Bryce White will miss the remainder of the season due to low back problems.
• JR C Dorian Cason will miss the remainder of the season due to plantar fasciitis.
 
CHARITY WORK: Once again this season, Portland State is a team adept at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. The Vikings are also hitting at a school-record pace... PSU is shooting .749 at the line (412-550). The school record is .743 set in 2001-02 and matched in 2012-13.
 
SPICKERMAN PROVES REJECTION CAN BE A GOOD THING: JR C Collin Spickerman has provided a defensive presence for the Vikings this season. He has set a school record for blocks in a game (7), and his 64 blocks currently ranks third-most in a season in PSU history.
• Though he is averaging only 20 minutes per game, Spickerman ranks second in the Big Sky Conference in blocks (2.4) while shooting .486 from the field and .769 at the line.
• Spickerman has blocked at least one shot in 18 straight games and 24 of 27 overall.
 
SIXTH-MAN SENSATION NO MORE: SR G DaShaun Wiggins was Portland State's leading scorer last season despite not being a starter. He averaged 12.9 points per game in 22.9 minutes per night, earning Big Sky Conference co-6th Man of the Year honors... in 2014-15, Wiggins has moved into the starting lineup and improved on that scoring average.
• Wiggins leads the team in scoring at 15.5 per game which is ninth in the Big Sky Conference.
• He shoots .424 from three-point range to rank 10th in the Big Sky.
• Leads the team with 42 steals, ranking fourth in the Big Sky.
• Wiggins has scored in double figures in 25 games this season and led the team in scoring 14 times.
 
BAMBA's BOARDS: SR F Tiegbe Bamba has become the Vikings top rebounder with a stretch of excellent play in recent games. Bamba had back-to-back double-doubles on the road (1/22 and 1/24).
• Bamba is averaging 11.2 points, a team-high 6.4 rebounds and shoots a team-high .559 from the field.
• Bamba was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week following a 19-point, six-rebound, four-steal, two-assist performance in a win at USC on Nov. 15. Bamba made 8-11 FGs and 3-3 3-pt FGs in the game.
• Has led the team in scoring four times and rebounding 15 times this season.
• Bamba ranks eighth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.559) and 10th in rebounding (6.4).
 
1,000 WATCH: SR G Gary Winston became only the 18th player in Portland State basketball history to score 1,000 points when he passed that number in a win over Northern Colorado (2/21). He is the eighth player  during the Big Sky Conference era (1996-present) to reach that milestone... here is where Gary stands on some of PSU's all-time lists:
 
Games Played: 111, 4th
Career Points: 1,025, 16th
Assists: 289, 8th
3-pt FGs: 168, 4th
3-pt FGAs: 393, 5th
3-pt FG%: .427, 5th
 
• Winston is third on the team in scoring (11.3), second in three-pointers (48) and first in assists (3.7).
• Winston has led the team in scoring six times and assists 15 times this season.
 
X-FACTOR: The absence of SO F Braxton Tucker has been a factor in the last two games for the Vikings. PSU had won three straight before Tucker went down with a knee contusion. Since then, the Vikings have lost twice... Tucker averages 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
• Tucker ranks 12th in the Big Sky in rebounding (5.5) and 11th in field goal percentage (.502).
• Has led the team in scoring five times and rebounding six times this year.
 
HOME-ROAD DIFFERENTIAL: Portland State is 9-4 at home this season, 5-9 on the road.
• PSU averages 76.8 points at home, shooting .469 from the field, .404 from three-point range and .767 at the line.
• The Vikings average 67.0 points on the road, shooting .415/.363/.730.
• PSU has been out-rebounded opponents at home (-1.7), and by 5.6 per game on the road.
• Opponents shoot .446 from the field, .381 from three-point range and .729 at the line in the Stott Center. They shoot .466/.386/.716 in their own arenas against the Vikings.
 
SELLOUTS: Portland State's game with Sacramento State at the Stott Center was officially a sellout (1,500). PSU has now had 13 sellouts at the Stott Center in the Big Sky era (1996 to present). The Vikings are 9-4 in home games that are sellouts.
 
STRONG INDICATORS: Strong indicators of winning and losing through 25 games:
• The Vikings are 13-2 when leading at halftime, 1-11 when trailing at halftime.
• The Vikings are 6-2 when they out-rebound opponents.
• The Vikings are 10-3 when shooting a higher percentage than opponents.
• Portland State is 8-5 in games decided by eight points or less.