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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (5-3) vs. BYU COUGARS (7-4)
Wednesday, December 12, 2018, 6 p.m. PT • Marriott Center (18,897), Provo, UT
Television: BYU TV (Comcast Channel 234)
Live Stream: https://www.byutv.org/livetv
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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THE OPENING TIP
Following a rousing victory over cross-town rival University of Portland, the Portland State Vikings move on to the second of three straight West Coast Conference opponents. PSU plays at BYU on Wednesday night in what figures to be an extremely challenging matchup.
     
The Vikings (5-3) saw improved play in their 87-78 win over the Pilots last Wednesday night. PSU is now 4-0 at home in the new Viking Pavilion. However, they have yet to win a true road game this season, losing at Pac-12 foes Oregon and Stanford (the Vikings are 1-1 in neutral site games).
     
BYU figures to be as tough as anyone the Portland State has seen this season. The Cougars are 7-4 this season, including 6-1 at home, where they routinely play in front or more than 11,000 fans.
     
PSU will need SO G Holland Woods to produce another game like he had against Portland. The 2017-18 Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year had 27 points, hitting a career-high five three-pointers, and six assists in the win. The Vikings also got big games from big men JR C Sal Nuhu (10 pts, 9 reb, 6 blk) and SR F Jamie Orme (10 pts, 13 reb). Most significant was another resounding advantage on the backboards as the Vikings out-rebounded Portland, 55-29. PSU's 27 offensive rebounds were nearly as many as UP's total rebounds. The Vikings are proving to be one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, leading all of Divison I in offensive boards (20.6 per game) and ranking third in rebound margin (+14.3).
     
On the other side of the ledger, BYU features one of the top forwards in the nation in Yoeli Childs who averages a double-double with 23.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
     
BYU is the first of a three games against quality opponents heading into Big Sky Conference play. The Vikings host Loyola Marymount (9-1) on Saturday, then CSU Bakersfield (5-4) on Dec. 20.
     
This will be the first meeting between the schools in 40 seasons and just the second all-time. Tip-off for Wednesday's game is 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT. The game will air on BYU TV and be live streamed on BYUtv.org/livetv. Live statistics are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 
COMING UP
The Vikings wrap up the non-conference schedule with home games against Loyola Marymount (Dec. 15) and CSU Bakersfield (Dec. 20). Big Sky Conference play begins on Dec. 31 when the Vikings host Northern Colorado in a 2:05 p.m. game.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. BYU
• ALL-TIME SERIES: BYU leads the all-time series, 1-0. The Cougars won the only meeting, 111-82, on Nov. 25, 1978 in Provo.  
• PORTLAND STATE vs. THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE: Portland State is 40-72 all-time against current members of the West Coast Conference, but has gone 4-1 under Barret Peery dating to last season... PSU is playing three members of the conference this season (Portland; BYU; vs. Loyola Marymount on Dec. 15).
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery (Southern Utah, 1996) is in his second season on the Park Blocks and has a 25-17 career record. Peery has never faced BYU. He is 4-1 against West Coast Conference schools... Peery's only other head coaching experience is at the junior college level where he was 178-30 in six seasons (2005-08, College of Southern Idaho; 2011-14, Indian Hills (IA) CC)... the Cougars are coached by Dave Rose (Houston, 1983) in his 14th season. Rose is 336-126 all-time. He has never faced the Vikings.
 
BYU COUGARS
• Brigham Young University is a member of the West Coast Conference, located in Provo, UT.
• The Cougars were 24-11 last season, 11-7 and third in the WCC. They lost to Stanford in the first round of the NIT. All five starters and 10 letterwinners return from that squad.
• This season, BYU has started out 7-4, including 6-1 at home. The Cougars are a strong shooting team, hitting .472 from the field and .749 at the free throw line while averaging 84.6 points per game.
• JR F Yoeli Childs averages 23.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He also shoots .556 from the field, .759 at the free throw line and has a team-leading 12 blocked shots.
•JR G TJ Haws is also a top performer, averaging 16.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists. Haws is shooting .472 from the field, .400 from three-point range with a team-high 24 triples, and .857 at the line.
• JR G Jahshire Hardnett also averages double figures with 11.2 points per game.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 5-3 on the season, 4-0 at home, 0-2 on the road, 1-1 at neutral sites.
• The Vikings have won two in row.
• PSU was 20-14 in 2017-18, 8-5 at home, 10-6 on the road, 2-3 at neutral sites.
• In Big Sky Conference games, PSU was 9-9 (4-5 at home, 5-4 on the road).
• Portland State has won 35 straight games against lower division schools dating back to 2002. The Vikings are 47-1 against lower division schools in 23 seasons as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I (1996-2017).
 
WHO IS HOT
• 20-20: SO G Holland Woods had his second straight 20-point game against Portland (he sat out the win over Portland Bible). Woods went for 27 points (8-14 FG, 5-7 3-pt, 6-6 FT) - just two off his career high. He hit a career-high five three-pointers - all in the first half - and had six assists. Woods had 20 points and five assists at Stanford on Nov. 28... Woods has seven 20-pointers in his 41-game career.
• THE BENCH IS NO DETERRENT: JR C Sal Nuhu and JR G Michael Nuga have each scored in double figures in six straight games even though neither has started. Nuhu has averaged 12.8 points and Nuga has averaged 16.0 points during that span.
• REBOUNDERS: Portland State has out-rebounded all eight opponents this season as has a +14.3 rebounding margin to rank third in the nation. The Vikings are averaging 20.6 offensive rebounds per game which leads the nation. They have converted those offensive boards to 166 second-chance points (20.8 points per game).
 
WHO IS NOT
• THREE-POINT SHOOTING: Portland State is shooting 54-198 from three-point range this season (.273). The good news is the Vikings have hit 17-39 in their last two games (.436).
• PARDON ME: The Vikings are averaging 24.9 fouls per game - 350th in the nation - including a season-high 36 against UC Santa Barbara.
 
YOU'VE GOT TO PUT THE BISCUIT IN THE BASKET: There is no question that shooting efficiency is the most important element in basketball. So far, the Vikings have been inconsistent when chucking the rock at the old peach basket. Here is a breakdown:
• Field goal percentage: 252-590, .427
• Two-point percentage: 198-392, .505
• Three-point percentage: 54-198, .273
• Shooting in wins: .491/.379
• Shooting in losses: .318/.122
• Shooting in home games: .505/.367
• Shooting in road/neutral site games: .348/.194
 
NATION'S BEST: It's still a small sample size after seven games, and the Vikings have played some lower division opponents, but they lead the nation in a handful of categories:
• Offensive rebounds per game: 20.6
• Total rebounds per game: 47.7 (rank third in rebound margin, +14.3)
• Steals: 12.1
 
PEERY PRESSURE, PART II: Portland State Head Coach Barret Peery emphasizes a full-court pressure defense that forces turnovers and creates transition opportunities. Then, on the offensive end, his team relentlessly attacks the offensive glass. Here are the analytics of those two areas. In 2018-19:
• The Vikings have forced 21.5 turnovers per game and have a +6.9 turnover margin.
• The Vikings average 20.6 offensive rebounds per game while opponents average 7.8.
• In all, the difference in total turnovers (55) and total offensive rebounds (103) is 158 extra possessions compared to opponents (19.8 per game).
• As a result, PSU has 173 more field goal attempts than the opponents. Opponents have 20 more free throw attempts.
 
CHEERING FOR BOO BOO: SO G Holland "Boo Boo" Woods is the Vikings' leader in scoring (16.7), and assists (5.0). He ranks fifth in the Big Sky in scoring, third in assists and and sixth in steals (1.9).
• He has led the team in scoring six times and assists five times this season.
• Woods, the Big Sky leader in assists last season (5.6), has led the Vikings in assists in 31 of 41 career games.
• Scored in double figures six times with three 20+ point games.
• Woods reached 200 career assists in 36 career games. He is now 21 assists short of reaching the Portland State all-time top 10 for assists.
• Went for 20 points and five assists at Stanford.
• Had 27 points (8-14 FG, career-high 5-7 3-pt, 6-6 FT) and six assists in a win over Portland.
 
NU-COMERS PLAYING WELL: Portland State newcomers JR G Michael Nuga and JR C Sal Nuhu are having a big impact off the bench for the Vikings.
Nuga Nuggets:
• Nuga ranks second in the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game in less than 20 minutes per night.
• He is shooting .500 from the field and .385 from three-point range.
• Has scored in double figures the last six games, averaging 16.0 points.
• Went for 17 points and nine rebounds against Stanford.
Yahoo For Nuhu:
• Nuhu averages 10.8 points in 18 minutes per game.
• He averages 6.4 rebounds and has a Big Sky-leading 1.9 blocked shots per game.
• Nuhu shoots .615 from the field.
• In the last six games, he has scored in double figures, averaging 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds.
• Posted a double-double against Stanford with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
• Went for 10 points, nine rebounds and a season-high six blocked shots against Portland.
 
FINDING HIS F-ORME: SR F Jamie Orme is taking a big step forward in 2018-19 by moving into the starting lineup. He averaged 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds last season in 13 minutes per game. Now he is averaging 9.9 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds.
• Ranks seventh in the Big Sky in rebounding.
• Scored in double figures six times and has two double-doubles this season.
• Has season highs of 19 points, 13 rebounds (twice) and five assists.
 
WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR YOU: SR G Derek Brown has also taken a big step up in 2018-19 with his move to the starting lineup. Last year, he averaged 5.1 points in 12 minutes per game... this season Brown averages 10.0 points, 2.4 assists and 1.9 steals.
• Scored in double figures four times.
• Has season highs of 16 points, six rebounds and eight assists.
 
NEW SEASON, NEW LOOK: Portland State Head Coach Barret Peery has four new starters in his lineup this season, along with returning starter SO G Holland Woods. Also tipping it off are SO C Brendan Rumel (three total starts in the previous two years), SR F Jamie Orme (one start last year), JR F Robert McCoy and SR G Derek Brown.
• In addition to McCoy, also new to the Vikings are JR Gs Michael Nuga and Juwan Williams, JR F Rashaad Goolsby, JR C Sal Nuhu and FR F Filip Fullerton.
 
PARTICIPATION AWARDS ALL AROUND: Portland State Head Coach Barret Peery's style of aggressive full-court pressure requires fresh bodies at all times. The Vikings sub early and often and everybody plays. So far, the core 10 players are all averaging at least 12 minutes per game or more. Only four average over 20 minutes, and only SO G Holland Woods averages over 30.
• The roster will expand as SR Gs Michael Mayhew and Vonte Carter will be available on Wednesday at BYU. Both have restored their academic eligibility. Mayhew started 20 games for the Vikings last season, playing in all 34. He averaged 8.1 points, hitting a team-high 66 three-point field goals. Carter played in nine games off the bench, averaging 2.7 points.
 
IF YOU BUILD IT: The crowd of 2,020 that attended the game against Portland in the Viking Pavilion is the largest crowd of the season so far. Portland State's home opener against UC Riverside had a crowd of 1,424. The largest recent crowd was a sellout of 1,500 attended the Portland State/Oregon State game in the old Stott Center gym on Dec. 12, 2012... PSU is averaging 1,262 fans through four home games - the most since the 2007-08 season (1,347).
 
Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in:
Scoring Margin            +16.6
Rebounds Per Game    47.4
Offensive Rebounds     20.6
Rebounding Margin      14.2
Steals                           12.1
Blocked Shots                4.1
Assists                          15.1
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL
• Nov. 6: #14 Oregon 84, PSU 57: The Vikings opened the season with their usual aggressive approach on defense and the glass, but suffered through a woeful shooting night in a loss to the 14th-ranked Ducks. PSU made only 21-73 shots from the field (.288) compared to 27-50 for Oregon (.540). SO G Holland Woods led the Vikings with 13 points and three assists.
• Nov. 10: PSU 71, UC Riverside 64: The Vikings held the Highlanders without a field goal for eight minutes late in the second half. PSU trailed by four with 8:24 to play but pulled away in the closing minutes leading by as many as 10. SR G Derek Brown scored 12 points with six rebounds and three assists.
• Nov. 16: PSU 125, Willamette 61: PSU needed little time to dispatch Division III Willamette, jumping to a 23-0 lead in the first five minutes and cruising to an easy win. SO G Holland Woods and JR G Michael Nuga each scored 22 points, while SR F Jamie Orme (19 pts, 13 reb) and JR F Robert McCoy (11 pts, 12 reb) each had double-doubles.
• Peery Wins 200th: Portland State Head Basketball Coach Barret Peery captured his 200th career victory on Saturday in a 125-61 win over Willamette. Peery, who is in his second season at Portland State, is currently 22-15 as Vikings' Head Coach. He also won 178 games in six seasons at the junior college level (93-11, Indian Hills CC (IA), 2011-14; College of Southern Idaho, 85-19, 2005-08). His composite record is 200-45.
• Nov. 23: UCSB 76, PSU 69: Portland State shoots .355 from the field, making only 3-23 three-pointers in the game. The Vikings also had 36 fouls, sending the Gauchos to the line 42 times. JR G Michael Nuga came off the bench to score 13 points for PSU.
• Nov. 24: PSU 91, Northwest Nazarene 75: Portland State jumped to a 23-5 lead in the first eight minutes and never looked back. The Vikings held the Nighthawks to .367 shooting and forced 20 turnovers. SR G Derek Brown scored 16 points with five rebounds. SO G Holland Woods had 16 points and nine assists.
• Nov. 28: Stanford 79, PSU 67: Another struggle in the shooting department cost the Vikings big as they out-rebounded Stanford 51-36 and forced 19 Cardinal turnovers. PSU made only 26-82 shots (.317) and 2-24 three-pointers (.083). SO G Holland Woods had 20 points and five assists, JR G Michael Nuga scored 17 points with nine rebounds, and JR C Sal Nuhu added 15 points and 14 rebounds.
• Dec. 1: PSU 123, Portland Bible 40: PSU took advantage of lower division Portland Bible setting new school records for margin of victory (83), turnovers forced (43) and steals (31). JR F Robert McCoy led seven Vikings in double figures with 26 points and eight rebounds. JR C Sal Nuhu had 17 points on 8-8 field goals in only 10 minutes of action. SR G Deante Strickland had eight assists and a school-record nine steals.
• Dec. 5: PSU 87, Portland 78: SO G Holland Woods had one of his best games as a Viking, hitting a career-high five three-pointers on the way to a 27-point, six-assist night. SR F Jamie Orme added a double-double (10 pts, 13 reb) and JR C Sal Nuhu came close (10 pts, 9 reb, 6 blk) as the Vikings outrebounded the Pilots, 55-29, winning their third straight over UP.