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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (18-11, 8-8) vs.
NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS (19-10, 10-6)
Thursday, March 1, 2018, 8 p.m. • Lewis and Clark College (2,300), Portland, OR
Live Video and Audio: www.WatchBigSky.com, www.Pluto.tv • Play-by-Play: Tom Hewitt
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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THE OPENING TIP
The regular season concludes this week for the Portland State Vikings as they take a three-game winning streak into a pair of home games at Lewis and Clark College's Pamplin Sports Center. 
           
The Vikings moved up two spots in the standings last week after a pair of road victories and are building momentum as the Big Sky Conference Tournament approaches. A 72-66 win at Northern Arizona on Saturday improved PSU's record to 18-11 on the season, 8-8 in the Big Sky. 
           
With 18 wins, the Vikings can now claim the best season since 2008-09 when they were 23-10, won the Big Sky Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament. The 18 wins for Head Coach Barret Peery also marks the most victories for a first-year mentor in Portland State history (previous 17-11 by Joel Sobotka, 1998-99).
           
The Vikings' winning streak will be tested by the team directly in front of them when they take on Northern Colorado on Thursday. It will be the first meeting of the year between the teams. At 10-6 in Big Sky play, the fifth-place Bears have a lot to play for. They are one game behind fourth-place Eastern Washington (11-5). A top-four finish in the league standings would mean a first-round bye in the Big Sky Tourney. UNC is 19-10 overall.
           
Northern Colorado features guard Andre Spight, who averages 24.1 points in league games to lead the Big Sky.
           
Portland State is 7-4 while playing home games off campus this season. Northern Colorado is 5-7 in road games. The Bears also have a three-game winning streak, have won five of six and eight of their last 11 overall.
           
Thursday's game tips off at 8 p.m. A live video stream is available at www.WatchBigSky.com and www.Pluto.tv. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.
           
On Saturday, Portland State closes out the home schedule by hosting North Dakota in a 1 p.m. game.
 
Current Big Sky Conference Standings (upcoming PSU opponents)
Montana, 14-2
Idaho, 12-4
Weber State, 12-4
Eastern Washington, 11-5
Northern Colorado, 10-6 (vs. PSU, 3/1)
Portland State, 8-8
Idaho State, 8-8
Montana State, 6-10
North Dakota, 5-11 (vs. PSU 3/3)
Southern Utah, 5-11
Sacramento State, 3-13
Northern Arizona, 2-14
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Currently tied for sixth place in the Big Sky Conference standings with Idaho State, Portland State would take the number six seed in the Big Sky Tournament if it started today. PSU swept the season series with ISU to earn the tie-breaker. As a number-six seed, the Vikings would take on the 11th seed in an opening round game on Tuesday. That opponent would be Sacramento State. Ironically, the Hornets swept the Vikings in their two meetings this season. 
           
That is merely a projection and Portland State still has the potential to finish fifth, sixth or seventh in the Big Sky. That means five potential first-round opponents still remain. They are (with PSU record vs. opponent this year): Montana State (2-0), Southern Utah (1-0), North Dakota (0-0, vs. Sat.), Sacramento State (0-2), Northern Arizona (1-0).
           
The Big Sky Conference Tournament runs Mar. 6-10 in Reno, NV. The Vikings will open at a time and against an opponent TBA on Tuesday, Mar. 6. 
 
COMING UP
Portland State concludes its regular season this Saturday, hosting North Dakota on Senior Day. All Viking home games take place at Lewis and Clark College this season as construction on the new Viking Pavilion is being completed. Thursday games tip at 8 p.m. with Saturday games at 1 p.m.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. NORTHERN COLORADO 
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series, 18-8, and the Big Sky Conference series, 14-8... the Vikings are 7-3 in Big Sky games played in Portland... PSU leads 1-0 in Big Sky Tournament games... the Bears swept the season series last year.
• Dec. 31 in Portland, UNC 73, PSU 59: The Vikings struggled on offense, shooting a season-low .364 from the field and an abysmal 4-21 at the free throw line, including 10 straight misses. Jordan Davis scored 19 points and had seven assists for the Bears. De'Sean Parsons led the Vikings with 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals, but was 0-6 at the line. Mar. 2 in Greeley, UNC 87, PSU 84: The Vikings rallied from a 14-point deficit to lead with 1:32 to go, but had three empty possessions to close out the game. Jordan Davis made the go-ahead shot with 15 seconds left. He scored a game-high 25 points with nine rebounds and six assists. Zach Gengler scored a career-high 19 points for the Vikings. UNC shot 58% from the field and out-rebounded the Vikings, 41-31. 
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery is in his first season on the Park Blocks. His 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 Bears are coached by Jeff Linder in his second season. Linder has a 30-28 record, including 2-0 against the Vikings.
 
NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS
• Northern Colorado has been a member of the Big Sky Conference since 2006-07. The Bears have won one Big Sky Conference Championship and made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Bears were 11-18 last season, 7-11 and tied for eighth in the Big Sky Conference. They were picked to place fourth in the preseason coaches poll and seventh in the preseason media poll this year.
• UNC is 19-10 this season, 10-6 and fifth place in the Big Sky Conference. The Bears are one of the top-scoring teams (80.2) and rebounding teams (+1.9) in the Big Sky. In Big Sky games, the Bears are the top-scoring team (81.7) as well as leading in three-point percentage defense (.306).
• Senior guard Andre Spight ranks second in the Big Sky in scoring (21.3) and leads the Big Sky in scoring in conference games (24.1). Spight has made 91 three-point field goals and leads the team with 3.7 assists per game.
• Junior guard Jordan Davis averages 15.9 points per game.
• Freshman guard Jalen Sanders averages 9.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He also has a team-leading 38 blocked shots, ranking fourth in the Big Sky.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES 
• Portland State is 18-11 this season, 7-4 at home, 10-5 on the road, 1-2 at neutral sites.
• In Big Sky Conference games, PSU is 8-8 (3-4 at home, 5-4 on the road). 
• The Vikings have won three in a row, four of five and five of their last seven games. 
• PSU is 7-5 in games decided by five points or less or overtime.
• The Vikings are 1-1 in overtime.
Home Court(s)
• With the addition of Lewis and Clark's Pamplin Sports Center as a home court in 2017-18, Portland State has now had four home courts in its 22-season existence in the Big Sky Conference and at Division I. Here is the breakdown: 
  - Peter W. Stott Center - 233 games, 168-65
  - Rose Garden (Moda Center) - 28 games, 19-9
  - Memorial Coliseum - 19 games, 13-6
  - Lewis and Clark - 10 games, 6-4
  - 22 seasons - 290 games, 206-84 at home overall 
• Since the start of the 2006-07 season, PSU is 119-45 at home, including 70-37 in Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament games.
• Portland State has lost only eight non-conference home games in the last 11 seasons (49-8). PSU is 26-8 against Division I schools, and 23-0 against lower division schools over that span.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 183-196 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (11-12). 
• PSU is 119-62 in home games, 59-125 in road games and 5-9 in neutral-site games.
 
WHO IS HOT
• SR F Brandon Hollins streak of four straight double-doubles ended at Northern Arizona when he had eight points and 12 rebounds. Still, in the last five games, Hollins has averaged 14.2 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.  In that span, Hollins scored a career-high 22 points (10-12 FG, 1-2 3-pt, 1-1 FT) against Weber State. He followed with a career-high 16 rebounds against Idaho State.
• JR G Deante Strickland has averaged 12.8 points and 3.5 assists per game over the last four. He has made 12-24 (.500) three-pointers in those games.
• FR G Holland Woods has made 46 of his last 52 free throws (.885). 
 
WHO IS NOT
• In Portland State's eight Big Sky losses, it has been easy to point at shooting as the downfall. PSU has shot .392 from the field and .265 from three-point range in eight Big Sky losses. 
• Portland State averages 22.6 fouls per game, ranking 351st in the nation (among 351).
 
THE ROAD - NOT AS ROUGH AS IT SEEMS: Portland State is 10-5 in road games this season (5-4 in Big Sky road games). That is the most road wins for a Viking team in school history. PSU's previous best road mark in 22 seasons in the Big Sky Conference was 8-7 in 2007-08... including neutral site games, PSU is 11-7 in games away from home. The Vikings were 11-9 in 2008-09 in road and neutral site games... PSU's road winning percentage (10-5, .667) is better than its home winning percentage (7-4, .636).
 
Best Road Records, Big Sky era (1996-2018)
2017-18         10-5
2007-08         8-7
2008-09         7-7
 
THE COMEBACK: Portland State's come-from-behind victory at Southern Utah marked the ninth time this season that Portland State has erased a second-half deficit (four by double digits) and pulled out a win. Six of those have been on the road, two at Memorial Coliseum. Here is a list of the comebacks: 
• Beat Portland, 80-75, on Nov. 11 (R) - trailed by seven with 2:33 remaining.
• Beat Utah State, 83-79, at Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 20 - trailed by three with 7:16 remaining.
• Beat Stanford, 87-78, at Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 26 - trailed by 11 with 18:10 remaining (trailed by 14 in first half).
• Beat Santa Clara, 87-84, on Dec. 9 (R) - trailed by 17 with 14:51 remaining/trailed by 10 with 7:08 remaining.
• Beat Idaho, 73-72, on Jan. 6 (R) - trailed by five with 2:59 left.
• Beat Idaho State, 87-83, on Jan. 18 (R) - trailed by 16 with 18:30 remaining.
• Beat Montana State, 80-77, on Feb. 10 (R) - trailed by 10 with 12:12 remaining.
• Beat Idaho State, 91-77, on Feb. 17 (H) - trailed by seven with 19:46 remaining.
• Beat Southern Utah, 96-91 in overtime, on Feb. 22 (R) - trailed by nine with 13:59 remaining, six with 4:36 left (trailed by 14 in the first half). 
 
CLUTCH SHOOTERS: FR G Holland Woods hit the fourth truly "clutch" shot of the season for the Vikings (and the second by him) when he buried a three-pointer with 3.2 seconds left at Southern Utah to tie the game at 80-80 and second it to overtime. PSU went on to win 96-91. Here is a look at the Vikings' other "Big Shots" this season:
• Woods hit a game-winning shot with 0.6 points left against Idaho on Jan. 6 giving PSU a 73-72 win. It marked the first time a PSU player has made a clincher in the final five seconds of a game since Feb. 27, 2016. On that date, Calaen Robinson made a three-pointer with two seconds left to win at Northern Colorado, 89-86.
• Although they didn't come in the last five seconds, SR G Bryce Canda hit decisive three-pointers on two occasions this season, with both coming on the road. His three at Portland with 34.3 seconds left broke a 75-75 tie in an 80-75 win. Later in the season (Feb. 10), Canda hit a three with 18.9 seconds left to break a 77-77 tie in an 80-77 win at Montana State.
 
IT'S A TEAM GAME: Portland State has had eight different players lead the team in scoring over the last 10 games.
• PSU has had a total of 116 double-figure scorers through 29 games (4.0 per game).
• Eight players are averaging 6.3 points or more, 11 players average 4.8 points or more.
• 11 players have averaged double figures in minutes.
• 10 players have made starts with 12 different starting lineups... only SR G Bryce Canda has started every game.
 
MORE ABOUT WINS: With 18 wins so far this season, the Vikings now rank fifth in the win column in 22 seasons as a Big Sky member (with at least four games remaining)... PSU's 18 wins are the most since the 2008-09 season when the Vikings reached the NCAA Tournament... Here is a list of PSU's Big Sky teams with the most wins:
 
Most wins in a season, Big Sky era:
2007-08: 23-10
2008-09: 23-10
2004-05: 19-9
2006-07: 19-13
2017-18: 18-11 
1998-99: 17-11
2011-12: 17-15
2013-14: 17-15
 
GRAND LARCENY: Portland State has broken the school record in steals in each of the last two seasons (2015-16 - 263/8.5 pg; 2016-17 - 307/9.9 pg). This year, the Vikings may do it again. 
• The Vikings average 9.9 steals per game to rank second in the nation (288 total).
• PSU leads the nation in turnover margin (+5.9).
• The Vikings force 18.4 turnovers per game to rank third in the nation.
• Portland State has 18 or more steals in five games this season... opponents have 20 or more turnovers 10 times.
• Three Vikings rank in the top seven in steals in the Big Sky Conference.
 
HUSTLE CHART: Portland State Head Coach Barret Peery has emphasized that his team's full-court pressure style of play will be about forcing turnovers, creating fast breaks and getting to the offensive glass. Here is a look at PSU's hustle chart and the points they produce:
• Turnovers forced: 533 (18.4 to lead the Big Sky and rank third in the nation) for 632 points (21.8 per game)
• Fast break points: 308 (10.6 per game)
• Offensive rebounds: 428 (14.7 to lead the Big Sky and rank second in the nation) for 443 second chance points (15.3 per game)
 
PUTTING THE BISCUIT IN THE BASKET: Portland State is averaging 86.7 points per game this season. That is the most by a Viking team since 1976-77 (91.0) when Freeman Williams trod the (former) Stott Center hardwood. Here is a look at PSU's top scoring averages in 22 seasons as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
 
Year               PPG
2017-18         86.7
2016-17         85.3
1998-99         79.1
2006-07         78.2
 
BIG SKY LEADERS: The Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in:
• Scoring, 86.7
• Steals, 9.9
• Assists, 16.8
• Turnover Margin, +5.9
• Assist-to-Turnover Ratio, 1.3
• Offensive Rebounds, 14.8
• Assists, Holland Woods, 5.7
• Rebounds, Brandon Hollins, 9.7 (conference games only)