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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (8-11, 3-5) at
        WEBER STATE WILDCATS (13-7, 7-2)
Thursday, January 31, 2019, 6 p.m. PT • Dee Events Center (11,500), Ogden, UT
Live Stream: Pluto TV Channel 235, pluto.tv, WatchBigSky.com • Play-by-play: Steve Klauke (Weber State feed)
Live Stats: https://weberstatesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/media
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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THE OPENING TIP
Following a bounce-back weekend at home, the Portland State Vikings go on the road for a season-long, four-game road trip. The Vikings started last week tied for 10th in the Big Sky Conference, but a pair of wins leap-frogged them into a tie for seventh and only one game out of the coveted fifth spot in the league.
     
Portland State (8-11, 3-5) will open its road trip at its most challenging enemy outpost; Weber State (13-7, 7-2). The Vikings are a mere 2-22 in Ogden during their Big Sky Conference history. In addition, the Wildcats have won seven in a row and 14 of the last 16 in the series. That said, Weber State has needed overtime in three of its last four wins against PSU. WSU pulled out a rugged 95-88 overtime win against the Vikings on Jan. 12 in the Viking Pavilion.
     
Weber State has won eight of its last 10 games, but lost last Saturday at Montana, 75-68. WSU, currently tied for second in the Big Sky, is 7-2 in home games this season.
     
Meanwhile, the Vikings may have re-established themselves after a successful home weekend. Wins over Eastern Washington (78-65) and Idaho (69-53) were punctuated by one of the best offensive performances in years (.604 FG shooting vs. EWU - best against a D1 opponent in 88 games) and best defensive performances in even more years (53 points allowed vs UI - fewest by a D1 opponent since Dec. 20, 2012  - a span of 196 games). Both were the best marks of the Barret Peery era against Division I programs.
     
Peery made some adjustments to his lineup last week, starting SO G Holland Woods, SR G Derek Brown, SR F Jamie Orme, JR F Robert McCoy and JR C Sal Nuhu together for the first time. They marked the seventh different starting lineup of the season and PSU went 2-0. It seemed to help the bench as well as the Vikings had 24 bench points on Thursday and the bench outscored the starters on Saturday, 35-34.
     
But, the Wildcats pose a stern challenge for a Viking team that is currently just 1-6 on the road this season. WSU leads the conference in scoring (82.2), field goal percentage (.484), free throw percentage (.743) and field goal percentage defense (.422).
     
That game is just the start of it for the Vikings, who won't see the Viking Pavilion hardwood again until a Valentine's Day meeting with Northern Arizona. PSU faces Idaho State on Saturday, then travels to Northern Colorado (Feb. 7) and Sacramento State (Feb. 11). Once Portland State does get through this challenging four-game stretch, it looks forward to a run-up to the Big Sky Tournament that includes six of the last eight games at home.
     
The short-term goal for the Vikings will be to get into the fifth spot in the Big Sky Conference, and after that, who knows? The top five teams will have first-round byes in the newly-formatted Big Sky Tournament in its new home, Boise, ID. The tournament will run four straight days this year, so avoiding a first-round game on day one will be important.
     
This Thursday's game at Weber State tips off at 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT. It will be live streamed on Pluto TV Channel 235, www.pluto.tv and WatchBigSky.com. Live stats are available at https://weberstatesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/media.
 
COMING UP
Portland State plays at Idaho State on Saturday night. The Vikings are 10-11 all-time in Big Sky games at Pocatello. The next two road games are at Northern Colorado (Feb. 7) and Sacramento State (Feb. 11).
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. IDAHO
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Weber State leads the all-time series, 40-13, and the Big Sky Conference series, 36-13... the Vikings are just 2-22 all-time at Dee Events Center... WSU has won seven straight in the series and 14 of the last 16... three of the last four wins have come in overtime.
• Jan. 12, WSU 95, PSU 88 (ot) at Viking Pavilion: The game was a draw for 44 minutes, but Weber State pulled away in the final minute of overtime to hand the Vikings their fourth straight home loss. Brekkot Chapman's three-pointer with 41 seconds left in the OT broke an 88-88 tie... the Wildcats shot .571 from the field and .857 at the free throw line... JR C Sal Nuhu led the Vikings with a season-high 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. JR F Robert McCoy added 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks... Chapman had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jerrick Harding scored a game-high 23 points.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery (Southern Utah, 1996) is in his second season on the Park Blocks and has a 28-25 career record. Peery is 0-3 against Weber State... 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 Wildcats are coached by Randy Rahe (Buena Vista, 1982) in his 13th season. He has a 261-145 career record with the Weber State, including 21-5 against the Vikings.
 
WEBER STATE WILDCATS
• Weber State, located in Ogden, UT, is an original member of the Big Sky Conference. The Wildcats have won 22 Big Sky Conference regular season championships, 10 Big Sky Tournament championships and made 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• Last year, Weber State was 20-11 overall, 13-5 in the Big Sky Conference, tieing for third. Four starters and eight letterwinners return from that team.
• The Wildcats are 13-7 overall, 7-2 and tied for second in the Big Sky this season. They lead the league in scoring (82.2), scoring margin (+8.0), field goal percentage (.484), free throw percentage (.743), field goal percentage defense (.422), three-point field goal percentage (.318) and blocked shots (4.6).
• Junior guard Jerrick Harding ranks second in the Big Sky Conference with 21.4 points per game and second in free throw percentage (.858) and steals (1.6).
• Junior forward Brekkot Chapman leads the Big Sky in rebounding at 9.2 per game. He averages 12.9 points and 1.9 blocked shots per game.
• Senior center Zach Braxton lead the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.645) and is third in the Big Sky with 7.4 rebounds per game. He averages 10.5 points per game.
• Junior guard Cody John averages 15.1 points per game.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 8-11 on the season, 6-4 at home, 1-6 on the road, 1-1 at neutral sites.
• The Vikings have won two in a row.
• PSU is 3-5 in Big Sky Conference play, 2-2 at home, 1-3 on the road.
• The Vikings are 1-1 in overtime... Head Coach Barret Peery is 3-2 all-time in overtime.
Big Sky Battles
• Portland State is 188-203 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (12-13).
• PSU is 122-65 in home games, 60-128 in road games and 6-10 in neutral-site games.
 
WHO IS HOT
• The Vikings allowed only 53 points to Idaho - the fewest by a Division I opponent in 196 games.
• Portland State shot .604 from the field (29-48) against Eastern Washington - its best mark in 80 games  and best mark against a Division I opponent in 88 games... the Vikings also shot .400 from three-point range (8-20) and .800 at the free throw line (12-15).
• SR G Deante Strickland is averaging 12.0 points and 2.8 assists off the bench over the last five games. He is 21-42 from the field (.500), 13-29 from three-point range (.448).
• SR F Jamie Orme had 15 points (5-8 FG, 3-3 3-pt, 2-3 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and two steals against Eastern Washington. It was his highest scoring game against a Division I opponent in his career... Orme followed that with 11 points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot against Idaho.
• SO G Holland Woods had 18 assists in the two wins last week, including a season-high 11 against Eastern Washington.
• Over the last eight games, PSU has shot 141-189 (.743) from the free throw line, improving the season mark to .686. Prior to that, PSU shot .647 as a team.
 
WHO IS NOT
• Portland State is shooting .289 from three-point range this season which ranks last in the Big Sky Conference.
• JR G Juwan Williams has missed the last five games with an ankle sprain.
• PSU has averaged 18.8 turnovers in the last four games.
 
PRETTY, PRETTY, PRETTY GOOD DEFENSE: Since trailing Eastern Washington 35-33 at halftime last Thursday night, the Portland State Vikings have put on a defensive clinic. PSU shut down the Eagles in the second half, holding them to 11-31 shooting (.355) and forcing six turnovers on the way to a 78-65 win. Then on Saturday, the Vikings held Idaho to 21-55 from the field (.382), 6-23 from three-point range (.261), forcing 19 turnovers and beat the Vandals, 69-53. It marked the fewest points PSU has allowed a Division I opponent in 196 games, dating back to Dec. 20, 2012 (63-49 win over Idaho State).
 
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, with distinct differences in shooting between wins and losses, and home and road games. Here is a breakdown:
• The Vikings are 7-0 when out-shooting their opponents, 1-11 when they don't.
• In nine of PSU's 11 losses, they have shot 39% or less.
• Field goal percentage: 513-1,227, .418 (10th in Big Sky)
• Three-point percentage: 133-461, .289 (11th in Big Sky)
• Shooting in wins: .486/.362
• Shooting in losses: .366/.239
• Shooting in home games: .466/.341
• Shooting in road/neutral site games: .368/.239
 
DUNK YOU VERY MUCH: One way to improve your shooting percentage is to increase your dunk frequency. The Vikings did just that against Eastern Washington, getting seven slams, including four by JR C Sal Nuhu.
• Nuhu now has 25 dunks on the season, which already ranks as seventh-most by a Viking in the 23-season Big Sky Conference era. The most dunks in a season are 31 by Scott Morrison in 2007-08.
• Portland State has a total of 55 dunks this season in 19 games which is more than the 50 they had all of last season.
 
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 17.2 turnovers per game and have a +1.7 turnover margin. PSU has scored 343 points off turnovers compared to 319 for opponents.
• The Vikings average 17.0 offensive rebounds per game while opponents average 9.4. PSU has a huge advantage on its opponents in second-chance points this season (325-184).
• In all, the difference in total turnovers (32) and total offensive rebounds (144) is 176 extra possessions compared to opponents (9.3 per game).
• As a result, PSU has 189 more field goal attempts than the opponents. Opponents have 22 more free throw attempts.
 
CHEERING FOR BOO BOO: SO G Holland "Boo Boo" Woods leads the Vikings' in scoring (14.4) and assists (5.3). He ranks 10th in the Big Sky in scoring, second in assists and is fifth in steals (1.5).
• He has led the team in scoring 10 times and assists 15 times this season, and has two double-doubles.
• Woods, the Big Sky leader in assists last season (5.6), has led the Vikings in assists in 40 of 52 career games. He ranks ninth all-time at Portland State with 287 career assists in less than two seasons.
• Scored in double figures 12 times with five 20+ point games.
• 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.
• Scored 17 points with seven rebounds and seven assists at Montana State, making 10-10 FTs.
• Posted a season-high 28 points (6-11 FG, 3-4 3-pt FG, 13-15 FT) in a win at Montana, adding four rebounds and three assists.
• Posted 21 points with four steals at Northern Arizona.
• Recorded a season-high 11 assists and 15 points (7-10 FG) in a win over Eastern Washington.
 
NU-COMERS PLAYING WELL: Portland State newcomers JR G Michael Nuga and JR C Sal Nuhu are having a big impact for the Vikings.
Nuga Nuggets:
• Nuga ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game in 21 minutes per night.
• He leads the team with 29 3-pt FG and a .363 3-pt FG%.
• Has scored in double figures 11 times with two 20+ point games.
• Went for 17 points and nine rebounds against Stanford.
• Scored a season-high 24 points against CSU Bakersfield.
Yahoo For Nuhu:
• Nuhu averages 10.1 points in 21 minutes per game.
• He averages 5.8 rebounds to rank second on the Vikings and 10th in the Big Sky. He leads the Vikings and ranks fifth in field goal percentage (.561) and third in blocked shots (1.6).
• Has scored in double figures 11 times and led the team in rebounding four times.
• 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.
• Scored 16 points (5-6 FG, 6-8 FT) at Montana State.
• Tallied a season-high 20 points (8-16 FG, 4-5 FT) with seven rebounds and four blocked shots against Weber State.
 
THE REAL McCOY: In his first season as a Viking, JR F Robert McCoy has stepped into a key role. He has started 16 games and averages 22.8 minutes, ranking second on the team.
• McCoy averages 8.7 points and leads the Vikings in rebounding at 6.4 per game, ranking sixth in the Big Sky Conference. He leads the Big Sky in offensive rebounds (2.9 pg).
• He has led the Vikings in scoring once, rebounding six times and has two double-doubles.
• Has season-highs of 26 points, 12 rebounds and five steals.
• Scored 17 points with six rebounds, two blocks, two assists and two steals against Weber State.
 
FINDING HIS F-ORME: SR F Jamie Orme has been looked to for a big step forward in 2018-19. Last season he averaged 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13 minutes per game. This year he is averaging 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game.
• Orme returned to the starting lineup against Eastern Washington and scored 15 points - his career-high against a Division I opponent - and grabbed seven rebounds.
• Scored in double figures nine times and has two double-doubles this season.
• Has season highs of 19 points, 13 rebounds (twice) and five assists.
 
IF YOU BUILD IT: The crowd of 2,020 that attended the game against Portland (12/5) 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 that 1,500 attended the Portland State/Oregon State game in the old Stott Center gym on Dec. 12, 2012... PSU is averaging 1,168 fans through 10 home games - the most since the 2007-08 season (1,347).
 
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
• Portland State has players from several major metropolitan areas all over the North America: Seattle (Derek Brown, Jamie Orme); Portland (Deante Strickland, Vonte Carter, Filip Fullerton); Phoenix (Holland Woods, Rashaad Goolsby, Trey Wood); Toronto (Michael Nuga); Chicago (Robert McCoy); New York (Sal Nuhu); Houston (Juwan Williams); Dallas-Fort Worth (Michael Mayhew).
• The only players on the roster not living within 30 miles of the center of one of the above multi-million population metro areas is: Kyle Greeley, who is from West Salem, OR, 48 miles from downtown Portland; and Brendan Rumel, who is from Tucson, AZ (metro area 980,000).
• JR C Sal Nuhu has lived his entire life in the Bronx, NY, but his mother is originally from Ghana, and his father is from Nigeria.
• JR G Michael Nuga was born in Nigeria - the home country of both his parents - but moved to Toronto and lived there his entire life before going to college.