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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (13-14, 8-8) at IDAHO VANDALS (4-23, 1-15)
Thursday, February 28, 2019, 7 p.m. • Cowan Spectrum (5,000), Moscow, ID
Live Stream: Pluto TV Channel 242, pluto.tv, WatchBigSky.com • Play-by-play: Chris King (Idaho feed)
Live Stats: www.govandals.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Complete notes and stats in pdf

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THE OPENING TIP
With the Big Sky Conference race for seeding tightening up, the Portland State Vikings face a pair of road games - important for different reasons - this week.
     
PSU (13-14, 8-8) comes off a successful homestand in which it won four straight games. Although still in seventh place, that stretch of success has put the Vikings within one game of a fourth-place tie between Montana State and Eastern Washington (both 9-7). The Vikings are just one-half game behind Southern Utah (9-8).
     
Four games remain on the regular season schedule and Portland State would like to move among the top five to earn a first-round bye in the Big Sky Conference Tournament. A pair of wins this week would guarantee the Vikings to be no worse than a tie for fifth place by Saturday night.
     
First comes a trip to the University of Idaho (4-23, 1-15) on Thursday. Injuries and inexperience have hindered the Vandals this season. They have lost 13 straight games and 19 of their last 20.
     
The Vikings can't miss an opportunity to get a win against the Big Sky's last place team. They beat the Vandals, 69-53, on Jan. 26 in Portland. Idaho is 3-10 at home this year. The Vikings are 2-6 in Big Sky road games and have lost their last three on the road. PSU will try to win its first five-game winning streak overall for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
     
Last season, the Vikings won a thriller in Moscow, 73-72. SO G Holland Woods capped a PSU comeback by hitting a put-back shot in the lane with six-tenths of a second left to play. Neither team led by more than five in the game, but the Vikings found themselves down five with less than a minute-and-a-half to go before stealing the win.
     
Portland State's recent good play was certainly aided by a return home two weeks ago. Vastly improved shooting and some players on hot streaks have been a key. During the four-game winning streak - PSU's longest of the season - the Vikings shot .504 from the field and .430 from three-point range. SO G Holland Woods has averaged 18.3 points, 7.3 assists and shot .528 from the field. JR G Michael Nuga has averaged 12.7 points. SR G Deante Strickland has averaged 12.5 points, 4.3 assists, shooting .615 from the field and .647 from three-point range. JR C Sal Nuhu has averaged 11.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots in the wins.
     
Portland State will hope that its recent offensive surge will continue. If so, the Vikings should have a great chance for a road win against an Idaho team that is last in the Big Sky in scoring (67.3 ppg).
     
Saturday's contest at Eastern Washington is big for obvious reasons. The Eagles are currently tied for fourth. They will host Sacramento State on Thursday night prior to playing Portland State.
     
The Vikings won the previous meeting with Eastern Washington, 78-65, at Viking Pavilion on Jan. 24.
     
Thursday's game from Idaho tips off at 7 p.m. It will be live streamed on Pluto TV Channel 242, www.pluto.tv and www.WatchBigSky.com (Idaho feed). Live stats are available at www.govandals.com.
 
COMING UP
Portland State plays its final road game of the season on Saturday at Eastern Washington. Game time is 2:05 p.m. The Vikings wrap up the regular season by hosting Montana (Mar. 7) and Montana State (Mar. 9).
 
BIG SKY CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. Montana, 13-2                  vs. UNC (2/25), vs. SUU (3/2), vs. NAU (3/4), at PSU (3/7), at SAC (3/9)
2. Northern Colorado, 11-4  at UM (2/25), vs. WSU (2/28), vs. ISU (3/2), at SUU (3/7), vs. NAU (3/9)
3. Weber State, 10-6            at UNC (2/28), at ISU (3/4), vs. UI (3/7), vs. EWU (3/9)
4. Montana State, 9-7           vs. NAU (3/2), vs. SUU (3/4), at SAC (3/7), at PSU (3/9)
5. Eastern Washington, 9-7  vs. SAC (2/28), vs. PSU (3/2), at ISU (3/7), at WSU (3/9)
6. Southern Utah, 9-8           at UM (3/2), at MSU (3/4), vs. UNC (3/7)
7. Portland State, 8-8           at UI (2/28), at EWU (3/2), vs. UM (3/7), vs. MSU (3/9)
8. Northern Arizona, 7-10     at MSU (3/2), at UM (3/4), at UNC (3/9)
9. Sacramento State, 6-10   at EWU (2/28), at UI (3/2), vs. MSU (3/7), vs. UM (3/9)
10. Idaho State, 5-11           at UNC (3/2), vs. WSU (3/4), vs. EWU (3/7), vs. UI (3/9)
11. Idaho, 1-15                    vs. PSU (2/28), vs. SAC (3/2), at WSU (3/7), at ISU (3/9)
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. IDAHO
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Idaho leads the all-time series with the Vikings, 15-13. Now in their fifth season back in the Big Sky Conference, the Vandals lead the Vikings, 5-3, in league games... Idaho is 3-1 in Big Sky games in Moscow... the Vikings have won two of the last three meetings against Idaho, including a 73-72 decision in Moscow last year.
• Jan. 26, PSU 69, UI 53, at Viking Pavilion: A 22-5 run to end the first half and a stellar defensive performance led to the easy win for the Vikings. The 53 points by the Vandals were the fewest allowed against a D-I opponent since a 63-49 win against Idaho State on Dec. 20, 2012. Portland State held Idaho to 38% from the floor and forced 19 turnovers which they converted into 23 points. The Portland State bench also played a huge role in the game, pitching in 35 points to nearly double the output of Idaho's reserves. Michael Mayhew had 11 points on 3-6 shooting and Deante Strickland had 10 points while going 3-4 from beyond the arc to help get the win. The Vandals got 12 points each from Scott Blakney and Trevon Allen.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery (Southern Utah, 1996) is in his second season on the Park Blocks and has a 33-28 career record. Peery is 2-1 against Idaho... 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 Vandals are coached by Don Verlin (Colorado State, 1993) in his 11th season. Verlin is 176-172 overall, including 7-3 against the Vikings.
 
IDAHO VANDALS
• The University of Idaho, located in Moscow, was an original member of the Big Sky Conference in 1963. The Vandal program left in 1996, but returned before the 2014-15 season. Idaho has won four Big Sky Conference regular season championships, four Big Sky Tournament titles and made five appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• Last year, Idaho was 22-9 overall, 14-4 and second in the Big Sky Conference. The Vandals have one starter and five letterwinners returning from that team.
• This year, the Vandals are 4-23 overall, 1-15 in the Big Sky Conference. They average 67.3 points and allow 76.5 points per game. Idaho ranks last in scoring in the Big Sky. The Vandals are also last in rebounding margin (-3.4) and turnover margin (-3.9).
• Junior guard Trevon Allen leads the Vandals in scoring at 13.4 points per game and assists at 3.0 per game.
• Freshman guard Cameron Tyson is one of the best three-point shooters in the league. He averages 13.3 points and shoots .428 from distance, averaging 3.3 makes per game. Tyson ranks eighth in percentage and second in threes made in the Big Sky Conference.
• Freshman forward Jared Rodriguez averages 10.6 points and a team-leading 6.6 rebounds.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINNING LINES
• Portland State is 13-14 on the season, 10-4 at home, 2-9 on the road, 1-1 at neutral sites.
• The Vikings have won six in a row at home and lost three in a row on the road.
• PSU is 8-8 in Big Sky Conference play, 6-2 at home, 2-6 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 193-206 all-time in all Big Sky Conference games, including the Big Sky Tournament (12-13).
• PSU is 126-65 in home games, 61-131 in road games and 6-10 in neutral-site games.
 
WHO IS HOT
• Portland State averaged 86.3 points, shot .504 from the field and .430 from three-point range during its four-game home winning streak.
• The Vikings tied a school record with 10 blocked shots against Sacramento State, holding the Hornets to .358 shooting and 57 points. In fact, PSU's 65 points were its fewest in a winning effort in 148 games, dating back to November 2014.
• SO G Holland Woods is averaging 18.3 points, 7.3 assists and shooting .528 in the Vikings' four-game winning streak... Woods has also moved into the Big Sky Conference lead for assists per game (5.5).
• In his last four games, SR G Deante Strickland has averaged 12.5 points and 4.3 assists... he has shot .611 from the field and .647 from three-point range... Strickland scored a career-high 20 points (7-10 FG, 5-6 3-pt) with six assists in the win over Idaho State.
• JR C Sal Nuhu has 25 blocked shots in the last seven games (3.6) and has surged into the Big Sky lead with 2.1 blocks per game... he has 37 rebounds in the last three games (12.7).
• Since returning to the starting lineup 10 games ago, SR F Jamie Orme is shooting 38-63 from the field (.603), 15-25 from three-point range (.600) and 15-20 at the line (.750).
• In Big Sky Conference games, PSU has shot .739 from the free throw line. During the 11 non-conference games, PSU shot .647 as a team.
• Portland State continues to lead the nation in offensive rebounding (15.9 pg) and ranks ninth in rebound margin (+7.6).
 
YOU'VE GOT TO PUT THE BISCUIT IN THE BASKET: There is no question that shooting efficiency is the most important element in basketball. Portland State's shooting was erratic early in the season, but has leveled off, and recently improved dramatically. Still there are distinct differences in shooting between wins and losses, and home and road games. The Vikings shoot a full 10% better at home than they do on the road. Here is a breakdown:
• The Vikings are 11-0 when out-shooting their opponents, 2-14 when they don't.
• In 11 of PSU's 14 losses, they have shot 39% or less.
• Field goal percentage: .428 (10th in Big Sky)
• Three-point percentage: .312 (t10th in Big Sky)
• Shooting in wins: .488/.372
• Shooting in losses: .369/.262
• Shooting in home games: .477/.366
• Shooting in road/neutral site games: .377/.262
 
ON THE OTHER (HOT SHOOTING) HAND: Portland State has had some challenging shooting nights this season, but as Big Sky Conference play has progressed, things have changed. Look at these numbers in Big Sky games:
• SR F Jamie Orme leads the Big Sky in three-point percentage (17-31, .548)
• SR G Deante Strickland ranks 12th in three-point percentage (29-69, .420)
• SR G Michael Mayhew ranks 13th in three-point percentage (26-63, .413)
 
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 15.6 turnovers per game and have a +0.7 turnover margin. PSU has scored 438 points off turnovers compared to 429 for opponents.
• The Vikings average 15.9 offensive rebounds per game while opponents average 9.2. PSU has a huge advantage on its opponents in second-chance points this season (424-258).
• In all, the difference in total turnovers (19) and total offensive rebounds (180) is 199 extra possessions compared to opponents (7.4 per game).
• As a result, PSU has 217 more field goal attempts than the opponents. Opponents have 26 more free throw attempts.
 
CHEERING FOR BOO BOO: SO G Holland "Boo Boo" Woods leads the Vikings' in scoring (14.9) and assists (5.5). He ranks ninth in the Big Sky in scoring, leads in assists and is fourth in steals (1.4).
• He has led the team in scoring 13 times and assists 23 times this season, and has three double-doubles.
• Woods, the Big Sky leader in assists last season (5.6), has led the Vikings in assists in 48 of 60 career games. He ranks fourth all-time at Portland State with 333 career assists in less than two seasons.
• Scored in double figures 20 times with six 20+ point games.
 
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 10.9 points per game in 20 minutes per night.
• He leads the team with 41 3-pt FG.
• Has scored in double figures 15 times with three 20+ point games.
Yahoo For Nuhu:
• Nuhu averages 9.9 points in 22 minutes per game.
• He averages 6.7 rebounds to lead the Vikings and rank sixth in the Big Sky. He ranks ninth in the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.508) while leading in blocked shots (2.1).
• Has scored in double figures 13 times, led the team in rebounding 10 times and has two double-doubles.
 
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 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 19 minutes per game.
• Orme returned to the starting lineup 10 games ago and has been on fire, shooting .603/.600/.750 in those games.
• Scored in double figures 13 times and has two double-doubles this season.
• Has season highs of 19 points, 13 rebounds (twice) and five assists.
 
THE REAL McCOY: In his first season as a Viking, JR F Robert McCoy has stepped into a key role as a starter. He averages 22.4 minutes, ranking second on the team.
• McCoy averages 7.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, ranking 16th in the Big Sky Conference. He also has 17 blocked shots.
• He has led the Vikings in scoring twice, rebounding six times and has two double-doubles.
• Has season-highs of 26 points, 12 rebounds and five steals.
 
DUNK YOU VERY MUCH  
• JR C Sal Nuhu has a new school record of 37 dunks on the season.
• Portland State has a total of 75 dunks this season in 27 games which ranks as the most ever as a team (PSU had 50 all of last year).
• The Vikings had a season-high of 11 dunks against Portland Bible (12/1). They had seven slams in a win over Eastern Washington (1/24), including four by Nuhu... Nuhu also had four against Northern Arizona (2/14).
 
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.
• The core 11 players are all averaging at least 11 minutes per game or more. Only five average 20 minutes, and only SO G Holland Woods averages over 30.
• Portland State has had nine players start games, while none have started every game this season. Only Woods has started every game he has played (missed one due to injury).
• The Vikings have had seven different starting lineups.
• The starting lineup of Holland Woods, Derek Brown, Jamie Orme, Robert McCoy and Sal Nuhu has now started 10 straight games and is 7-3.
 
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 1,121 fans through 14 home games - the most since the 2007-08 season (1,347).
 
Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in:
Rebounds Per Game              40.2
Offensive Rebounds               15.9
Rebounding Margin                +7.6
Steals                                       8.5
Holland Woods, assists           5.5
Sal Nuhu, blocked shots          2.1
Jamie Orme, 3-pt% (conference) .548