SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS (13-17, 6-11) at PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (12-17, 6-10)

Monday, February 27, 2023, 7 p.m. • Viking Pavilion (3,094), Portland, OR
Live Stream: ESPN+ • Play-by-play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Devon Pouncey
Radio: 620 AM, www.ripcityradio.com • Play-by-play: Preston Hiefield
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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Game Presented By OnPoint Community Credit Union

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THE OPENING TIP

The mystery of Portland State's post-season fate has yet to be solved. Only the where is known, not the who or the when... or even how many games it will take to get there. Make sense? Of course not.
     
Portland State (12-17, 6-10) will try to resolve some of the mystery on Monday night when it hosts the Sacramento State Hornets (13-17, 6-11) in the final home game of the season. The Vikings and Hornets are currently in a sixth-place/seventh-place battle. It's a big one, as the sixth-seed in the Big Sky Conference Tournament will get a first-round bye into next Monday's quarterfinals. The seventh-seed will have to play a first-round game on Saturday at Idaho Central Arena.
     
A win by the Vikings would give them sixth place outright and deliver the seventh seed to the Hornets. A loss by the Vikings would reverse that finish. Further confusing the issue, the Vikings may yet play another regular season game. PSU's game at Montana last Thursday was postponed after the Vikings were grounded by an epic snowstorm in the Portland area. They were unable to get out of Portland on Wednesday as nearly 11 inches of snow blanketed the Portland airport. The Big Sky Conference has determined that the game will only be made up if necessary, meaning if it affects the Big Sky standings following Monday's season-ending games. That remains a distinct possibility if the Vikings lose and either Northern Arizona or Northern Colorado (both 5-12) win on Monday or both win. Montana (9-7) has the possibility of catching Weber State (11-6) in the standings as well. The league office will make that call when the time comes.
     
For now, the Vikings are focused on the game with Sacramento State. PSU lost an earlier game to the Hornets - 74-63 in Sacramento on Dec. 31 - and can't afford to lose the season series for tie-breaker purposes. PSU has lost its last two games and is 6-6 at home this season. The Hornets have dropped eight of their last nine games and are 4-10 on the road this season.
     
Portland State's game with Sacramento State will tip off at 7 p.m. at Viking Pavilion. It will be Senior Night and the Vikings will honor Cameron Parker and Mikal Starks, who will be playing in their final home game. Another senior, Bobby Harvey, is petitioning the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility due to an injury in 2021-22. Monday's game can be seen on ESPN+ with live statistics at www.ViksLive.com. The game will air on Rip City Radio 620 AM in Portland.
     
BIG SKY CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. Eastern Washington, 16-1 vs. MSU
2. Montana State, 14-3 at EWU
3. Weber State, 11-6 at NAU
4. Montana, 9-7 at UI; vs. PSU (TBA)
5. Idaho State, 8-9 at UNC
6. Portland State, 6-10 vs. SAC; at UM (TBA)
7. Sacramento State, 6-11 at PSU
t8. Northern Colorado, 5-12 vs. ISU
t8. Northern Arizona, 5-12 vs. WSU
10. Idaho, 4-13 vs. UM
 

2023 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Championship Schedule, Idaho Central Arena, Boise, ID

 
Saturday, March 4, 2023 (First Round)
Game 1: #9 Seed vs. #10 Seed, 4:30 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Game 2: #7 Seed vs. #8 Seed, 7 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
 
Sunday, March 5, 2023 (Quarterfinals)
Game 3: #1 Eastern Washington vs. Game 1 Winner, 4:30 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Game 4: #2 Montana State vs. Game 2 Winner, 7 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
 
Monday, March 6, 2023 (Quarterfinals)
Game 5: #4 Seed vs. #5 Seed, 4:30 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Game 6: #3 Seed vs. #6 Seed, 7 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
 
Tuesday, March 7, 2023 (Semifinals)
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 5:30 p.m. PT (ESPNU)
Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 8 p.m. PT (ESPN2)
 
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 (Championship)
Game 9: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, 8:30 p.m. PT (ESPN2)
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. SACRAMENTO STATE

• ALL-TIME SERIES: Portland State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 34-21, and the Big Sky Conference series, 33-20... PSU is 21-4 all-time in Big Sky games in Portland.
• Dec. 31 at the Hornets Nest, SAC 74, PSU 63: A massive second-half run by Sacramento State turned a big Portland State lead into a Big Sky Conference-opening loss. The Hornets trailed by 15 in the second half, but a 42-11 rally down the stretch led the Hornets to a 74-63 victory... The Vikings played well for the first 25 minutes of the game and had a a comfortable 47-32 advantage.However, the Vikings would only make one field goal over the next 9:40 of play and Sacramento State would completely flip the script... Hornets' leading scorer Zach Chappell got things going, scoring 11 of the first 15 points in the run. Then Akol Mawein scored the next eight in a row. The Hornets captured the lead on a Mawein layin with 7:40 remaining in the game. But they weren't done scoring, getting the next seven points, and eventually 19 of the next 23 points... The turnaround was inexplicable for the Vikings. PSU had a 33-20 lead late in the first half, then the 15-point lead a little more than five minutes into the second half. PSU allowed only 26 points in the first half, but gave up 48 points in the second half... Sacramento State shot .346 from the field in the first half, but came back to shoot .533 in the second half, and out-rebound the Vikings 23-10 after intermission... Chappell led the Hornets with a game-high 18 points. Mawein had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Austin Patterson scored 15 points on 5-9 three-pointers... Isaiah Johnson paced the Vikings with 11 points and four rebounds. Jorell Saterfield and Mikal Starks each had 10 points.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his second season as Head Coach and has a 26-34 record overall. He is 2-1 against Sacramento State. Coburn spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach... the Hornets are led by first-year Head Coach David Patrick (Louisiana, 2000) who is 13-17, 1-0 against the Vikings.

 

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE

• Sacramento State was 11-18 last season, 6-14 and tied for 10th in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornet program joined the Big Sky Conference the same year as Portland State, 1996-97.
• The Hornets are 13-17 this season, 6-11 and seventh place in the Big Sky Conference. Sacramento State averages 65.8 points per game and allows 67.5 points per game. A +5.8 rebounding margin ranks as the best in the Big Sky Conference. However, the Hornets rank last in turnover margin (-3.9).
• Senior guard Zach Chappell averages 13.5 points and has made 55 three-point field goals to lead the team. 7-foot-1 senior center Callum McRae averages 12.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He has blocked 27 shots this season. Junior forward Akol Mewein averages 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and has 30 blocked shots.

 

WHO IS HOT

• PARKER PUSHING THE PEDAL: SR G Cameron Parker's play has been stellar in recent weeks. Parker has averaged 24.1 points and 7.1 assists in the last nine games, making 68-121 shots from the field (.562)... he has led the team in scoring in each of the last 14 games (21.2)... Parker was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on back-to-back weeks (Feb. 7 and Feb. 14). He combined to average 26.0 points and 6.5 assists in those four games... Parker leads the team in scoring (17.9) and the Big Sky in assists (6.1)... in Big Sky games he averages 20.4 points and 6.7 assists... Parker ranks third in the nation in free throws made and fifth in attempts (187-225) and is shooting .831 at the line this year. He ranks ninth in the nation in assists.
• THE BENCH BUNCH: Portland State has had solid bench play all season and averages 28.2 points per game off the bench to rank 12th in the nation... the bench has shortened in recent games due to injuries. SO F Isaiah Johnson moved to the starting lineup against Weber State, and Keshaun Saunders started against Montana State... SR G Bobby Harvey leads the bench bunch with 7.4 points per game and has made 53 threes (.384). Johnson (6.9 ppg) and JR G Isiah Kirby (6.1 ppg) follow close behind... SO C Hayden Curtiss leads the team with a .625 field goal percentage off the bench while Johnson is shooting .547 and SO F Kendall Munson shoots .528... players coming off the bench also have 49 of PSU's 96 blocked shots.
• IN A HURRY: Portland State is first in the Big Sky Conference and 13th in the nation in fast break points (14.8 pg)... the Vikings are also 15th in the nation in turnover margin (+3.9).
• BIG SKY LEADERS: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in turnover margin (+3.9), turnovers forced (16.0), blocked shots (3.3) and steals (7.2)... SR G Cameron Parker leads in assists (6.1).
• VIKINGS FANS: Portland State drew 1,583 fans to its last home game with a Weber State (2/18). It was the highest total of the season and the largest crowd since prior to the pandemic. PSU averages 1,071 at home this season.

 

BIG SKY PLAY NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

For a testament to how closely-contested games are in the Big Sky Conference look no further than Portland State. The Vikings have held second-half leads in 12 of the 16 games played so far. Of those 12 games, PSU is 6-6. Among the 10 games decided by single-digits, PSU is 5-5, including 3-1 in games decided by three or less... for the season, the Vikings are 5-2 in games decided by four points or less.
 

GRAND LARCENY

Remarkably, Portland State has led the Big Sky Conference in team steals per game for the past seven seasons. They lead once again with an 7.2 mark through 29 games. Thievery on the basketball court was also prevalent during the Barret Peery and Tyler Geving coaching eras. In addition, PSU has had two individual steals leaders. A look:
 
Season, steals per game
2015-16: 8.5
2016-17: 9.9, individual: Calaen Robinson, 2.35
2017-18: 9.8
2018-19: 8.3
2019-20: 8.7, individual: Holland Woods, 2.06
2020-21: 8.2
2021-22: 9.3
2022-23: 7.2
 

1,000-700... THERE ARE ONLY THREE

SR G Cameron Parker passed 1,000 career points earlier this season then passed 700 career assists at Sacramento State on Dec. 31. Parker currently has 1,375 career points and 796 career assists in 136 career games. He is one of only three active players with 1,000 career points and 700 career assists.

• Parker currently ranks 35th on the NCAA's all-time assist list... Jalen Pickett of Penn State has 2,077 points and 791 assists in 135 career games while Marcus Carr of Texas has 2,234 points and 710 assists in 155 games... Yuri Collins of Saint Louis has career totals of 960 points and 840 assists in 112 games. He is the active NCAA assist leader (23rd all-time).
• Parker is currently number two in the NCAA among active assist leaders.
• Parker is currently 17th in assists in Big Sky Conference history (442 in 87 games).
• Parker's 165 assists this season ranks tied for sixth in PSU history (Will Funn, 224 in 2004-05, NCAA leader).

 

IT'S NOT WHO STARTS...

Portland State's bench has been very effective this season. Starters have logged 3,677 minutes and reserves have logged 2,123 minutes. Remarkably, in those minutes, the bench has kept a good scoring pace in relation to the starters, 1,391 to 818.

• Bench players have logged 36% of the minutes and 38% of the points.
• PSU ranks 12th in the nation in bench scoring at 28.2 points per game.
• The bench has outscored the starters on four occasions.
• Bench players (314-659, .476) have out-shot the starters (464-1,083, .428) from the field.
• Bench players also have 49 of the team's 96 blocked shots (52%).

 

SHOOTING, SCORING... IT ALL MAKES SENSE

After 29 games this season...

• The Vikings are 9-1 when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponents. They are 3-15 when they do not, 0-1 when shooting even.
• The Vikings are 8-3 when they lead at halftime, 3-12 when trailing. They are 1-2 when the game is tied at halftime.