CREAM CITY CHALLENGE, MILWAUKEE, WI

UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena (10,783), Milwaukee, WI
TV: ESPN+ (1st game only), YouTube.com (Games 2 & 3)
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-1) at UW-MILWAUKEE (1-2)
Friday, November 22, 2024, 7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-1) vs. ST. THOMAS (3-2)
Saturday, November 23, 2024, Noon CT/10 a.m. PT
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-1) vs. WOFFORD (1-3)
Sunday, November 24, 2024, 11 a.m. CT/9 a.m. PT
 
HEAD COACHES
Portland State: Jase Coburn (45-52/4th year)
Milwaukee: Bart Lundy (43-39/3rd year)
St. Thomas: Dr. Johnny Tauer (270-99/13th year)
Wofford: Dwight Perry (18-18/2nd year)
 

OPENING TIP

Four teams coming off winning seasons in four different mid-major conferences will meet up in Milwaukee, WI this weekend for the Cream City Challenge Basketball Tournament. Portland State will take on two first-time opponents in Milwaukee and Wofford, and meet St. Thomas for the only second time in the three-day, round-robin event at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
           
The Vikings (2-1) go into the three-day tournament off a quality road win over San Diego, 85-76, on Nov. 12. PSU has proven to be a formidable offensive team through three games, averaging 102.7 points and shooting .569 from the field (6th in the nation). The Vikings have six players averaging double figures with a seventh at 9.7 points per game. Like recent seasons, PSU has continued to benefit from a harassing full-court defense with 21.7 forced turnovers per game (2nd in the nation) and deep bench play (41.7 points per game, 15th in the nation).
           
Friday's opponent, Milwaukee, comes off a 20-15 season and is currently 1-2 on the season with a Tuesday game at Duquesne. The Panthers compete in the Horizon League, where they were 12-8 and tied for fifth last season.
           
Saturday's opponent, St. Thomas (MN), was 20-13 last season, including a 76-70 win over the Vikings at the Lancer Joust Tournament in Southern California. The Tommies were 9-7 and finished fourth last season in the Summit League. St. Thomas is 3-2 this season.
           
Sunday's opponent, Wofford, was 17-15 last season. The Terriers were 10-8 and tied for fifth in the Southern Conference. Wofford is 1-3 this season.
           
Portland State's three-game weekend includes one road game and two neutral site games. The Vikings are in a stretch of five of six games away from home to open the season.
           
Friday's game with Milwaukee will air on ESPN+. The Saturday and Sunday game will be available on Milwaukee's YouTube page, sans play-by-play. Live statistics for all games can be found at www.ViksLive.com.
 

COMING UP

Portland State returns to Viking Pavilion on Nov. 30 to host Utah Tech, a member of the Western Athletic Conference. PSU's game tips off at 5 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the Viking women who host UC Davis at 2 p.m.
 
The game with Utah Tech begins a stretch of three of four games at home for Portland State. PSU plays at Seattle, also of the WAC, on Dec. 4, then hosts Denver, from the Summit League on Dec. 7.
 

HOT SHOTS

• SHARING THE WEALTH: Portland State has six players averaging in double figures, with a seventh at 9.7 points per game... SR G Jaylin Henderson leads the team with 16.0 points per game after his game-high 23 points in the win over San Diego... JR G Ismail Habib scored a career-high 29 points in the win over Evergreen State... SR F Terri Miller Jr. led the team with 20 points at Washington State.
• Q-RATING: SR G Qiant Myers has established himself quickly as the Vikings' primary ball-handler. Myers had 10 assists at Washington State and 14 against Evergreen State. The 14 assists matches the most in the Big Sky Conference era (1996-present). PSU's school record is 19 assists in a game by Terry Adolph in 1977... Myers is averaging 11.0 points, 9.7 assists and has a shooting slash line of .611/.625/.750. His +/- through three games is a team-best +59... Myers leads the Big Sky Conference and ranks third in the nation in assists.
• SPLASH BROTHERS: Yes, it's very, very early, but its still remarkable that PSU is shooting .569 from the field and .479 from three-point range while making 11.7 threes per game... eight different Vikings are shooting .500 or better from the field.
• THE VALUE OF VIKING VETERANS: As the college basketball world chases the transfer portal and turns over rosters on an annual basis, SR Fs Isaiah Johnson and Hayden Curtiss are proving the value of familiarity. Although both started their careers at different schools, Johnson is in third season as a Viking and has played in 66 career games as a Viking, while Curtiss is in his fourth season and has played in 73 career games as a Viking. In the early season, both are on pace for career years. Johnson is averaging career highs of 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting .778 from the field. Curtiss is averaging career highs of 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting .739 from the field.
• THIS LOOKS FAMILIAR: Trademarks of Jase Coburn-coached teams have been forcing turnovers and bench production. Through three games, PSU has forced an average of 21.7 turnovers per game for an average of 35.0 points per game... the Vikings average 41.7 bench points per game in 238 bench minutes played so far.
• LEADERS: Portland State currently leads the Big Sky Conference in scoring (102.7), field goal percentage (.569), three-point percentage (.479), steals (10.3), turnovers forced (21.7), turnover margin (4.3), fast break points (20.3), bench points (41.7)... SR G Qiant Myers leads the Big Sky in assists (9.7) and double-doubles (2)... SR F Hayden Curtiss leads the Big Sky in field goal percentage (.739)... Terri Miller Jr. lead in steals (3.0)... JR G Ismail Habib leads in three-point field goals made (3.67).

 

POINTS, POINTS, POINTS

Portland State scored the third-most points in school history against Evergreen State. Here are the highest scoring PSU games all-time:
 
1. 142-85 vs. Southern Oregon, 2-9-77 (Freeman Williams, 71 points)
2. 133-110 vs. Rocky Mountain, 2-3-78 (Freeman Williams, 81 points)
3. 131-84 vs. Evergreen State, 11-7-24 (Ismail Habib, 29 points)
4. 130-92 vs. British Columbia, 12-27-68 (Leon Edmonds, 46 points)
t5. 125 twice
t7. 124 four times, most vs. D1 opponent: Eastern Washington, 130-124, 3ot loss
 
Most vs. D1 opponent, regulation: 115-100 win over Boise State, 1-24-72
Most vs. Big Sky opponent, regulation: 108-56 win over Montana, 3-1-08
 

EVERYBODY PLAYS, (NEARLY) EVERYBODY STARTS

One thing has become apparent during Head Coach Jase Coburn's tenure at Portland State; everybody plays. And nearly everybody starts at some point as Coburn routinely adjusts lineups based on a myriad of factors. In his 97 games as head coach, Coburn has started 38 different lineups. In the season opener against Washington State, four of the five starters were new for PSU. Here is a look at Viking starters through the years:

• 2024-25: 3 different lineups, 7 of 11 players started
• 2023-24: 14 differents lineups, 11 of 12 players started
• 2022-23: 9 different lineups, 9 of 13 players started
• 2021-22: 12 different lineups, 11 of 14 players started

 

MEANINGLESS TRIVIA

• Portland State was picked to place sixth in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Coaches Poll and seventh in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Media Poll. The Vikings were sixth in 2023-24.
• PSU is 12-17 in season openers since reinstating basketball and joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996-97... the Vikings are 25-4 in home openers over the same span.
• Head Coach Jase Coburn will coach his 100th career game on Nov. 24 against Wofford. He will be the ninth of 14 PSU Coaches all-time to reach that mark.

 

SEASON HIGHLIGHT REEL

• Nov. 7: PSU 131, Evergreen State 84: The Vikings rolled to the third-most points in school history over lower division Evergreen State. PSU shot .684 from the field and .517 (15-29) from three-point range. JR G Ismail Habib scored a career-high 29 points (10-16 FG, 9-11 3-pt) and SR G Qiant Myers handed out 14 assists to go with 10 points. Eight Vikings scored in double figures.
• Nov. 12: PSU 85, San Diego 76: Portland State raced to a 51-33 halftime lead behind another brilliant shooting performance (.600), but needed to hold on as San Diego cut a 21-point lead to four with 1:55 to play. The Vikings made 9-10 free throws down the stretch and finished at .517 from the field overall in the win. SR G Jaylin Henderson scored a game-high 23 points (8-17 FG, 2-5 3-pt, 5-9 FT), including 10 straight for the Vikings late in the second half. SR F Terri Miller Jr. added 15 points, six rebounds and four steals.