PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (6-5)
at WEBER STATE WILDCATS (6-7)

Thursday, January 1, 2026, 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT • Dee Events Center (12,000), Ogden, UT
Live Stream: ESPN+ • Play-by-play: Tony Parks • Analyst: Joe Cravens • Sideline: Megham Robinson
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.livestats.us
 

OPENING TIP

The 2026 Big Sky Conference Basketball season begins on New Years Day as the Portland State Vikings will play at Weber State in the league lid-lifter. Tip off is 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT and the game can be seen on ESPN+.
     
PSU begins an 18-game Big Sky schedule with a pair of road games. The Vikings will travel to Pocatello for a Saturday game at Idaho State. Portland State then returns home on Jan. 10 for the first of nine Big Sky home games. That will be part of three straight home games as the Vikings round out January with five of seven at home.
     
The Vikings are expected to contend for the 2026 Big Sky Championship and are seeking a berth in the NCAA Tournament in March for the first time since 2009. PSU was picked second in the both Big Sky preseason polls (Coaches and Media) and features three of the six preseason All-Big Sky Conference selections in SR F Terri Miller Jr., SR G Jaylin Henderson and SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott. Miller was a second-team All-Big Sky Conference selection last season. Henderson was honorable mention All-Big Sky. Minott was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year.
     
Portland State started non-conference play with wins in five of seven games but have lost three of four leading into the Big Sky schedule. PSU is 2-4 on the road as it goes into Dee Events Center on Thursday. That venue has been a difficult one to win in for the Viking program over the years. PSU is 4-25 all-time in Big Sky road games at Weber State, including losses in the last four appearances there.
     
The Vikings will rely heavily on their "big three." Miller leads team in scoring at 17.8 points, averages 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and shoots .543 from the field. Henderson averages 17.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.1 steals. Minott averages 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and shoots .588 from the field.
     
Also making a big impact for the Vikings has been JR G Keyon Kensie Jr. Kensie comes off a career-high 22 points and eight rebounds at Tulane. He averages 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds this season.
     
Weber State is 6-7 heading into league play. The Wildcats are 5-2 at home.
     
Portland State and Weber State have one common opponent in Utah Tech. The Vikings beat the Trailblazers, 68-63, on Nov. 25 in St. George. The Wildcats lost to the Trailblazers, 82-80, on Dec. 20 in Ogden.
     

PORTLAND STATE AND THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE

Portland State begins its 30th campaign in the Big Sky Conference this week. PSU joined the league in 1996-97, reinstating a once-dormant (for 15 seasons) basketball program.
     
The Vikings have won Big Sky Conference regular season titles in 2004-05 and 2007-08. They won Big Sky Tournament titles in 2007-08 and 2008-09, advancing to the NCAA Tournament each season. Since then, PSU's best finish in the Big Sky has been third place.
     
Prior to the start of the 2025-26 Big Sky campaign, Portland State is 237-248 all-time in Big Sky Conference games, 251-267 including Big Sky Tournament games. PSU is 164-86 in home games, 78-166 in road games and 9-15 in neutral-site games. The Vikings are 14-19 all-time in Big Sky Tournament games.
     
Head Coach Jase Coburn is PSU's seventh Head Coach in the Big Sky era and 14th all-time in its 65th competitive season. Coburn, in his fifth season, has a 68-69 record, including 2-4 in the Big Sky Tournament.
     
The Vikings have won 12 straight Big Sky Conference home games entering league play.
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. WEBER STATE

• ALL-TIME SERIES: Weber State leads the all-time series, 47-20, and the Big Sky Conference series, 43-20... the Wildcats hold a 25-4 edge in Big Sky games at home, including wins in the last four... the teams have split the last 14 games, 7-7.
• LAST SEASON: Jan. 23, 2025 at Viking Pavilion, PSU 74, WSU 56:  Portland State didn't trail for a single second in the win over Weber State. The Vikings held Weber State, a team averaging 75.2 points, nearly 20 points under their average. The Wildcats managed only .352 shooting as the Vikings blocked eight shots... All five Viking starters scored in double figures. Jaylin Henderson and Isaiah Johnson each had a team-high 14 points. Henderson added six rebounds and five assists while Johnson was 6-8 from the field... Weber State got a strong performance from Blaise Threatt. The senior guard had 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists... Portland State dominated the glass, 43-30, and scored 50 points in the paint, compared to only 18 for WSU. Feb. 22, 2025 in Ogden: WSU 60, PSU 58: Blaise Threatt hit a 20-foot jump shot with one second remaining to complete a comeback for Weber State. Threat scored 12 of the final 18 points for WSU as it rallied from a 49-38 deficit with under seven minutes to play in the game. The senior point guard finished with a game-high 27 points.... The Vikings only had eight healthy players for the game. But those eight, despite a lack of size and some spotty shooting, fared well most of the way with solid defense. PSU led for more than 36 minutes of the game... Terri Miller Jr. posted 14 points with 11 rebounds. Jaylin Henderson added 14 points, and Qiant Myers scored 10 points with five assists.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his fifth season as Head Coach. He spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach. Coburn's overall record is 68-69. He is 3-5 all-time against Weber State... the Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft (Sterling College, 1995) in his fourth season. Duft has a 56-56 career record and is 4-2 against the Vikings.

 

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

• Weber State is an original member of the Big Sky Conference located in Ogden, UT. The Wildcats have won 22 Big Sky regular season championships, 10 Big Sky Tournament Championships and made 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament... the Wildcats were 12-22 last season, 5-13 and ninth place in the Big Sky.
• This season, Weber State went 6-7 in non-conference play, including 5-2 at home... the Wildcats average 83.5 points and allow 74.0 points per game... they shoot .481 from the field, .348 from three-point range and .703 at the line... perhaps most impressive is a +7.6 rebounding margin over opponents this season and a league-best .261 field goal percentage defense.
• Five Wildcats average in double figures. Junior guard Jace Whiting and sophomore guard Trevor Hennig each average 13.0 points per game. Whiting also averages 3.2 assists... junior guard Tijan Saine Jr. averages 12.2 points and 4.1 assists... junior forward Malek Gomma leads the team with 7.2 rebounds.

 

HOT SHOTS

• ELEVATING HIS GAME: JR G Keyon Kensie Jr. is elevating his game, both literally and figuratively, for the Vikings. The high-flying Kensie is averaging career-highs of 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds, including 14.8 points in the last five games... Kensie has three double-doubles and has scored a career-high 22 points against both South Dakota and Tulane.
• JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT: JR F Terri Miller Jr. is becoming a dominant figure inside and out, shooting, ball-handling and rebounding. He leads the team in scoring (17.8), while averaging 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, shooting .543 from the field and .441 from three-point range. He has averaged 20.0 points and more than seven rebounds over the past eight games... Miller put up a career-high 31 points (14-20 FG, 1-1 3-pt, 2-2 FT) with nine rebounds and six assists in the win over George Fox... he had 26 points and 11 rebounds in a win at South Dakota... he has four 20+-point games and two double-doubles.
• HENDERSON'S HELPERS: SR G Jaylin Henderson has done it all for the Vikings this season. He has four 20-point games, including 23 at Colorado... Henderson ranks second in the Big Sky Conference in assists (6.1) and steals (2.1)... against South Dakota, Henderson set a new career high for assists with 11. It was the third time this season he has established a new career mark in that category.
• CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS: Portland State has been dominant on the boards this season.  The Vikings have out-rebounded opponents by an average of 5.7 per game. The Vikings average 13.1 offensive rebounds per game... SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott ranks second in the Big Sky with 7.7 rebounds per game. JR G Keyon Kensie Jr. ranks fourth at 7.4 per game. And SR F Terri Miller Jr. is sixth with 6.7 rebounds per game.
• CHUCK IS NOT A CHUCKER: George Constanza made it clear his dislike for "chuckers" on the basketball court in an episode of Seinfeld. That said, he would love JR F Charles Chukwu. So far, Chukwu is 13-14 from the field this season (.929). Throw in his 30-game career at Tulsa a couple of seasons ago and Chukwu is a remarkable 29-37 from the field (.784) as a Division I player.
• TRENDING: Portland State is undefeated when leading at halftime (5-0) and out-rebounding an opponent (5-0).
• MORE GOOD STUFF THAT DOESN'T FIT ANYWHERE ELSE: Portland State leads the Big Sky Conference in field goal percentage defense (.410), offensive rebounds (13.1), steals (8.0) and turnovers forced (14.5)... SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott ranks seventh all-time in blocked shots (69), second all-time in field goal percentage (.620) and third in dunks (68) at Portland State.

 

NOT SO HOT

• DEEP THOUGHTS: The Vikings have seen a precipitous dip in their three-point efficiency in recent games. In the first four games of the season, PSU was 40-99 from three-point range (10.0/.404). In the last seven games, the Vikings are 41-155 (5.8/.265).
• BENCHED: The Vikings did not have a point off the bench in the loss at Tulane. Only four players on the team scored.

 

NON-CONFERENCE ROUNDUP

Head Coach Jase Coburn's team had a third-straight winning record in non-conference play. The Vikings are 31-27 against non-conference opponents under Coburn, 23-14 in the past three years.
     
Portland State's best wins were road victories at South Dakota and Utah Tech.
 
2021-22: 2-6
2022-23: 6-7
2023-24: 9-4
2024-25: 8-5
2025-26: 6-5