Big Sky foes will lock horns when the Sacramento State Hornets (8-8) square off against the Portland State Vikings (6-10) at Hornet Gym. The game starts at 10:05 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The Hornets were beaten by Weber State 85-74 in their last game. Justin Strings put in a solid effort despite the loss for Sacramento State, recording 23 points and 11 rebounds to earn his third double-double of the season. The Vikings, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their close 73-70 loss at the hands of Idaho State in their last game. Isaiah Pineiro played well for Portland State, accumulating 15 points, nine rebounds, and three steals.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Vikings won the first game 76-68. Strings put up 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Sacramento State is a five-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 150 points. The Hornets are trying to improve upon their records of 8-8 Straight Up (SU) and 6-6 Against The Spread (ATS).
As for their opponent, Portland State has a SU record of 6-10 and an ATS record of 4-7. The Vikings are one of the top teams in the country at finding the open man with an average of 16.9 assists per game. Portland State’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents making only 6.0 shots from the three-point line per game. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Vikings, who rank 31st in the nation with 8.2 steals per game.
With the Vikings’ last win against Sacramento State, they evened up the head-to-head record over their most recent meetings, 5-5 SU. However, with a 6-4 record, Portland State has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers, neither team was able to hold the advantage in all three of these categories over their past five meetings against one another.
Predictions: SU Winner – PorSt, ATS Winner – PorSt, O/U – Over
Notes
Sacramento State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Sacramento State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Sacramento State is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games at home.
Sacramento State is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games when playing Portland State.
Sacramento State is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Portland State.
Sacramento State is struggling at 1-4 SU in its conference, while Portland State sits at 2-3 SU.
In its last game, Portland State lost by a margin of three points. Sacramento State is 2-0 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Portland State has a 0-2 record in close games.
Sacramento State has an average field goal percentage of 46.1%. Portland State is a subpar 1-7 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Sacramento State Hornets and the Portland State Vikings both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Sacramento State is 96th and 83rd in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Portland State ranks 220th and 142nd in these categories.
Sacramento State ranks 100th in assists, recording 14.8 per game. Portland State ranks 27th with 16.9 assists per game.
Sacramento State ranks 66th in blocks per game with 4.6 and Portland State ranks 98th with 4.2 blocks per game.
Portland State makes an average of 8.2 steals per game. Sacramento State has a winning 4-1 record when it allows at least 8 steals.
