Big Sky foes will battle when the Portland State Vikings (10-17) take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (5-22) at Peter W Stott Center. Action begins at 10:05 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 3.
The Vikings won a close one over Northern Colorado 89-86 the last time they played. Calaen Robinson had a good game, putting up 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists for the Vikings. The Lumberjacks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 69-59 loss at the hands of Southern Utah in their last game. Ako Kaluna played well, accumulating his third double-double of the season with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
Cameron Forte has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Vikings. During that stretch, he has averaged 22.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks.
The Vikings enter the game with records of 10-17 Straight Up (SU) and 11-12 Against The Spread (ATS). The Vikings have no trouble scoring as they rank 41st in the nation in home offense with 82.1 points per game. Portland State is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 17.1 assists per game. Turning to the defensive side, the Vikings are 12th in the country in steals with 8.4 per game.
Across the court, the Lumberjacks head into the game with records of 7-15 ATS and 5-22 SU. Offensively, the Lumberjacks have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 69.3 points per game by averaging 79.7 during that stretch.
Portland State and Northern Arizona will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, Northern Arizona came out on top, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 7-3. Additionally, Northern Arizona leads the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2. Northern Arizona held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times, while Portland State was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – PorSt, ATS Winner – PorSt
Notes
Portland State averages 77.2 points per game (ranked 73rd). Northern Arizona, on the other hand, allows 81.9 points per game (ranked 257th).
On average, Portland State has 72.4 possessions per game and scores 1.065 points on each possession. Northern Arizona has both fewer possessions (71.7) and scores fewer points during those possessions (.966).
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks average an effective field goal percentage of 46.6% this season. The Portland State Vikings have a losing record of 5-14 when opponents have an eFG% of 46.6% or greater.
On average, the Portland State Vikings attempt 17.0 three point field goals per game and the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks attempt 21.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, both teams have losing records; Portland State is 3-5 and Northern Arizona is 3-12.
Portland State ranks 44th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.33. Northern Arizona is ranked lower at 229th with an A/TO of .97.
Portland State has forced an average turnover percentage of 19.3% this season. Northern Arizona has an underachieving 1-8 record when its TO% is 19.3% or higher.
