It will be a battle between Big Sky opponents when the Portland State Vikings (8-15) welcome the Idaho Vandals (16-10) to Peter W Stott Center. Action begins at 10:05 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 18.
The Vikings lost to Weber State 87-78 the last time they played. Calaen Robinson had a good game for the Vikings, finishing with 15 points, three steals, and three rebounds. The Vandals are coming off a 65-64 win over North Dakota in their last game. Nahshon George led the team in scoring with 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Vandals winning the first matchup 56-55. In the loss, Cameron Forte had a double-double with 20 points and 20 rebounds.
The Vikings enter the game with records of 8-15 Straight Up (SU) and 8-11 Against The Spread (ATS). Portland State has some room to improve after their below-average performances recently. In the last 10 games, Portland State has only averaged 69.2 points per game compared to the 75.5 they’ve averaged on the season. Portland State has the 15th-most assists in Division I, averaging 17.2 per game. The Portland State defense is doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games. It is allowing an average of 65.6 points per game, well under their season average of 76.5. The Vikings are 27th in the country in steals with 8.0 per game. Expect Portland State to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Vandals, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the nation with an average of 21.6 fouls per game.
Over on the other bench, the Vandals have records of 12-10 ATS and 16-10 SU. The Vandals convert their three-pointers at a high percentage, ranking 50th in the nation at .376. Switching gears to the Idaho defense, the Vandals allow just 65.3 points per game, ranking them 33rd in the nation.
Idaho won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 4-3. However, Portland State leads the matchup ATS with a record of 4-2. Neither Portland State nor Idaho has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers) over their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – PorSt, ATS Winner – PorSt
Notes
Portland State averages 75.5 points per game, placing the team just 105th in the nation. Idaho ranks 33rd in points allowed, giving up 65.3 points per game.
In its last game, Idaho won by a margin of one point. Portland State is 0-4 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Idaho has a 4-4 record in close games.
On average, Portland State has 72.0 possessions per game and scores 1.048 points on each possession. Idaho has both fewer possessions (67.3) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.032).
Idaho has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.5%. Portland State is a subpar 3-10 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Portland State Vikings average 17.0 three point attempts per game and are 3-4 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Idaho Vandals average 17.0 attempts and have a solid record (5-3) when attempting 20 or more.
Portland State ranks 46th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.33. Idaho is ranked lower at 324th with an A/TO of .79.
Idaho has forced an average turnover percentage of 19.7% this season. Portland State has an abysmal 2-8 record when its TO% is 19.7% or higher.
