The Portland Pilots (12-17) head to BYU to take on the Cougars (21-8) in what should be a fast-paced game. Action begins at 11:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 25 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Cougars enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out San Diego 91-33 in their last matchup. Nick Emery was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The Pilots, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-67 win against Pacific in their last game. Alec Wintering led the game in scoring by accounting for 27 points on 6-for-12 shooting.
Emery has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Cougars. During that stretch, he has averaged 22.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steal, and 3.2 three-pointers.
The Cougars could have their way today, as their prolific offense faces off against one of the nation’s worst defenses. They currently rank 34th in offensive efficiency while Portland ranks 285th in defensive efficiency.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Pilots winning the first matchup 84-81. Kyle Davis had a standout performance with 20 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks, and one three-pointer in the loss.
Notes
In its last game, BYU won by a margin of 58 points. Portland is 3-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. BYU has an 8-0 record in blowouts.
The BYU Cougars have a defensive rating of 97.8 (ranked 53rd), while the Portland Pilots have an offensive rating of 107.7 (ranked 129th).
The BYU Cougars average a field goal percentage of 46.6% this season. The Portland Pilots are a winless 0-12 when opponents have a FG% of 46.6% or greater.
The BYU Cougars and the Portland Pilots both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. BYU is 53rd and 45th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Portland is 209th and 153rd in these categories.
BYU ranks 28th in assists, registering 16.3 per game. Portland performs worse at 171st with 13.5 assists per game.
BYU, the 74th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.4 per game. Portland does worse, ranked 102nd with 4.0.
BYU ranks 89th in offensive rebounding. Portland ranks 286th in defensive rebounding.
Portland makes an average of 6.8 steals per game. BYU has a winning 8-3 record when it allows at least 6 steals.
