The PK80 Invitational will take place in two separate arenas in Portland over the Thanksgiving weekend. While North Carolina goes to the Moda Center, the current home of the Portland Trail Blazers, the Duke Blue Devils will play in the Memorial Coliseum, the former home of the Blazers and the place where Bill Walton won the 1977 NBA championship, the only NBA title the Trail Blazers have ever won. Because this event is rooted in Oregon – near Nike, which was founded by the man being celebrated by the PK80, Phil Knight – two Portland-based teams are in the tournament. The Portland Pilots are one, and the Portland State Vikings are the other. One could think of Portland State as a team which has received a “wild card” invitation to a tournament in which Duke and Gonzaga and Ohio State and Florida and North Carolina are the stars of the show. Can Portland State make use of that wild card or at least cover a huge number??
Details
Odds: Blue Devils -23
Date & Time: Thursday, November 23, 2:30 PM ET
Location: Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
Broadcast: ESPN
Reasons To Bet On The Portland State Vikings
The Vikings have been a pesky and productive team in the Big Sky Conference in recent years. They have cultivated a generally winning culture, and they were good enough to beat Portland earlier this season. Think of this game as a possible preview of a 15-versus-2 game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Portland State is a small school highly unlikely to beat Duke outright, but whereas a lot of teams from the Big Sky or other similarly small conferences would get wiped out by 40 or 50 points, Portland State is a good small-conference team and could legitimately frustrate Duke for 35 minutes. The Blue Devils are almost certain to win in the end, but their margin of victory could be 17 to 20 points, and the game will be remembered as much closer than the final point spread might indicate. This is how the Vikings could cover the number.
One other basic point for the Vikings is that Duke defeated Michigan State a week ago. The Blue Devils have played big games this season, and this is not a big game. This is a prelude to a bigger semifinal on Friday and a championship-level game on Sunday. This is a warm-up, and Duke could coast through the game. Mike Krzyzewski could go deep into his bench to spread around minutes so that his starters will be fresh for the semifinal game on Friday. Portland State will play a game on Friday as well, but PSU players will clearly regard this game against Duke as the biggest game they will play at the PK80. This is the game which will be viewed as a huge opportunity to make a statement. The difference in energy and enthusiasm can take PSU a long way here.
Reasons To Bet On The Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils have elite talent far beyond the scope of Portland State to keep up. Grayson Allen is playing like a National Player of the Year. Trevon Duval is handing out a lot of assists and committing very few turnovers. The Blue Devils are getting balanced production on offense and have many capable three-point shooters. Portland State does not have the players or the defensive scheme to hang with Duke for more than one half.
Outlook
Duke opened up at -23 and the total opened up at 168 and that’s where they sit at press time.
Portland State might put up a fight for one half, but the difference in talent is far too substantial for Duke to be seriously threatened. This should be a comfortable game a few minutes into the second half. Duke should be able to extend its lead without game pressure, getting a 30-point advantage late. As long as Portland State doesn’t make a big rally in garbage time, Duke should still cover the number.
Prediction: Blue Devils -23
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