First Half
The first half began in a great manner for the Viks. IUPUI turned it over a bunch of times, and PSU got off to a 10-0 lead. It was all downhill from there. The Viks started turning it over, and couldn’t get many rebounds. The shooting was satisfactory, but the Viks weren’t able to play good defense. When it couldn’t get any worse, Austin Montgomery hit a buzzer beater to put the Jaguars up 34 to 25 at the half.
Halftime–34-25 Jaguars

Second Half
The Vikings hit two 3s to start the second half to cut into the lead. The rest of the half was back and forth with the teams both playing good offense and the power forwards dominating. Jon Avery and Tyrell Mara hit almost every shot they took. The rest of the players weren’t too shabby either with the regular contributors eventually hitting a few. Patterson was hitting every three he took, but the starters for the Vikings just kept answering the call. In the last two minutes, JD was dynamite. He hit some big shots, including the reverse lay-up to put the Viks up by two. Then, they stole the inbounds pass, and with a slight delay, ran out the clock. This was obviously the most suspenseful game of this short year, and may even have been more exciting than the tournament win over MSU last year.
Final–75-73 Vikings

Wow! What a rush! I listened to the game on the IUPUI radio network and chatted with Marty about the game on PSUFF. Though the spread was 9 at half time, it could have been a lot worse. The Viks were completely out-manned. However, the Jaguar starters played all but about 2 minutes of game time in the second half, and they paid for the fatigue with the L. The player of the game has to be Dominguez. Mara was essential to the second half comeback, and to keeping it close in the first, however, Dominguez kept the team cool and collected down the stretch, and hit the winning bucket at the end.

IUPUI-pronounced ‘ooey pooey’ is a subsidiary of Indiana University and Purdue University in Carmel, a northern suburb of Indianapolis. They play in the Summit League, formerly known as the Mid-Continent.

IUPUI was created in 1969 as a partnership by and between Indiana and Purdue Universities, with IU as the managing partner. With over 29,000 students, IUPUI is the second-largest campus in the Indiana University state wide system.

The Jaguars should come in to the Top of the World Classic with a lot of confidence. On the 10th they played Marquette very close in Milwaukee, and beat up IU-South Bend by 35 yesterday. They were picked as the favorites to win the Summit League, and boast preseason player of the year George Hill.

Coming off a tough loss against UCLA, the Vikings will look to get rid of the goose egg in the win column for the 2007-08 season. If they can exploit some of the mismatches, it might happen. However, the Jaguars won’t be pushovers.

Matchups
Big Men
IUPUI: Billy Pettiford PSU: Scott Morrison
IUPUI has one player over 6′8″ on their roster, and he doesn’t play much (when he does he’s not very good on offense, and picks up lots of fouls on defense). Due to this, I’ll compare the guys who should see significant PT. Pettiford is a solid all-around player who can score, rebound, and pass the ball. Morrison should be able to slow him down significantly with the threat of the shot block against the 6′7″ forward. If he has a good game passing, look for PSU to go with a smaller lineup. However, at only 220 pounds, he may be unable to keep Morrison away from within 4 feet of the hoop where Scotty actually has an offensive game.
Advantage: PSU (Slight)

Forward #2
IUPUI: Jon Avery PSU: Tyrell Mara
This appears to be a good match up for both guys. Tyrell is a strong physical player, and Avery likes to play inside. On the flip side, Tyrell’s three-point shooting ability will force Avery away from his comfort zone. I look for a lot of fouls here, and not very many points.
Advantage: Push

Guard/Forward
IUPUI: Austin Montgomery PSU: Deonte Huff
Two players who do a little bit of everything. They can both score, defend, and rebound. I look for Huff to be a bit more physical than Montgomery is used to. If Huff can use his athletic superiority, he might score 15+.
Advantage: PSU (Slight)

Off Guard
IUPUI: George Hill PSU: Dupree Lucas
Hill is another exceedingly tough match up for Lucas after Shipp last week. This one may be another huge gap. It seems that Lucas is a lot more productive when he doesn’t have to exert himself on the defensive end. Add to that, he seems to be a slow starter. However, PSU doesn’t need 30 from Dupree in this game. If he can get 10-15, I’m sure coach Bone would be happy.
Advantage: IUPUI

Point Guard
IUPUI: Gary Patterson PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
After a great debut against UCLA, JD will look to continue his success. Patterson is also a smaller guard, so that should be a better match up. On the other hand, he did score 15 points against Dominic James, so this should be a good challenge.
Advantage: Push

Bench
PSU should have a huge advantage here if Bone can afford to have them in. The Vikings have more quality players on their bench than the Jaguars do, and certainly more scoring ability. Look for the Viking bench to dominate if the Jaguars want to rest some of their starters.

Prediction: This game is one that could easily go either way. I’m going to pick the Vikings because they have a shorter trip, and the more physical team. Because the Jaguars will probably be a bit slowed down in their first game, the size should give them fits.

Score: PSU 67-62

UCLA started the game with a big lineup-Love, Aboya, Mbah A Moute, Shipp, and Westbrook. Love was completely dominant on the offensive side of the ball, and certainly the best player on the court during the first half-he even hit a 3 pointer. Shipp was the next best player on the court, he was able to hit a few outside shots and shut out Lucas. Collison was out with an injury, but it didn’t seem to matter. The Bruins ran a double team at Morrison every time he had the ball, and it worked.

PSU was completely ineffective on the offensive side. Lucas seemed lost, and got into foul trouble, and Morrison turned over the ball multiple times. The Viks couldn’t score or rebound. Huff had six at half time, and Dominguez was very good defensively. Off the bench, Coston hit a three ball, and Julius Thomas was tough on the boards. Andre Murray couldn’t score, in fact, the guards couldn’t really score at all outside a steal and lay-up by Dominguez.

Halftime Score: 36-17 UCLA

The Viks started the second half quickly, cutting the lead to 13, but Shipp put the dagger in by hitting back to back 3 balls.

The remainder of the second half went back and forth, with neither team making much progress.

The Viks won the power forward battle, even though Mara was overmatched physically. PSU also won the point guard and small forward battle, but the SF battle was by a small margin. Unfortunately, Dupree Lucas didn’t score a single point, and Scott Morrison was completely dominated by Kevin Love. Josh Shipp was also great on the offensive end.

Final score 69-48

The real concern for the Vikings going forward is Mickey Polis. He’s not a formidable option at point guard. Even against WOU he couldn’t keep control of the ball. Dominguez can’t play the full 40 every time out.

PSU should do better on the offensive end against a more level playing field. The Bruins showed their superior athleticism, and skill at times, but the toughness and quickness of some of the Vikings created success at times. Going forward, the Vikings should be competitive in all of their games the rest of the way with the exception of maybe the Washington State game. The Cougars play a physical game as well, but with lower calibre athletes than the Baby Bears.

The Vikings should be in the running for the crown at the Top of the World Classic next weekend in Fairbanks, AK, and at this point seem to be one of the favorites with Colorado State’s huge loss to the Griz earlier this evening.

UCLA is #2 in the nation. Does that mean that they’ll beat PSU by 40? Perhaps. However, if J.R. Moore is healthy by this weekend, PSU should have match ups that seem favorable for the game to stay close. Rather than match up the starters, then the bench, I’ll just go by position.

Center: Kevin Love/Lorenzo Mata VS Scott Morrison/J.R. Moore
Morrison will have the height advantage, however, the question is whether he can compete with Love’s power and whether he is mobile enough to cover his outside shots. Most likely, UCLA will outscore PSU, however, PSU might be able to compete on the boards. Morrison cannot get into foul trouble if PSU wants to have a chance.
Advantage: UCLA

Power Forward: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute/Alfred Aboya VS Tyrell Mara/Julius Thomas
If there is anywhere where UCLA really outclasses PSU, it is here. Any one of the three for UCLA would start at PSU. If Mara can stay out of foul trouble, it would greatly help the Vikings’ chances. Again, UCLA will outscore PSU here, so the Viks will have to make the points up somewhere else.
Advantage: UCLA

Small Forward: Josh Shipp/Chace Stanback VS Deonte Huff/Kyle Coston
This position is one that the Viks need to win the battle at if they expect to win. However, I think Huff will need to use his physical tools to score, because his outside range doesn’t appear to have arrived yet this year. Shipp, on the other hand, is a shooter, and Huff will need to press to try to lock him down. If Huff gets into foul trouble, Coston’s outside shot will be essential.
Advantage: Push

Shooting Guard: Russell Westbrook VS Dupree Lucas/Andre Murray
PSU should outscore the Bruins here. The Viks will need the same type of effort they got from Lucas and Murray in the exhibition with 20 points each. I don’t think that’s going to happen, but they should both do well.
Advantage: PSU

Point Guard: Darren Collison VS Jeremiah Dominguez/Mickey Polis
Dominguez should get some steals, but Collison is far too strong for him to cover. Dominguez should be able to keep up, but Collison will likely force him into foul trouble.
Advantage: UCLA

Prediction: UCLA wins 84-61

Final Score: 93-58

PSU was disgustingly better at every position except center. That said, when Morrison forced his offense, he was effective. I think he maybe had seven points, and even blocked the 7′3″ center’s shot a couple times.

Tyrell Mara dominated his position defensively. He didn’t score, but his presence was clearly felt. He’ll probably end up on the other teams’ top scorers all year, unless they are centers.

Deonte Huff and Dupree Lucas were their regular exciting selves. Lucas probably had around 20 points, and was able to hit almost every shot he took. Huff wasn’t hitting outside shots, and he missed a few highlight-reel dunks, but he made a few steals, collected a few boards and threw down one good dunk.

Dominguez was the key to the Viking offense. When he was in, everything moved very smoothly, and he created shots for everyone on the floor. However, he was in foul trouble all game, and when he was off the floor the offense was stagnant. If he can’t stay on the court during the conference season, the Viks go from legit contenders for the NCAA bid to competing for a bid to the conference tournament.

Julius Thomas backed up Morrison at center. He filled in with tenacity on defense and on the boards, and was able to cover a couple seven footers reasonably well. His shooting didn’t look great, but he won’t need to score much to help the team. This likely won’t be his role during the regular season when J.R. Moore is available.

Kyle Coston backed up Mara at the 4. As expected, he looked physically overmatched against heavier players, and was ineffective most of the game. He knocked down a few jumpers late.

There was a rotation of players which included Huff, Lucas, and Coston at the 3.

Andre Murray backed up Lucas. He had a great shooting touch and passed the ball well too. However he drew Coach Bone’s criticism for unwise decision making at times. He should receive playing time all year, and is ready to score off the bench like PSU needs.

Mickey Polis backed up Dominguez. He gave great effort, made a few long jumpers, and looked pretty good on defense. However, his ball-handling and distribution were consistently lacking, and that doesn’t bode well if Dominguez is off the floor.

Brian Curtis also saw some time and passed the ball well. He probably won’t see any time in meaningful games, as he is the 5th guard in the rotation.

Alex Tiefenthaler and Justynn Hammond aren’t eligible until January.
J.R. Moore didn’t see action because of a minor knee injury.

There are plenty of reasons to believe this team can compete for the NCAA bid in March. However, it’s going to depend on the seniors, and Dominguez’s presence on the court. With 3 players who are among the best in the Big Sky at their position, there is no reason to believe this team shouldn’t be there at crunch time.

I think that the Fred Delkin article many have discussed at PSUFF and AGS is a little over the top, but in general I agree. PSU would benefit greatly from the move exposure wise, even though it would hurt financially. The key is, as usual, bringing in more fans and wealthy boosters who will help PSU get better facilities.

The WAC has no reason to invite PSU now. Access to the Portland market wouldn’t help them because PSU simply doesn’t interest the average Portlander. 9,600 out of 562,000 is not what the WAC is looking for in a new team. However Montana isn’t either. (Not that they’re interested)

However, PSU is definitely a school that could become attractive to the WAC in the coming years. The progress the university has made in recent years is amazing.

Academically-The school is making great strides with many programs and is being noticed in nationwide publications. The large student body should only accelerate progress.

Architecturally-The PSU Urban Center, Maseeh Engineering Complex, and the newer housing buildings are great. With the addition new student rec facility and the MAX line running up to campus, the school should get even more attention. Some of the older buildings on campus are getting the renovation they need as well. (Shattuck Hall, and eventually Lincoln Hall and Science Building 2)

Athletics (especially the Stott Center) need the same attention. Large colleges make money off of their teams, but this comes from spending money. The universities spent big $ on facilities, the good recruits came, the product became one that fans came to see, and suddenly the games sold out.
In the last year PSU doubled its marketing budget, and with Torre Chisholm at the helm, you can expect this trend to continue.

If PSU wants to join the WAC, it will take time for the University to evolve into one that rivals the others in the conference. We will all have to wait and see what happens with the new administration. When it financially benefits the WAC to invite PSU, I guarantee the calls will be made.

Until then, expect PSU to continue its progress, and eventually compete for Big Sky titles in a sport other than volleyball.

Now that the Vikings are out of it for the Big Sky this year, it’s time to look to the future of the program. Since it’s the bye week, the coaches have almost all left for California to recruit the junior college guys. According to the Jim Beseda article in the Oregonian, Jerry Glanville’s phone has been ringing nonstop with guys who want to leave their FBS backup roles for PT with the Viks.

Wonder who the prospective transfers are. PSU has three fairly untalented quarterbacks on the roster, (Collins, Graves, Beeson) and four fairly talented ones (Howland, Hubel, Kavanaugh, Hagan) for next year. The first three probably won’t be asked back as scholarship guys next year.

You’d have to think some of those FBS third stringers are dying to get into the run & shoot.

As to receivers, we have a few experienced guys coming back in Bramow, Joseph, Smith, and Thompson. The transfers would love to play there as well.

The fullback position will probably still be thin outside of Bobby McClintock. Grant Schuberg will be back, and there will almost certainly be some recruits coming in here. The position change to fullback experiment has seemingly failed, so that will most likely stop.

Though the o-line is losing its most consistent performer in Carvalho, and three other “starters” it should be alright. Considering how well the Vikings recruited it last year there should be guys ready to play next year. Three almost certain starters are Rios, Punzal, and Kleffner. Laurisitis will likely fill one of the other spots, leaving one spot to be battled for among the rest of the guys.

The JUCOs will probably fit into holes in the defense. You look at who’s getting PT now, and it’s scary outside the linebackers.

LB-McCrae, Pederson, and Schantz should all stay there. You have to wonder if Dallas Smith will be the fourth guy.

DE-Evans/Nielsen then who?

S-Fetzer/Carradine/Schenk

CB-Patin, Jackson, Murphy, Brown, Ross, Onu. None of these guys has proven himself.

The team should improve with players chosen by the current regime. The question is whether or not the future stars like McClintock, Howland and Schantz will fit in to their leadership roles, and whether they can stay healthy.

Brian White and Tygue Howland continued their battle for the starting quarterback spot. All signs point to White being ahead, and he has done nothing to lose it. However, Howland is making great progress and could fill in well if something happens.

Reggie Joseph had a coming out party catching five passes for 156 yards. With the continued progression of the speedster Mackins and a combo of Lewis, Smith, Bramow, Thompson, or Tarver, the wide receiver position looks to have solidified itself.

On defense, Michael Dorsey continues to stand out. He had three tackles and an interception. After his vocal support for Greg Lupfer at the PSU basketball game, he has re-dedicated himself on the football field and appears to be making strides towards recognition with coach Glanville.

There are quite a few talented players who appear to be having trouble fitting in to the current system. The NCAA will be making a decision on the playing futures of Eric Azorr, Mu’Ammar Ali, and Tremayne Kirkland on Friday, and it is unknown when the info will reach the program.

The team appears to have the talent it needs to succeed in the upcoming season. It remains to be seen what impact the incoming recruits will have, and how quick the guys can pick up these systems. If they do, it should make for some really exciting games this fall.

For those of you interested in recruiting, This is a prospectus for 2008.

As of March, these are the 7 juniors PSU had offered:
Scott Grady - Tigard HS Note-Has signed with the Ducks

Ethan Johnson - Lincoln HS Note- Has signed with Notre Dame

Jordan Polk - Lincoln HS Note- Has signed with Washington
Rivals:http://oregonpreps.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=64110&sport=1
Scout:http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=3008199

Andre Broadous - Grant HS
Rivals:http://oregonpreps.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=58467&sport=1
Scout:http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=3008235

Paul McCoy - Grant HS Note-McCoy signed with Pepperdine, and will focus on basketball.

Zach Brown - McNary HS

Raphiel Lambert - Jesuit HS
Rivals:http://oregonpreps.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=59871&sport=1
Scout:http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=3008198

Also, here’s a link to Scout’s early assessment of the top talent in the Northwest.
http://recruiting.scout.com/3/2008_fb_northwest_100.html

The defense looked good. They were on the ball quickly at most times. There were really only two big plays not stopped–a long run by McClintock, and a long pass to #28. The D-Line worked separately, so this only applies to the 8 other positions on the defense. As with the quarterbacks, not all the numbers have names applied yet. So, if you guys know who was playing with these teams I’ll plug that info in.

The first team: Everybody was quick in pursuit. They looked like the first team. Injuries held out some of these guys, and some of the numbers are different.
LB: (52), Ronnie Fa’avae, Jordan Senn, Branden Brooks
S: Condrew Allen, Michael Dorsey–>; Dorsey looked particularly good. He was more agile and prepared than the others on the field, yet Glanville still doesn’t know his name.
CB: Roy Holmes, Jordan Brown

Second Team: They looked good, and got excited when some big plays were made. However, after a great pass deflection by Ford, he blew the pass coverage for a touchdown on the next play.
LB: Jonathan Benjamin-Nichols, Ryan Pederson, Christian Carlson, (55-not Carvalho obviously)
S:Stanley Jackson, Benny Schenk
CB:Steven Murphy, Matt Ford

Third Team: They looked okay, but didn’t get as much field time as the other guys.
LB: Rory Richards, (98), Todd Walker, Sam Gordon
S: Salah Ali, (20)
CB: Steven Murphy, Colin Williams

Matt Ford and Ryan Pederson came up with injuries on Monday.