This game had disaster written on it from the beginning. Jeremiah Dominguez was out in street clothes, and it looks like he may be out for academic reasons which would likely be a season ending suspension. The pay seats were almost empty. Those in charge of marketing at the athletic department have a lot of work to do to make the Stott Center an intimidating place to play. On the bright side, both Andre Murray and Justynn Hammond were in action tonight, and the Vikings would need both their contributions to pull off a victory.

First Half
Play began dreadfully for the Vikings. Their game plan was to feed Scott Morrison in the post to take advantage of the size discrepancy. Much to the chagrin of Tyler Geving, Morrison turned the ball over the first two touches he got. Then he was yanked and he sat and sat and sat. The Viks played over ten minutes without Morrison on the floor, and his replacement was the offensively-limited Julius Thomas. How you can bench your biggest mismatch in the game for ten minutes over two turnovers is incomprehensible. The Viks struggled offensively without Dominguez and Morrison, and they sputtered along for most of the half save for the efforts of Deonte Huff and Andre Murray. Then, to the surprise of most fans present, the Vikings found a serviceable backup at small forward. Out was Kyle Coston who has struggled all year, and in was Justynn Hammond. He provided great energy off the bench and hit two big 3 pointers. He looked a little uncomfortable on defense, and looked lost without the ball, but was magical with it in his hands. Then, another screwed up coaching move occurred. Alex Tiefenthaler was subbed out after a long stretch at the four and Tyrell Mara came in. After Mara didn’t rush the shooter on a made 3 ball, Geving pulled him out and put back in the exhausted looking Tiefenthaler. Ken Bone finally put a leash on his power hungry assistant and chewed him out. The entire half was dominated by great shooting by the Mustangs. They seemed to make every outside shot they took, led by Trae Clark. Dupree Lucas looked in control for the Vikings all half, and played well while at the same time providing much-needed leadership. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay out of foul trouble, drawing three in the first half. The Viks were able to cut the lead to one point at the end of the half due to strong play by Murray, Polis, Huff, and Morrison.

Halftime 37-36 Cal Poly

Second Half
The Viks came out with a completely different energy level in the second half. They finally got the crowd into the game by throwing down some dunks, and hitting some big outside shots. Though he turned the ball over a few times on bad passes, Polis played a very solid game in place of Dominguez. He was able to make most of the shots he took, and did not have the ball stolen on the dribble. Charles Anderson led the Mustangs offensively, and without his effort, they would have been blown out of the building. Their leading scorer, Lorenzo Keeler, did absolutely nothing all night, hurting their chances. Down the stretch, they were unable to hit outside shots, and big outside shots by Lucas and Tiefenthaler sealed the deal.

Final Score: PSU 74-66

Everybody is healthy now, but the Vikings’ success will center around whether or not Dominguez plays the rest of the way. If not, Polis will have to run the show, and work on making better passes. Hopefully Justynn Hammond will be the long term solution to the problems of the bench. The result is unsatisfactory after the whooping the Mustangs received from NAU, but the win is the most important thing at this juncture.

Cal Poly finished second in the Big West last season, posting a 19-11 mark. They beat the Vikings in a BracketBuster game 92-87 last year in San Luis Obispo. This season, they have had trouble shooting, and as a result, trouble winning. So far this season, they are .500, and 2-4 on the road. The Mustangs are coming off an 85-51 loss to NAU on Sunday. In that game, they shot 32% to bring their season average to 38.5%. The Mustangs distribute the scoring very evenly with 7 players averaging 6 points per game, and none averaging more than 10. They are lead by sophomore Lorenzo Keeler, who only plays 19.6 minutes per game, but averages 9.6.

The Vikings are happy to return to the “friendly” confines at the Stott Center after the water damaged court left them without a home for the last two weeks. In the last week, the players went from a solid team that had won two road games in a row over teams it was supposed to beat to one that barely held on against a team they should have beaten by 40. Sunday night’s game against Washington State saw the team take some steps back in the right direction, especially on the part of D-Huff. He returned to the form of late last season, which could spell doom for opponents. He was already a complete player save for on the ball defense, but with a shooting touch he is next to unstoppable. Jeremiah Dominguez also showed some life after a terrible performance against the Pioneers. On the other hand, some players were nowhere to be found. Scott Morrison only had 5 points on three shots, leading many Viking fans to question Coach Bone’s play calling, and Morrison’s positioning. Sunday was his second opportunity against a bigger opponent, and both opportunities have shown Scott’s weakness. Both Kevin Love and Aron Baynes have been able to get inside and score, as well as keep Scotty away from the basket with their wide bodies, and he’s been unable to answer. The other major question is whether or not Justynn Hammond will be available for his first action as a Viking on Wednesday. He arrived as a recruit last fall, but was unable to qualify academically, so he’s been working the last year to do it.

Match-Ups
Center
CP: Titus Shelton PSU: Scott Morrison
Shelton scored a career-high 20 points in the game against the Vikings last year. He went on to become the Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 1.48 blocks per game. If he is to replicate that success against the Vikings, something will have to go wrong. If the team speed of the Mustangs or foul trouble forces them to go small, it could happen. Otherwise, Morrison should win this match-up. He should be strong enough to deal with Shelton down low, and has a 4 inch height advantage. Morrison has done well against smaller defenders this season, scoring in double figures in every mismatch contest except IUPUI. Shelton’s production has dwindled in the last two games, but he should get the nod here with his success last year, and his larger size.
Advantage: Vikings

Power Forward
CP: Matt Hanson PSU: Alex Tiefenthaler/Tyrell Mara
This is an interesting position choice for the coaching staff: Do they go with the bigger guy to save back-court depth against a guard-heavy team, or do they go with the guy who’s been starting all year? I think they go with Mara to start off because Tief didn’t play big minutes against Wazzu. However, if he doesn’t wear down, he may see a majority of the minutes, especially if Hammond is eligible. Hanson has been very inconsistent this year for the Mustangs. He began the season averaging double-figures, but hasn’t done much recently. His production on the boards has also seen a significant decline over the same time period. When he’s on, Hanson can be a difficult match-up because he has a good shooting touch outside, and soft hands inside. He is also a tough defender. I doubt we’ll se much point production from this position on Wednesday because neither team will have much of an advantage.
Advantage: Push

Guard/Forward
CP: Dawin Whiten PSU: Deonte Huff
After a solid beginning to his career at Poly, Whiten’s production is down significantly. Across the board, he’s worse at everything. 3 less points per game, 1 less rebound, and a 3 point percentage that’s gone down from 36 to 27%. He will need to find his touch from the outside, and make better passes if the Mustangs are going to have a chance in this one. What can be said about Deonte Huff? Eventually you knew he’d find his stroke. Unlike Lucas, he is able to get to the rim and free throw line, so he’s been scoring 10+ without jump shots. With the jump shot, he’s a very dangerous player. Look for the Vikings to try to run the high-low with Huff and Morrison and create some fluidity, because they should both have success on Wednesday.
Advantage: Vikings

Shooting Guard
CP: Chaz Thomas/Lorenzo Keeler PSU: Dupree Lucas
Though he probably won’t start, Keeler’s scoring ability warrants him mention as part of the starting lineup. Like Whiten, Thomas has seen a drop-off in the numbers as the team shooting percentage has gone down. He was a very important part of the offense in the first 5 games, and has been less utilized since. If he is ineffective, the Mustangs will go with Keeler who got stuck with the bagel on Sunday night on 0-6 shooting. The production here can only go up for them, so the Vikings better be prepared. Until Andre Murray’s ankle allows him to play, this is once again Dupree’s position. He was very good in Alaska, but dreadful after that until Sunday. With improved shot selection and patience he can be a very effective player, especially when others are shooting the ball well. I expect Lucas to have a good game after the success Huff and Dominguez enjoyed on Sunday. If eligible, Justynn Hammond will probably see some minutes here. Hopefully he can get a few looks at home.
Advantage: Mustangs

Point
CP: Trae Clark PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
Clark is the one guy for Cal Poly who has really stepped up his game this year. He has taken on an increased scoring load while passing and rebounding better too. Like JD, he’s a small guy who likes to shoot the 3. Jeremiah is back after a bad game against Lewis & Clark. He should excel in a game like this because he likes to run and snap off quick passes.
Advantage: Push

Bench
The two guys who see a lot of minutes off the bench for the Mustangs are Keeler and Dreshawn Vance, a 6′7″ forward. In this game, they may also give wide-bodied center Zach Thurow some minutes. He has only seen action in two games, but as the only center on the roster, might warrant some time against the sizable Morrison. At 6′9″, 270 you have to wonder why he chose basketball over football after high school. For the Vikings, Julius Thomas will definitely see considerable minutes, as will Tiefenthaler. Depending on the need for shooting, Kyle Coston may also see extended time. With their newfound depth, the Vikings should have some really serviceable guys available at every position.
Advantage: PSU

The Mustangs are prone to turnovers and bad shooting. On the road, these problems should only be accentuated. Add this to the fact that they’re not a particularly good defensive team, and this should be a contest that favors the Vikings. The outcome will depend on how well the teams shoot, and whether or not Poly can defend Morrison inside. I think that they may do well at the 2 guard, but I don’t think this team is built to win on the road.

Prediction: PSU 78-66

This picture of Cougars center Aron Baynes may be what the Vikings look like after Sunday night’s contest. The Washington State Cougars coached by Tony Bennett, suddenly became a good basketball team last year. After years and years of struggles, and terrible recruiting it looks like the Cougars may now have a squad that will be a power for years to come. Though they lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Vanderbilt, and lost in the finals of the Pac-10 tournament to USC, they had a very good team last year, and very well could have gone as far as the elite eight. This year, they return all of their best players, including studs Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver. So far this season, Washington State is 8-0, and they are coming off two very solid road victories at Baylor and Gonzaga. They have been on a quest to prove they’re a legitimate power in the Pac-10, and last night’s victory might have done just that. If they can get through this one unscathed, they should begin the Pac-10 season undefeated.

On the flip side of the coin there are the Vikings. They’re coming off a terrible game last night against Division III Lewis & Clark that they should have lost based on the way they played. That said, they are 6-3 so far, which gives them the best record in the Big Sky Conference. They will have Scott Morrison back on the inside who is 100%, but could be without Andre Murray, whose ankle injury’s severity is unknown at this time. The Vikings are also hoping to get two new additions to the roster, Alex Tiefenthaler and Justynn Hammond. Tiefenthaler transfered from Portland at this time last year, and Hammond has been in classes for over a year trying to become academically eligible. Tiefenthaler would be a big boost on the inside, where JR Moore has been largely ineffective, and Kyle Coston has been useless. He has made a few outside shots, but he’s still too small to fight for rebounds. Hammond, if eligible, would probably fit into the mix at backup small forward, or backup off guard.

Match-Ups
Center
Wazzu: Aron Baynes PSU: Scott Morrison
Unless Coach Bone really thought PSU could win this game, Morrison’s being held of the game last night doesn’t make much sense. Outside of the exhibition game, and Kevin Love, Scott hasn’t gone up against a player of this size. (6′10″ 270) Baynes is a very strong inside presence, and has played a solid game offensively so far this season. Like Morrison, he gets fewer rebounds due to playing for a team on which the smaller players rebound well. Baynes plays the fewest minutes per game of any starter on the Cougs, but has a talented backup in Caleb Forrest, who is also effective on the inside. Morrison can compete with either one, but probably not both. Even if Tiefenthaler plays, they’ll probably have to play him at power forward, because Cowgill is way too big for Mara. I’ll give the edge to Wazzu, but only because they have a better backup, power wise.
Advantage: Cougars

Power Forward
Wazzu: Robbie Cowgill PSU: Tyrell Mara/Alex Tiefenthaler
There are very few teams in the country who start two guys this big. Cowgill is huge for a college level power forward at 6′10″. As a result, it creates big mismatches for opponents. For Portland State, it will be no different. They have a few options here. If Tiefenthaler is eligible, he’s a no brainer against Cowgill. If not, they could play Morrison here, with Moore at center. This would set up a match-up between two great shot blockers, as Morrison is #1 all-time at PSU, and Cowgill is 7th all-time at Wazzu. The third option is to go with their standard lineup and play Tyrell Mara here. It could definitely work, but would be risky. On the up side, Mara could really stretch the defense with his shooting and open up mid-range shots for Huff, Murray, and Lucas. On the down side, Mara is nowhere near big enough to guard Cowgill down low, and would either allow a bunch of points, or get in foul trouble early. Therefore, the Vikings will have to hope Tiefenthaler is eligible because he is both big enough to pound with Cowgill inside, and agile enough to keep up with his mid range shooting ability. Due to unknown factors, PSU can’t prepare properly for Cowgill, so I’ll give him the advantage.
Advantage: Cougars

Guard/Forward
Wazzu: Kyle Weaver PSU: Deonte Huff/Tyrell Mara
If Tiefenthaler is eligible to play, that opens up options at this position too. Mara, because of his physical nature, larger stature, rebounding ability, and intense defense, is a better match-up against Weaver. With two guys who are 6′6″, and have big hot streaks on offense to go along with tenacious defense, this could be a very intriguing match-up. If Tief can’t go, that puts Huff on Weaver. These two are also a good match-up, but one that favors the Cougars. Weaver is bigger, and a better on the ball defender than Huff. Both players are streaky shooters, but have the ability to get inside and create opportunities for themselves, as well as rebound with the big men. Either one presents a match-up that the Vikings could win given the right circumstances, but an unfriendly venue, just finishing finals, and a terrible warm up game don’t bode well for the Vikings.
Advantage: Cougars

Off-Guard
Wazzu: Derrick Low PSU: Andre Murray/Dupree Lucas/Deonte Huff
Some college basketball analysts have said that Derrick Low is the best player in the country that nobody knows about. Because he plays on the west coast, combined with playing in a relatively small media market, Low gets no attention outside of road games. The people who you can be sure have their eyes on Low is the opposing coaches. Low is a deadly outside shooter who has the knack to get inside shots too, even though he is only 6′2″ and just under 200 pounds. He consistently plays at the level Dupree Lucas plays at when he’s at his best. That means trouble for the Vikings. Out of the three possible match-ups, none is a very good defender outside of Lucas. However, when Lucas goes 100% on the defensive end, he becomes non-existent on the offensive end. That’s why I think he’s the best choice in this one. Forcing him to play tough defense will keep him from taking stupid shots the second he gets the ball because he’ll be too tired to do so. If either of the other options for the Vikings play here, the result will be this: 25+ points for Low, about 10 for his opponent. Not bad for a match-up against a player who will compete for Pac-10 player of the year, but not good enough if the Vikings really want to have a chance to win.
Advantage: Cougars

Point
Wazzu: Taylor Rochestie PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
This may be the one place where the Vikings can actually compete in this game outside the center position. If it is to be, Dominguez will really have to be on his game. Both teams can play a quick game, so Dominguez won’t have an advantage if he tries to push too much. Good shooting, and quick hands on the defensive end will be necessary to achieve that goal. Rochestie is a very talented offensively, with the ability to stroke it from long range, and the ability to create good shots for his teammates. If he can exploit his major height advantage, it would benefit the Cougars in a big way. Look for him to try posting up early, as Lewis & Clark attempted unsuccessfully with Tillery. In this case, it is much more likely to work. If it does, Morrison is going to have to be ready with the help inside.
Advantage: Cougars

Bench
Both benches are pretty solid. Neither has a player on it who is doing any real damage offensively so far this season, but both have talented players (Harmeling, Forrest) (Lucas, Thomas.) The team that has the advantage in the match-up of the benches is the one who gets a good effort from one of the players not mentioned above. Maybe Coston can come up with a strong game in his home state, or maybe freshman Stephen Sauls can put up som points for the Cougs. Either way this is a good match-up.
Advantage: Push

Though I think the Cougars have an edge at every position, I think most of them are small advantages. However, the Cougs have home court advantage in this one, and big- time confidence off their game last night. The one thing the Vikings do have going for them is that the Cougars are coming off a very physical hard-fought victory against Gonzaga (as indicated by the photo.) If they overlook the Viks, then there is a chance this could be an exciting ball game. If not, it will likely resemble the one against UCLA. I predict a hard-fought battle, but I don’t think PSU can compete on these terms. There are too many unknowns in a match-up that already favored the Cougars.

Prediction: Washington State: 74-58

Good news! Sounds like next week’s game against Cal-Poly will be played back at the Stott. Vikings are 20-18 overall against the Pioneers. Hopefully, they will never be close to .500 again in this match-up.
Starting Lineups:
PSU: Morrison JR Moore, Mara, Huff, Murray, Dominguez
L&C: Joey Toboni, Gene Rivera, David Berggren, Josh Kollasch, Thomas Tillery
Morrison will sit this one out due to a lingering back problem. It sounds like he’ll be back for the Washington State game, and that there’s still a chance we’ll see Tiefenthaler and Hammond. According to Coach Bone, this is probably the last time he’ll get a chance for two days off in a row. Murray gets the start over Lucas. Hopefully this leads to the bench energy I mentioned in the preview.

First Half
JR Moore started off the game by drawing a foul on Kollasch and hitting a pair of free throws. Tillery got by Dominguez early to draw a foul. Huff missed two early three balls, making him 5-23 on the year. Luckily for the Vikings, the Pioneers also started shooting very cold, missing their first 7. First Timeout: 5-0 Vikings After the break, the Pioneers subbed their entire lineup. They put in Waagmeester, Papenfuss, Robinowitz, Thierry, Allen. Papenfuss scored the first two for the Pioneers inside, and after a Mara 3 for the Viks, Robinowitz answered. Just as I had guessed, 7 minutes into the game Dominguez got collared with his second foul. Off the inbound, Papenfuss muscled inside again for another L & C basket. After the Pioneers had closed to one, the Vikings pulled off a run of their own. Second Timeout: 14-7 Vikings Andre Murray started the game 4-5 after hitting back-to-back jumpers. The Pioneers ran an offense which played their point guard Tillery posting up, and though he had a height advantage, it didn’t work well early. Ahead of a Berggren jumper that made it 18-9, Dupree Lucas missed another jumper causing a quick sub. Even in this game, things aren’t looking up for him. Hopefully he’ll soon find a way out of the funk he’s in now. Third Timeout 20-11 Vikings The decidedly pro-Pioneer crowd was unhappy with the referees multiple times in the first half, and for a good reason. Instead of allowing the game to come to him, Lucas continued to force offense (0-5), and with poor results. To start the game, he and Huff shot a combined 1-10. The Pioneers were losing big early, but not because of the skill difference. Instead, it was a result of many turnovers, and taking bad shots. The only reason it was as close as it was was 2-15 3 point shooting by the Vikings. Late in the half, the Pioneers went on a run. Berggren hit a three ball, Papenfuss put in another inside bucket, and Berggren converted an inside shot. Fourth Timeout 26-18 Vikings Unfortunately for the Pioneers, Berggren is a 33% free throw shooter.

Halftime 32-20 Vikings
The Pioneers kept this one close by playing good defense against a talented Viking team. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep up with Andre Murray, who had 12 first half points. The Vikings should be happy the spread was as large as it was with one of their starters out with an injury, and two others went 2-12 from the field.
L & C: 29% first half shooting

Second Half
Murray starts the second half with a strong board to get him 1 away from his first double-double at PSU. For some reason, he was yanked right away in favor of Lucas. Tillery then drove the ball down the lane and met his high school teammate JR Moore who drew a charge. Lucas finally hit his first field goal, but promptly missed another. First Timeout 36-21 Vikings The next segment of the game was characterized by terrible shooting and 4 fouls on Nick Thierry. Deonte Huff continued his great free throw shooting, and Papenfuss cut the lead to 13 with 2 more inside buckets. Second Timeout 42-29 Vikings Papenfuss continued his strong play, and the Pioneers slowly continued their assault on the lead. Third Timeout 48-36 Vikings At 50-39, the Pioneers had a chance to cut the lead to single digits, but they threw away their first chance. However, on their second opportunity, Mark Robinowitz hit a 3 ball to cut the lead to 8. The Pioneers made 3 out of their first 5 from the outside in the second half. JR Moore answered with a layup, but Papenfuss came right back with one of his own. Moore did okay, but appeared overworked due to his limited practice time. Andre Murray came down with an ankle injury with around 4 minutes to go. After the injury, 56% free throw shooter Gene Rivera hit two big ones to cut the lead to 6 before Papenfuss drew his fourth foul. It didn’t cost them, as 86% free throw shooter Tyrell Mara clanked both of them. Huff got an offensive board and put it back in, but fouled out right afterwards. Brian Curtis came in for Huff seeing rare late minutes. Ditto for Julius Thomas who played well inside, albeit against lesser foes. Final Timeout 56-48 Vikings JT hit another big layup coming off the timeout to run his tally to 9, but Tillery came back down for the Pioneers, converting an and-one which cut the lead back down to 7. He then hit a pair of throws to cut the lead to 5. If the run had started earlier, they probably could have won the game. Rivera also played well cutting the lead to 3 with 30 seconds to go. The Pioneers put Brian Curtis on the line, who converted 1 of 2 with 23 seconds left. Tillery converted another and-one to cut the lead to one with 15 seconds left. The Pioneers stole the ball from JD, and had a good look to win the game. Fortunately for the Viks, they couldn’t convert.
Final 61-60 Vikings

David Berggren who’s averaged in double figures the last two years, is only averaging 8 this year, and had a tough game tonight. On the bright side, Tyson Papenfuss was very good, scoring in double digits for the Pioneers. Robinowitz also scored 10 in the second half. I’m not sure this game would have been close if Morrison had played, but the team was clearly fundamentally sound. Thomas Tillery really turned it on late, scoring 8 points in the last 4 minutes.

For the Vikings, Andre Murray was very good. He had 14 in the contest, and also rebounded well. Dupree Lucas continued his horrendous senior season shooting 1 for 11. The Vikings shot only 6-12 from the charity stripe, and their best shooter fouled out with 4 minutes to go. Julius Thomas played great late minutes, contributing 11 points. None of the starters outside of Murray really played a good game. Outside of the terrible shooting from their stars, Dominguez and Mara could not duplicate their early season form.

Realistically, this result is unacceptable. The game should never have been that close. In the Stott Center, with Morrison, this game wouldn’t have been close. Dupree Lucas needs to contribute for the Vikings to win. Losing Murray late made this game very dangerous.

As all the PSU fans know, the Stott Center floor was flooded after the sprinkler system was set off during a softball open gym (why they are allowed to use the main gym is beyond me). Therefore, wednesday night’s game will be played in an alternate venue nearby. Though the venue for this game is still unknown, the outcome will likely be unaffected. The Pioneers, who play in the Northwest Conference of NCAA Division III shouldn’t really present a challenge for the Vikings unless a disaster happens, like 3 of their starters get injured. So far this season, the Pioneers are 3-1 with their loss coming at the hands of Pacific in a 92-47 drubbing. With the change in venue, the Vikings may not duplicate that points spread, but it is easy to believe they could come close. The Vikings have an advantage at every position, but it isn’t as severe at the point, because the Pioneers have a talented senior from Benson Tech named Thomas Tillery running the show.

Match-Ups
L&C: Garrett Waagmeester/Tyson Papenfuss PSU: Scott Morrison/Julius Thomas/JR Moore
Though he hasn’t played much, Lewis & Clark will probably have to resort to starting Waagmeester against Morrison. He is the team’s biggest player at only 6′7″ and 215 pounds. Morrison has taken advantage of these mismatches so far this season, and there’s no reason to believe that he won’t in this game. The other option they have used so far at this position is Tyson Papenfuss. At 6′5″ he’s another guy the Vikings can exploit down low. In the previous games against inferior opponents so far this season, Morrison has gone about 20 minutes with Julius Thomas and JR Moore filling the rest of the time. That trend should continue in this contest. Honestly, any of the 3 for the Vikings could probably score 10 points against the Pioneer front line if they really wanted to.

L&C: David Berggren PSU: Tyrell Mara/Kyle Coston
They are both 6′6″, but that’s about all they have in common. Mara is stronger, and a better overall player. After hitting a few 3 balls early, look for Mara to get a rest and give Coston a chance, which will create a match-up that’s a little more even. Coston’s been off and on this year, so this will provide him an opportunity for a little more confidence before the tough match-up with Washington State.

L&C: Joey Toboni PSU: Deonte Huff
Both players really like to shoot the ball. Depending on who can hit more shots, this could be a position where the production is almost equal. However, Huff’s ability to penetrate and create free throws gives him an edge, along with his ability to rebound over almost anyone. This is another game for highlight dunks, but fans may not see them dependent on the venue.

L&C: Gene Rivera PSU: Dupree Lucas/Andre Murray
Rivera is a role player offensively, but plays solid defense and creates some turnovers. This game is an opportunity for Lucas to get back on track. If he doesn’t he may lose his spot in the rotation to Murray, who had a very solid game at Utah Valley over the weekend.

L&C: Thomas Tillery PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez/Mickey Polis/Brian Curtis
Senior Thomas Tillery is one of the real strengths for the Pioneers. A scoring point guard, he will probably win a lot of games this year on his own. He may even draw Dominguez into foul trouble. If this occurs, it shouldn’t be an issue for the Vikings. Instead it will give Polis a chance to show off his jumper, and maybe Curtis to play a few minutes.

We should know the venue for the game by Wednesday morning, and hopefully it will be one that the Viking fans can get to so that they can create a home-like atmosphere.

Prediction: PSU 85-52

The independent Wolverines only return one starter from last year’s squad that went 22-7 and should have beaten the Vikings. They play in the beautiful 8,500 seat McKay Center in Orem, Utah, which was opened in 1996. They are lead by junior guard Ryan Toolson who hit on all 5 three point attempts in Portland last year and averages 19.5 per game this season. Toolson, like Erik Ainge, is also related to Danny Ainge, the former BYU great and NBA star. The second leading scorer and the leading rebounder is Jordan Brady.

Match-Ups
Center
UV: Joe Walker PSU: Scott Morrison
Walker is a decent shot blocker, and a serviceable center against some, however, against Morrison, the 6′8″ senior from Long Beach might have some trouble. He’s not much of a scoring threat, so the Wolverines will be hoping that Walker can use his defensive abilities to neutralize Morrison. So far this season, that hasn’t worked with Morrison averaging 11.7 per contest and a modest 5.7 boards per contest that would likely be much higher on a smaller team.
Advantage: PSU

Power Forward
UV: Jordan Brady PSU: Tyrell Mara
Mara will have to make a major adjustment in this contest. Against Portland he was unable to deal with Luke Sikma’s inside ability, and this match-up will be another one with a talented rebounder. However, Mara doesn’t have a height disadvantage, so there’s a chance he will be able to neutralize Brady. Mara has continued to impress this season, so I’m guessing he’ll be able to hold his own. That said, Brady’s season statistics are superior to those of Mara, and so I’ll give him a slight edge, even though Mara’s contributions surpass those on the offensive end.
Advantage: UV

Small Forward
UV: Richard Troyer PSU: Deonte Huff
After a tough night shooting the ball on Wednesday, D-Huff will look to rebound. For Viking fans, the hope is that the step up in competition will bring out the best in him. Troyer is the third leading scorer for the Wolverines averaging 9.5 points per game, so he should be a fairly decent match-up, but Huff is clearly the better player.
Advantage: PSU

Shooting Guard
UV: Ryan Toolson PSU: Dupree Lucas
When Lucas is on, he’s been completely unstoppable. However, as Wednesday night showed, he is still a slow starter. Toolson is the most important piece of the Wolverine squad, and will need to come up with another big game for them to have a chance tomorrow.
Advantage: UV

Point
UV: Josh Olsen PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
Olsen hasn’t shown much statistically this year, and Dominguez shouldn’t have any trouble winning this battle. Jabir Jinna is the sixth man for the Wolverines, and he comes off the bench with great shooting ability. However, no matter who is out there, I think Dominguez is better.
Advantage: PSU

The Wolverines are 3-3, but they came within one point of winning at Boise State, and were competitive in their loss against Marquette. They are a tough team to beat, as the Vikings know from their game last season, and should be especially so at home. On the other hand, they also lost a lot from last year’s team, and I don’t believe they can compete outside a couple of positions.

Prediction: PSU 74-70

First Half
Polis got the start because Jeremiah Dominguez committed a rules infraction on the last road trip. Kramer Knutson got the start for the Pilots at center because he is a bit bigger than Sikma. Raivio at point because Ito is out. Mickey Polis started the scoring with a 3 ball, then Raivio answered. Huff has looked tired, and he was pulled 3 1/2 minutes in after throwing a bad pass and committing a foul. Mara and Sikma each hit 3 balls too going into the first timeout. First Timeout: 8-8 Mara was really tough out of the gate, going to the floor twice. Andre Murray finally hit a jump shot giving the Viks a lead. Scott Morrison then fouled Nik Raivio on his way to the rim, causing him to bleed badly from the chin. Walter Thompson, who burned the Viks last year, came in for Raivio. Robin Smeulders (the Pilots leading scorer) came in for Knutson, but nobody has been successful against Morrison inside so far. No matter the situation, Dominguez has been shooting great hitting another outside shot. Going into the second timeout, the Viks’ attack has been very balanced, but they’d like to see Huff and Lucas hit their shots. Second Timeout: 17-13 Vikings Walter Thompson started quick for the North-siders with 7 points in the first ten minutes after missing two free throws. Sikma and Raivio kept the pace at 7 going in to the third timeout, while Morrison and Dominguez had 6 for the Vikings. Third Timeout: 24-24 Lucas finally hit his first shot with 7 minutes left in the half. Though Kyle Coston was questionable going in, he played well in the first half, shooting the ball well. Unfortunately for the Viks, 3 of their starters (Morrison, Mara, Huff) got in foul trouble in the first half. Though many Viking fans (myself included) have been critical of Polis, his shooting cannot be argued with. Though he didn’t go up against Morrison in the first half, Sikma was dominant on the boards gathering 9 in the first half. Off the bench, Julius Thomas was good on the boards too, but couldn’t hit his put back attempt. Fourth Timeout: 33-32 Pilots Deonte Huff couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn from the field, but he hit on his first four free throw attempts. Even though the bench was finally semi-effective, Bone went with Mara and Huff to end the half with Mara hitting a late 3 ball. Lucas had 5 assists in the first half, but just 2 points. The Vikings have to be happy that they held Smeulders to just 1 point, but upset at the rebound deficit (19-15).
Halftime: 37-35 Vikings
Second Half
Hannibal started the second half in place of Knutson for the Pilots. Huff started the second half with his first field goal, and added a free throw for the and-1. Mara added another three ball to extend the Viking lead to 8. Sikma got his third foul after picking up his tenth rebound. He came out, and the Vikings took advantage. They were able to get back to back inside buckets and extend their lead to nine going into the first media timeout. However, Huff picked up his third foul going into that timeout. First Timeout: 47-38 Vikings After two free throws for the Pilots, Mara made his fourth 3 ball, and that made him 4-4. Watson then hit back to back jumpers to give him 18 points which lead the Pilots at the time. Murray hit for his third field goal going into the timeout. Second Timeout: 54-48 Vikings With 10 minutes left, Sikma got his double-double at 10 points and 10 boards. Julius Thomas finally got his first bucket on an alley-oop lay-up with 8 minutes left. Huff drew his fourth foul, though forcing the Viks to go big. Ahead of the timeout, Walter Thompson got into double figures for the Pilots with 10.Third Timeout: 60-55 Vikings Tyrell Mara hit another big 3 to put the Viks back up 8 after two missed free throws by Morrison. Raivio came back the other way and answered. After Morrison hit a lay-up, Raivio hit another 3 to cut the lead to 4. However, Dominguez came back with one of his own to answer. The teams traded baskets for the next couple of minutes. There was no final media timeout until there were 36 seconds left due to 2 team timeouts, and some mistakes by the referees.Final Media Timeout: 74-69 Vikings Morrison hit 1 of 2 with 46 seconds. Huff added two more to make it 75-69. Watson hit a jumper in the lane for the Pilots with 27 seconds left. Huff redeemed some terrible games earlier in the season hitting 9-9 from the line.

This was a big one for the Viks, and their first ever victory at the Chiles Center. They did a great job shutting down Smeulders, allowing him only 3 points. Though they did allow big games by Watson, (20) Raivio, (20) and Sikma, (12 Pts, 14 Boards) they shut down the one player who could really beat them on his own. Clutch free-throws by D-Huff down the stretch wrapped this one up. Tyrell Mara was the player of the game for the Vikings hitting 5-6 from downtown, and leading the team with 7 tough rebounds.

Final: 78-73 Vikings

I believe this was the most popular name suggestion for the game.

What can we expect from a team that is 2-4 and lost to Western Oregon in a home game? I would be very surprised if this wasn’t a fairly close game. Last year’s game between the two saw a very good game from Jamie Jones, who is now at PSU, and from Ben Sullivan, now graduated. The best game, however, came from Walter Thompson. He was a starter who saw big minutes last year, but has slipped this year to 20 minutes per game and 6.4 points. Who does that leave the Pilots? Surprisingly, they have still seen some production, led by sophomore Robin Smeulders from Germany/Netherlands. The 6′9″ forward has averaged 12.3 points per game and 6.5 rebounds. His versatility and ability to stretch the defense will force Tyrell Mara to again be the most important player defensively for the Vikings.

Match-Ups
Big Men
Portland: Luke Sikma PSU: Scott Morrison
Though Sikma isn’t technically a true center at 6′8″, the true freshman is the best rebounder at 10.2 a game and probably their best post player as well. He will be forced to go up against Morrison who probably rebounds just as well, but isn’t forced to with the abilities of Huff and Mara. Morrison may also match up against a couple of other freshman who are a little bit bigger, Kramer Knutson and Jasonn Hannibal. Neither has seen significant time in the first 6 games, but they may be used to try to keep Sikma fresh. Morrison’s size advantage should allow him to score and rebound in this match-up, but he will have to watch out for the versatile skill set that Sikma possesses and try not to get out of position. Morrison will also have to look out for backdoor cuts, as Sikma is a very accomplished passer.
Advantage: PSU

Power Forward
Portland: Robin Smeulders PSU: Tyrell Mara
Smeulders is the better scorer and rebounder, and Mara is the better passer in this match-up of promising sophomores. Both is averaging in double-figures and each have been vital to their teams’ limited success up to this point. Mara will have to again play consistent defense inside and outside to limit Smeulders’ productivity. The hope for the Pilots is that Smeulders will outscore Mara by enough for them to win at home, because they don’t have any other advantages over the Vikings.
Advantage: Portland

Small Forward
Portland: Sherrard Watson PSU: Deonte Huff
On Saturday, Watson exploded for 18 against an Idaho State team that hasn’t looked good so far. However, this showing against a mediocre team doesn’t mean it was a fluke. Watson’s production has increased every year for the Pilots, and this year he has been in double digits 4 times. He should provide a tough match-up for Huff at 6′6″. I think Huff has been waiting for a match-up like this though. The teams both play a fairly standard lineup, and this is the first opportunity for Huff to really play against another forward. He loves to get inside and rebound the ball, and his outside shooting is fairly questionable, so this match-up should play to his strengths.
Advantage: PSU

Off-Guard
Portland: Nik Raivio PSU: Dupree Lucas
This is a question mark for Lucas. He has had some great games, and some poor games the last couple of years. However, the times he has struggled have come against bigger guards like Raivio. (6′4″) Lucas will have to prove he can compete in a match-up like this, and it’s not clear that he can. Raivio is averaging 10 points per game, and he may be able to get more than that in this one, depending on how often he shoots. Lucas’ advantage is his speed, so he’ll have to try to get back to his mid-range game, because he might have difficulty getting off the three-balls he’s been resorting to recently.
Advantage: Push

Point
Portland: Taishi Ito/Jared Stohl PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
Ito was the starter, but missed this weekend’s games with an injury. If he can’t go in this one, the Pilots will turn to Jared Stohl, who has stepped in and done a nice job as a freshman, averaging 8.4 points per game. However, the Pilots are hoping Ito can play. He had a tough game against PSU last year, going 0-8, but he turned it around late in the season and was honored as a member of the WCC all-freshman
team. His passing opens up things for other players, and allows the offense to function more smoothly. No matter who starts for the Pilots, he will have a major height advantage over the 5′6″ Dominguez, who began his college career as a Pilot. However, so far this season, the size difference hasn’t really mattered.
Advantage: PSU

Bench
After a great exhibition, Andre Murray has been ice cold for the Vikings. If they hope to have any shot at competing in the Big Sky, he will have to pick it up, and he and Kyle Coston will have to hit more shots. Last year’s star for the Pilots, Walter Thompson has been demoted to a bench role, but his size may warrant him some serious minutes in this contest, especially given his success last year. If Ito plays, Stohl is the other player to watch off the bench for the Pilots. These two could really have an impact on the game if they can be effective, because they will give the Pilots’ starters a rest against a physically superior team. PSU has been unable to give their starters enough rest due to the horrendous start to the year for their key reserves.
Advantage: Portland

This game could go either way. Each team has had a tough start to their year, and will be looking for a signature win. This game may have been the turning point for the Vikings last year, propelling them to 19 wins. I think the Viks’ superior skill should allow them to win a close one, but their success at the free throw line may determine their fate. Both programs appear to have a lot of young talent coming along, and this one could be a fun rivalry in the coming years if there is enough interest.
Prediction: PSU 68-61

Note: Ito will not be playing. His father recently passed away, and he is in Japan with his family.

UC-Davis recently joined D-1 and the Big West Conference. With a 5-23 record last year, and their dismal performance in the Stott Center last year, prospects look very good for the Vikings. However, to succeed, they will have to focus on Shane Hanson, a talented sophomore for the Aggies. The Aggies’ 2-2 record is like saying the Viks are really 3-2. Both of their wins came at home against D-III opponents. The only game they have played which one can really gauge is a 75-65 loss against New Mexico State. If they have really improved that much they might be dangerous at home. However, they also dropped a game to Texas by 31. This is a program who should benefit from having a very large arena (relative to it’s conference), and thus room for growth, and a draw for recruits even though it’s not new.

Match-Ups
Big Men
Davis: Kyle Brucculeri PSU: Scott Morrison
Davis plays what they call a four guard line-up. However Hanson is listed as a guard, and he’s 6′7″. At 6′8″, Brucculeri will start against Morrison, but there is a possibility the Aggies will be forced to replace him with seldom used 7′2″ back-up Michael Boone, especially if Morrison is able to stay assertive on the offensive end. I predict that this will be the case, because Brucculeri has a history of difficulty rebounding against bigger players. Boone has played a total of 6 minutes against the two D-1 opponents so far. Their other option is the 6′9″ Dominic Calegari who averaged 5 points and 4 rebounds in 11.5 minutes over the same two games.
Advantage: PSU

Forward
Davis: Shane Hanson PSU: Tyrell Mara
PSU will need Mara to be on his game if they want to win this one. Hanson can be very explosive at times, averaging 14.5 points a game. He has a solid all-around game (3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, and 3 three-balls per contest.) Mara has a similar game, and should be able to keep up in all categories, maybe with the exception of points. He did have that 18 point game in Alaska, but if the rest of team does its job, he shouldn’t need to do that in this one.
Advantage: Davis

Guard/Forward
Davis: Mike Payne PSU: Deonte Huff
Freshman Mike Payne is the best passer as well as one of the better scorers. He’s started the year hot, doing a little bit of everything (averaging 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals so far.) Although PSU started Andre Murray in the game against Linfield, Huff should be the one starting this one. Murray didn’t play that well, so whether or not they want to play a 3 guard line-up, it’s probably not advisable at this point. Huff looked really explosive on Tuesday, so the Viks will need to look for him on the break, and hope he continues to fight for the tough boards. Payne is also very tall for a guard, so using Huff will somewhat offset the height difference.
Advantage: Push

Off Guard
Davis: Vince Oliver PSU: Dupree Lucas
Oliver is the other big scorer for the Aggies. He had a tough shooting night against Texas, scoring only 7 points in 10 shots. However, against NM State he had 17, so Lucas will have to try to force him into taking the difficult shots. Lucas looks like he is slowly getting back to his form from last year. However, he needs to make sure he doesn’t get away from his mid-range game, because it is much more of a strength for him then the outside shots he sometimes resorts to.
Advantage: PSU

Point
Davis: David Carter PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
Carter hasn’t been much of an offensive threat through the first four games of the season. If he is ineffective, look for the Aggies to go with Ryan Silva in his place. Though only 5′10″, the true freshman can be an offensive threat, especially from the outside. Look for Dominguez to continue his hot streak. He’s easily the team MVP, and should again be able to use his speed to get a few steals and make some big shots.
Advantage: PSU

The Aggies managed just 42 points against Texas, and 65 against New Mexico State. Playing at home, I think they will be able to get a few more. However, if they want any shot in this one, Payne and Hanson will have to have really big games.

Prediction: PSU pulls this one off, but it won’t be pretty. 77-69

First Half
The first half went as expected. Morrison dominated the much smaller center for the other team, and the Viks looked exhausted from the weekend’s games. However, as the half progressed, things started clicking, and the lead ballooned to 21 at half time. The team still seemed to lack direction without the starters on the floor, but the athletic superiority didn’t allow this to be much of a factor. Polis appeared much more in his element against this D-III team. Though it was a bad team, their point guard (Tesoro) was pretty good, so maybe this is a sign of things to come. Deonte Huff threw down a couple really big dunks, and Dupree Lucas even threw down a reverse jam when he cherry picked after tripping.

Half-Time Score 47-26

Second Half
This was a scary half for Linfield. PSU beat them by 43 with PSU’s starters in for maybe only 10 minutes apiece. Huff scored quite a few points, including more break-away dunks, and everybody was almost on stride, but Huff’s effort really stood out. The reserves all did fairly well, and Kyle Coston looked a little more comfortable, especially handling the ball.

Though this wasn’t really much of a gauge for Big Sky play, it did help to get all the players a chance to see extended time.