The Linfield Wildcats come into the Stott Center with wins over Holy Names (Oakland) and Cal State-East Bay, (Hayward, CA) two teams who are nowhere near the talent level of the Vikings. The Wildcats are a team who shoot the ball well from the outside, but are on a level where, if they compete with the Viks, it will be pathetic. At 6′8″, center K.C. Wiser is their tallest player, and one of their best as well. However, the honor of best player goes to Brian Murphy of Tualatin, a player who sat out all of last year with an injury.

Match-Ups
Center
Linfield: K.C. Wiser PSU: Scott Morrison/JR Moore
The freshman out of Tigard is a good player for Division III, however, he is no match for Morrison, who should be able to excite the crowd with some monster dunks in this one. Moore should also see a lot of time in this one if and when the score gets ugly. Thomas might even see time down low. No point listing advantages in this one, it really isn’t a fair game. Funny that WOU was an exhibition, but this one counts.

Forward
Linfield: Brian Murphy PSU: Tyrell Mara/Julius Thomas
Murphy is a strong offensive player who can shoot from anywhere, and plays good defense as well. Though he’s a smallish forward at 6′4″, he should be able to put at least 10 points on the board if he takes enough shots.

Guard/Forward
Linfield: Joel Paul PSU: Deonte Huff/Kyle Coston
This is another opportunity for the players to excite the fans. Huff should make a few steals that convert to dunks, and Coston should hit a few three balls. Paul should also be able to score some points if he gets a few open shots. He’s another good prospect at the D-III level.

Guard
Linfield: Steve Taylor PSU: Dupree Lucas/Andre Murray
Taylor appears to be pretty much one dimensional in their offense, with his only role being shooting. This match-up should at least produce some points, and an opportunity for Murray to see if he can duplicate his 20 point effort against WOU.

Point
Linfield: Cody Tesoro/Jon Weber PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez/Mickey Polis/Brian Curtis
These two appear to split the time at the point for the Wildcats. Tesoro is a significantly better passer than Weber, and Weber had a tough first game with 7 turnovers. He cut down on that number in the second game, but if he gets anywhere near that on Tuesday, that could spell doom for the Wildcats. This game provides Dominguez the opportunity to watch somebody else do some work at the point, and get him the break he deserves.

This game is a great opportunity for fans to see the Viks at their very best while they gear up for UC-Davis on Saturday, and have some fun at the same time. Every player who is eligible should see extended action in this game, and they may all even score some points. A one day rest after three tough games in three days means that the Vikings may come out sluggish, but nevertheless, the reserves will still have to play to get them the rest they need. I predict the Vikings will start slow, but eventually race away with this one, and reinvigorate the fan base with a big win.

Prediction PSU: 94-46

As this tournament ends, I believe the Vikings can hold their heads high. They came into it after a loss against a vastly superior UCLA team, and their was little way to gauge their chances this season. I felt that some games against some teams more at their level could do that. PSU really showed some good teamwork, and was able to pull out two difficult games against teams that were probably favored. They ended up losing by one point to a team that was probably the favorite going in, so they can’t feel too bad.

As I didn’t listen to this game live, I’m not sure I can give a proper perspective to it, but I’ll try. The Viks appeared to again be the more talented overall team, and through the first half held a seven point lead. However, the lead, which had been as high as seven, proved not to be enough as the Vikings lost the game in the last minute.

As far as stats go, this was a great game. Neither team shot the lights out, but both hit a good percentage. The teams were basically even in almost every statistical category except free throws, and this one really could have gone either way. Ken Bone knows that he’s really going to need to make the guys work at the free throw line, as that cost them tonight, and could have cost them against Akron as well. 64% isn’t going to win the tough games. Against Linfield maybe, but after that, they’ll have to get their act together.

All of the Viks’ players have now had solid offensive games, so they should head into the rest of the season with confidence in that regard. So, although it’s tough to stomach a loss in a game the team really should have won, they know they can compete against some good teams, and make a run at the Big Sky crown. We can all take solace in Ian Ruder’s points today, especially the one about Weber State.

Good photos of the game available at: http://csurams.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/111907aab.html#
Click on photo gallery.

The Colorado State Rams come into the championship game with wins over Oregon State and Tennessee State. The wins came with two very different playing styles. In the first game, Willis Gardner had 20 points for the Rams. Today, Marcus Walker scored 43, and Gardner only had four. At first glance, this sort of offensive ability for a team in a more powerful conference might look insurmountable, but this is another team who isn’t deep. They only play eight guys, so if the Viks can tire out the starters like in the IUPUI game, they should have a shot. The Rams are a bigger, physical team than the others in the tournament. They have two 7-footers, and a freshman who is 6′9.” Walker shoots the ball the most, so Lucas putting pressure on as he did against George Hill is essential to the Viks’ success.

Match-Ups
Big Men
CSU: Stuart Creason PSU: Scott Morrison
This should be a big challenge for Morrison going up against a player who is the same size, if not bigger, and who is a talented scorer and rebounder. Scotty tends to come up with his better efforts in games where the pressure is on him, so he should have quite a few opportunities for some blocked shots. This senior, 7-footer match-up should have a real impact on the game, even if the points aren’t there.
Advantage: CSU

Power Forward
CSU: Andre McFarland PSU: Tyrell Mara
Though Mara was able to explode for 18 points against IUPUI, his role for the remainder is probably about 10 points per game, tough defense and rebounding. McFarland is a 6′6″ freshman out of Las Vegas, and he should provide about the same thing for the Rams. I’m leaning towards Mara due to his added experience.
Advantage: PSU

Guard/Forward
CSU: Josh Simmons PSU: Deonte Huff
Another true freshman starter for the Rams. He and Huff are the same size, but Huff is much more put together. I believe Huff should win this match-up because of his superior athletic skills and experience, but I wouldn’t count out Simmons from scoring 5-10 points in this match-up.
Advantage: PSU

Off Guard
CSU: Marcus Walker PSU: Dupree Lucas
This is the battle of two former CC stars who have the ability to explode for points at times. Walker started his college career at Nebraska, while Lucas started at Xavier. If Lucas can find his offense, this should be a very exciting match-up. Because Walker has been hot recently, especially on Saturday afternoon, I’m leaning towards him.
Advantage: CSU

Point
CSU: Willis Gardner PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
This is another bigger point guard match-up for Dominguez, probably similar to what he’ll see all year. Gardner should almost certainly score more points, but as Dominguez has shown so far, the game can’t be judged solely by points scored.
Advantage: Push

Unless Montana is ridiculously better than PSU, the Vikings should be able to beat the Rams. The Viks’ bench should see more time against CSU, and should hopefully be more effective, especially scoring. They will need to for PSU to have a shot in this one. I’ll pick the Vikings again, because it seems to be working for them.

Prediction PSU 76-74

First Half
PSU again started quickly. They hit 3s all around, with Lucas hitting 3 of them himself. Scott Morrison had 6 points, and a couple blocks, and Dominguez and Lucas played very well on the offensive side of the ball. However, almost all the starters got into foul trouble, so the Viks didn’t have a chance to extend the leads that they had. Akron committed lots of fouls themselves, so the second half should be dictated by the availability of those players in some way. Close to the end of the half, the Viks went on an 8-0 run, but were unable to maintain the lead going into the half. The Viks were 8-12 from 3 in the first half, and shot 57% overall.

Halftime Score: 36-36

Second Half
Jeremiah Dominguez started the second half with eight straight points for the Vikings. After the first media timeout, the game became stagnant. During the next four minutes, each team could only muster one bucket, leaving Akron up by 1. The teams went back and forth continuously for most of the half after that. The Vikings reserves continued to be fairly ineffective, and their inability to score and control the ball again impaired their ability to pull away, even though their starters were clearly playing better. Ahead of the next break Lucas threw an alley-oop, which Huff tipped in to put PSU ahead. By this point, PSU had cooled off considerably from the outside, and was having trouble rebounding the ball. Dominguez kept PSU in the game, scoring his 18th point with 3 minutes left in the contest. Lucas started hitting some inside shots in the last few minutes, Akron answered, but Huff stole the ball their next time down and took it back for an emphatic dunk. Dominguez was unable to convert the front end of a 1-and-1 down the stretch, leaving the door open for the Kangaroos, however, they were unable to hit a decent three point look their next time down. Julius Thomas duplicated Dominguez’ effort, but the Zips couldn’t get off a desperation shot.

Final Score: PSU Wins 66-63

Well, I got the three point spread right…

The Zips play in the MAC conference and were picked to finish fourth preseason. They return three starters from last year’s squad that won the MAC, and was the best team not in a post-season tournament. They lost out on a last minute bank-shot by Miami. (OH) Like IUPUI, they have a couple big men, but not good ones, which means the Zips will most likely play a small, quicker lineup. Coming off a game versus IUPUI, the Viks should be ready to deal with this.

Match-Ups
Big Men
Akron: Jeremiah Wood PSU: Scott Morrison
A strictly inside player, Wood should be a good match-up for Morrison. He doesn’t pass well, and he can’t shoot from the outside. Add on the fact that he gets in foul trouble, and Scotty could really exploit his 5 inch height advantage. Wood may have trouble living up to his reputation as a ferocious rebounder in this match-up, even though he is a candidate for MAC player of the year.
Advantage: PSU

Small Forward #1
Akron: Nate Linhart PSU: Tyrell Mara
Linhart is a lefty, and presents a difficult match-up for opponents with his size and range. However, I think Mara should be up to the challenge, because he is a similar player with a bit more muscle. Both players play good defense, so there probably won’t be many points scored here.
Advantage: Push

Small Forward #2
Akron: Quade Milum/Jimmy Conyers PSU: Deonte Huff
Because neither team is playing another inside guy, I characterized two positions as SF. I think Milum may get the start due to the match-up problem he presents to the Vikings. The senior is a prolific shot blocker, and extremely athletic. (he was the Ohio state high jump champion in HS) He may matchup more against Mara, dependent on how the coaches choose to set things up. Each of the two options for Akron scored in double figures in their exhibition game. Huff won’t be able to rely on athleticism to win this battle, so he’ll have to play a perimeter game, which makes him less dangerous.
Advantage: Akron

Off-Guard
Akron: Nick Dials PSU: Dupree Lucas
This is the match-up of former players at big-time basketball programs in Ohio with Nick being the former Buckeye, and Dupree the former Musketeer. Although he didn’t display his three point touch with an 0 for 7 effort in the exhibition, the shooter can really fill it up at times. Dupree should have every advantage in this match-up besides outside shooting, and they share the same height. If Lucas makes his mid-range jumper, he should outscore Dials.
Advantage: PSU

Point
Akron: Steve McNees PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
McNees has the obvious height advantage at 6′2″, but that didn’t stop Dominguez in the UCLA game. McNees was a great high school player, and should carry that to the collegiate level after a red-shirt year. The only way PSU wins this match-up is if Dominguez can force McNees out of his comfort zone with his quickness.
Advantage: Akron

Bench
Both teams have good benches capable of scoring some points. However, Akron’s is a bit shorter than PSU’s. Julius Thomas and Kyle Coston may see extended minutes in this one due to their size.
Advantage: PSU

Prediction
After tonight’s thrilling victory over IUPUI I’m leaning towards the Vikings coming through again. PSU will have to address the issues with interior and transition defense, but should be ready for a more physical game tomorrow night.

PSU 71-68

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.