Portland State (13-12) at Idaho (15-11) (ET)
GAME NOTES: The Portland State Vikings travel to Idaho tonight to take on the Vandals for the first time in six years as part of the BracketBuster series at the Cowan Spectrum.
Portland State puts a three-game win streak on the line tonight, and the Vikings have also tallied victories in six of their last nine outings as well. The Vikings' last victory, a decisive 85-67 verdict over Sacramento State on Wednesday night, got the squad over .500 on the season with a 13-12 overall mark, and earned the club a 7-6 tally to its Big Sky Conference slate.
As for Idaho, the Vandals have been away from the hardwood for a week, but have had some success of their own, to the tune of four straight wins and eight of their last 11. The Vandals have improved their 2011-12 overall ledger to 15-11 over that span, and also own a 7-4 mark in WAC play. Idaho dispatched of Louisiana Tech in a 73-64 final last Saturday, its last time on the hardwood.
PSU leads 10-8 in terms of the all-time series between the two programs.
Portland State kept Sacramento State in check to the tune of 39.3 percent from the floor during its 18-point rout on Wednesday. The Vikings shot at a blistering 65.2 percent clip that included 7-of-12 from beyond the arc themselves during the affair, and added an underwhelming, but effective, 18- of-28 performance at the charity stripe. Chehales Tapscott finished with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Vikings, while Renado Parker tallied 12 points from off the bench. Tapscott also registered five blocks, while Martin Whitmore chipped in 10 points as well in the win. The Vikings average a more than adequete 76.4 points per game this season, and the squad is shooting at an impressive 48.8 percent clip as a team. The Vikings have been limited from three-point range, however (33.3 percent), but do own a respectable 73.9 percent mark at the foul line. Still, PSU has not had the same success at the other end of the court, where opponents are netting 73.0 ppg to go with 45.3 percent shooting. Charles Odum leads the way for PSU this season with an 18.5 ppg tally, while Tapscott represents the only other player with a double-digit scoring average with a 14.0 ppg mark to go with a team- leading 9.3 rebounds per contest as well.
The Vandals hit an impressive 54.5 percent of their attempts from the field and sunk 20-of-27 free throws against Louisina Tech, helping the squad to overcome a game-high 15 giveaways. Kyle Barone paced Idaho with a double- double that included 14 points and 15 rebounds, while the duo of Landon Tatum and Deremy Geiger added 14 points apiece as well. The Vandals dominated the battle of the boards to the tune of 35-24 as well during the meeting, and controlled the situation down-low with a 34-28 besting of Louisiana Tech in the paint. Geiger and Barone pace the Vandals on the season, netting 12.7 ppg apiece, with the latter also responsible for a team-leading 8.2 rpg as well. Stephen Madison has also achieved a double-digit average for Idaho this year, contributing 11.8 ppg to go with 5.4 rpg. The Vandals net a respectable 69.5 ppg up to this point, hitting 47.8 percent of their attempts from the field as a team in the process. The club has had moderate success from beyond the arc (38.8 percent), but has struggled from the foul line with an underwhelming 67.1 percent conversion rate. At the other end of the court, adversaries have been kept in check to the tune of a 42.6 percent pace that has yielded 67.2 ppg, and the Vandals own a slight 34.4 - 31.8 edge on the boards as well.
The Vandals could win this one with a solid effort from the field, especially behind the arc, but go with Portland State here in a tightly contested affair. The Vikings have size and offensive depth that Idaho may struggle to keep up with the later it gets into the contest.
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