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PSU vs Utah Valley State
- Thread starter forestgreen
- Start date
We were lucky to pull that win at home last year with the big halftime hole we dug. Let's hope we come out with the energy that we did the other night.
That Toolson kid is a tough player, can really shoot the three ball. This won't be an easy game for the Viks.
WiViking
Active member
http://www.bigskyfans.com/2007/12/01/psu-vs-utah-valley-state
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
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
Vikings win in overtime! Great game for Murray, Dominguez and Morrison, really the whole team contributed. Great win, way to go Viks!
Forgot to write the score. Viks-60 Wolverines-53 in overtime.
WiViking
Active member
With the foul trouble, Lucas was limited to just 2 points in 12 minutes. It's nice that Murray was able to step in with the kind of effort he did, but eventually, all the starters are going to have to contribute. When Huff doesn't hit from the field, he is still able to create and draw fouls, but Lucas hasn't been able to duplicate that. Perhaps Bone should try starting him on the bench and shake things up a bit. Not everybody has to contribute offensively every game, but it would be nice to see Pree get back on track before the Big Sky season starts.
VikThunder1
Active member
Great win. Didn't think that Pree would have a tough start to his senior year.
ManOfVision
Active member
VikThunder said:
Yeah, I think of Dupree as the best all around player on the team, but I think he's only averaging about 8 or 9 points a game so far.