The Portland Pilots (5-6) and Weber State Wildcats (5-5) will face off at the Rose Garden for this game. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 18.
The Pilots enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Sacramento State 81-73 in their last matchup. Alec Wintering was a key piece with 17 points, six assists, and five rebounds. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their close 69-68 loss against Denver in their last game. Weber State lost despite the best efforts of Kyndahl Hill, who recorded his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pilots may have trouble getting to the line in this one. They’re 334th in the nation in FTA rate (26.9), while Weber State is among the nation’s least foul-prone squads (yielding a FTA rate of just 22.4, eighth in the country).
Weber State is a slim one-point favorite over Portland. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 142 points. The Pilots have gone 5-6 Straight Up (SU) and 3-5 Against The Spread (ATS). The Pilots are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc.
Over on the other bench, the Wildcats have records of 3-3-1 ATS and 5-5 SU. The Wildcats convert their shots at a high percentage, ranking 48th in the country at .481.
Portland and Weber State will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Por, ATS Winner – Por, O/U – Over
Notes
Portland averages 78.1 points per game, placing the team just 102nd in the nation. Weber State ranks 81st in points allowed, giving up 66.5 points per game.
Ranked 79th, the Weber State Wildcats have an offensive rating of 111.7. The Portland Pilots rank 191st with a defensive rating of just 102.1.
The Portland Pilots average a field goal percentage of 43.7% this season. The Weber State Wildcats are a winless 0-4 when opponents have a FG% of 43.7% or greater.
The Portland Pilots and the Weber State Wildcats both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Portland is 182nd and 118th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Weber State is 48th and 38th in these categories.
Portland, the 98th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.4 per game. Weber State does worse, ranked 221st with 3.0.
The Weber State Wildcats average 4.9 steals per game. When giving up 4 or more steals, the Portland Pilots are an even 4-4 this season.
