The Pilots are currently in a bit if a slide. Losers of six of their last eight games. Their record now stands at 12-9 while being just 3-6 in WCC play. Portland is a fairly deep team, with 7 players ave. at least 6 ppg. Their offense is scoring a respectable 72.5 ppg, they hit over 72% from the line, and 38.4 from three.
Portland has a plethora of bigs and it will be interesting in seeing how they match up with Gonzaga's. The biggest threat will be 6'11 senior center Thomas van der Mars. He is scoring approx. 11 ppg and grabbing eight rebounds. He also leads the team in blocks with 25. Next up is 6'10 250 lb senior Volodymyr Gerun who is ave. 8.7 ppg along with 5.8 rebounds and 21 blocks.
Two guards to watch for are 5'11 sophomore Alec Wintering, who leads the team in scoring 13.2 ppg and blisters the nets from deep at .511. He will probably be MVP of this team. Then they have 6'5 senior Kevin Bailey, who chips in 13.1 ppg and rarely misses from the free throw line, hitting .800.
Portland is doing well offensively but where they've been struggling of late is defensively. Although they have size, depth, good guards, and a stable full of bigs, they are simply not getting it done. They've given up 74 or more points in 6 of their last eight games.
The #3 ranked Zags come into tonight's game with a 20-1 record and a 13 game winning streak. They also lead the nation in field goal percentage at .533. Gonzaga also boasts the longest home winning streak in the nation at 36 games. Additionally, the defense has been especially tough lately, holding five of it's last six opponents to under 60 points.
The Pilots are simply over-matched in this one. The Zags are on a roll and playing their best ball of the season. They have superior talent, senior leadership, are deeper, and ave. almost 82 ppg. I cannot see them losing at home. The line on the game currently stands at -22. We might not get quite there, but anything less than a 15 point win would surprise me.
Lastly, I wouldn't miss this game for the world. It will be a magical night as Kevin Pangos will undoubtedly set the all-time record at Gonzaga for three pointers made. He only needs one...Swish!!~
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