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PSU VS UNC 1/19
WiViking :: 6 months ago :: 1081 views

http://www.bigskyfans.com/2008/01/15/psu-vs-unc-preview-119

Over the course of the season, the Vikings may be the most inconsistent team in the country. They have had standout games from 3 different players at the power forward position, 2 at the point, and 2 at shooting guard. The coaches have utilized offensive schemes that focused on using Scott Morrison in the post, and have benched him for long stretches in favor of a smaller, quicker lineup. With at least 13 games left, what can we expect from the Vikings? Saturday brings the UNC Bears to the Stott Center. A rapidly improving team, the Bears have already doubled their win total from last year, and have beaten defending Big Sky champion Weber State.

Match-Ups
Center
UNC: Jabril Banks PSU: Scott Morrison
No matter who matches up with Morrison, there will be a decided size advantage for the Vikings. Without Kirk Archibeque inside due to a concussion, the Bears will have to choose between two guys who are really combo forwards, Banks and Taylor Montgomery. Banks is the more talented of the two. The former Iowa Hawkeye and Indian Hills CC player is leading the team in scoring and rebounding at 13.7 per game 6.2 per game. He is also the only player who qualifies who is leading Scott Morrison in field goal percentage. He has only attempted 2 three point shots all year which means Morrison will be able to play his style of defense against Banks. Though Morrison has been less productive than Banks all year, his size advantage and style of play should allow him to out-produce Banks in this game, and ultimately lead the Vikings to victory.
Advantage: Vikings

Power Forward
UNC: Taylor Montgomery PSU: Kyle Coston/Alex Tiefenthaler
If Coston is not productive early, Ken Bone will not be hesitant to use Tiefenthaler who had the best game of his collegiate career against Idaho State on Sunday. Montgomery is not much of an offensive threat, but should be able to power past the opposition inside because they lack his power. However, the specialty of all the Viking power forwards this season has been their ability to hit the outside shot. Whoever plays here for the Viks should be more productive than Montgomery.
Advantage: Vikings

Guard/Forward
UNC: Jefferson Mason/Neal Kingman PSU: Deonte Huff
A promising player in his own right, Mason has averaged 9 points and 5 rebounds per contest this year. His height advantage should allow him some easy buckets at times in this one. However, I think it is very unlikely that he will out-produce Huff unless he can get him into foul trouble early. Mason should be able to utilize his size to keep Huff away from some of the put-backs that he normally gets, but I do not see him stopping Huff from driving and getting to the line. If the Bears are going to be competitive in this contest, they will need to minimize the damage that Huff can do because the Vikings have too many offensive weapons for them to deal with. Kingman had been the starter recently before missing the San Diego State game due to influenza. He has a very similar skill set to that of Mason with a little added bulk. He had a season high in the road loss at NAU, but seems to have lost confidence since then.
Advantage: Vikings

Shooting Guard
UNC: Sean Taibi/Robert Palacios PSU: Andre Murray
If Taibi cannot play in this one, then the Bears will likely start Robert Palacios, a teammate of Jabril Banks at Indian Hills CC. Another option here is Devon Beitzel, a freshman who shared player of the week honors with Kyle Landry of NAU, after he came off the bench for 15 points against San Diego State. The combination of these players will go up against Andre Murray, a player who has also been inconsistent and had trouble staying away from fouls against Idaho State. The Vikings do not necessarily need Murray to have a big scoring night to beat the Bears, but it would definitely help. If he cannot provide the punch Ken Bone is looking for, Dupree Lucas will be waiting for another opportunity to prove that the coaches made a mistake when they benched him in favor of Murray. I give a slight advantage to UNC, especially if Taibi is available. He is a deadly long range shooter who can score in bunches.
Advantage: Bears

Point
UNC: Thanasi Panagiotakopoulos PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
Panagiotakopoulos has been in double figures three times this year. It appears that his ability to score is similar to that of Mickey Polis in that he has trouble when his three point shots are not falling. Dominguez shoots a lot of threes himself, but he also has the ability to drive and score against the bigger players. Like the Vikings, the Bears have a short backup point guard who has the ability to score. His name is Will Figures. He had a strong showing in the beginning of the season but has cooled off recently. It would really help the Bears if he could get back on track in this one.
Advantage: Vikings

Bench
The Bears have the potential for a very strong bench with players like Mason and Figures. They do not have a lot of overall depth so they will depend on those guys to spell their starters. If they cannot handle that task, it might be a long night. For the Vikings the bench is loaded. It has endless depth and guys who could start for many teams. The issue with the bench, as it is with the rest of the team is consistency. If Tiefenthaler, Lucas, Polis, Hammond and Thomas can each score a few points, that would decrease the burden felt by Dominguez and Huff to shoot so often.
Advantage: Vikings

I think the Vikings are primed to make a run for the Big Sky title. Everyone except Tyrell Mara is healthy enough to play, and some of the guys who were expected to contribute early on are finally coming into their own. The three game home stretch is a critical set for the Vikings, who will need to win all three to compete for home court in the Big Sky tournament. It is definitely a doable task, but the Vikings will need strong play from their leaders and something from the bench to get it done. The first game against Northern Colorado is probably the easiest task, but the most important, as the team will look to start off their home stand the right way.
Prediction: PSU 72-63

PSU VS WSU Preview
WiViking :: 6 months ago :: 732 views

The Vikings recent success might lead fans to forget the disappointments of the early season. If they had hit the majority of their late free throws the team would be 12-4, and there would be no doubt they were the best team in the conference. Needless to say, that is not the case. A week ago most Viking fans would have been pessimistic about a tough conference game on the road. However, with the recent development of Kyle Coston, this game is once again intriguing.

Weber State is led offensively by the senior duo of Arturas Valeika, a versatile forward from Lithuania, and Dezmon Harris. The Wildcats have to be upset with the production from their veteran players. Both Harris and Juan Pablo Silveira have been less productive this year without David Patten. Unfortunately, their inability to fill that void has really hurt the team so far. The defending Big Sky champions are 5-8 thus far this year and lost their first conference game to last years cellar dweller, UNC. To turn things around this year Weber will have to get increased production from their veteran guys.

Match-Ups
Center
WSU: Arturas Valeika PSU: Scott Morrison
This is a game where Bone often looks to play Thomas inside. Offensively, Morrison should have no trouble scoring 10 points on Valeika. However, he is not mobile enough to cover Valeika if he is playing out on the wings putting up three balls. I do not see Morrison getting more than 20 minutes in this one, but I would be happy if he did. I think the Vikings need him in there to provide a post presence and a stronger rebounder. Because the Vikings made a big change in their offense after the first few games of the season, Morrison has less impact on the game. However, given the right system, he could be just as good as Valeika. I will give the edge to Valeika because the Wildcats are committed to giving him the ball and letting him go to work.
Advantage: Wildcats

Power Forward
WSU: Steve Panos PSU: Kyle Coston
To mention the word power in relation to Kyle Coston seems comical. The rail-thin shooter has the ability to rebound at times, but tends to foul quickly when matched up against more physical players, and he has no real power game offensively. It looks like he will continue to be the guy until he gives up the spot. Alex Tiefenthaler has done very little since becoming eligible, and Tyrell Mara has had a tough go of it since the Top of the World Classic. As long as Coston stays out of foul trouble, he should win this match-up because Panos is not much of an offensive guy at all. He has averaged only 6 points per game. Other options for Weber at forward include Tyler Billings and Daviin Davis.
Advantage: Vikings

Guard/Forward
WSU: Juan Pablo Silveira PSU: Deonte Huff
Silveira had a strong 3 games against the Vikings last year. If he struggles, look for them to go to Davis who dominated the Vikings in limited time last year. Huff will look to rebound after a tough shooting game against NAU. Aside from the Akron game, it was his worst game of the year. Not bad to get 8 points and 9 rebounds from a guy in one of his worst games. There is no reason to believe the star will have any trouble getting back into form. It is possible that Silveira will get to the level Huff is at by the time he is done, but this is not that time. I think Huff will have a big game, and he will need to if the Viks have a chance to pull this one out on the road.
Advantage: Vikings

Shooting Guard
WSU: Dezmon Harris PSU: Andre Murray
Murray has been a spark for the Vikings. When he starts the team is 5-1. As the number two scorer, the Wildcats will need more than the 9 points Harris scored against UNC if they are going to play with the Vikings. Harris has shown that ability, scoring 16 points against a tough Utah State team. If he scores 15+ points the game should stay close. If not, they will be pressed to score with Huff, Murray and Dominguez.
Advantage: Vikings

Point
WSU: Brody Van Brocklin/Kellen McCoy PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
McCoy was the only player who was able to get into double figures for the Wildcats against UNC. He should be a good match-up for Dominguez and Mickey Polis as he is one of the few players in the country who is not taller than them. Van Brocklin is one of the three combo guards who starts for the Wildcats. Harris and Silveira are just as capable of running the team if they are asked to. PSU should again have the advantage here. If Dominguez can play the consistent basketball we have become accustomed to this year and Polis can knock down a couple shots, it would push the Vikings in the right direction.
Advantage: Vikings

Bench
The Viking bench has really come on since the beginning of the season. It remains to be seen whether or not they can sustain this energy, but it has led to some positive results recently. Two players who should factor in down the stretch are Tyrell Mara and Dupree Lucas. If either gets his starting spot back after his absence it would surprise me. Neither has had the kind of season expected from a starter, and that would lead me to believe that the guys in there now will finish out the season. The Wildcat bench is led by McCoy, Davis and Tyler Billings. They should all see significant time as Randy Rahe looks for an effective combination against the Vikings. Both teams have talented guys on the bench who should have an impact on the game and their production should be similar.
Advantage: Push

I am going to give the Vikings the advantage in this one, but not as big as their talent advantage would suggest. Randy Rahe is a much better coach than Ken Bone, even though he has had a tough go of it this year. After seeing their early results, I feel that they just do not have enough scoring to compete for the Big Sky crown this year.
Prediction: PSU 68-64

PSU VS SJSU Preview
WiViking :: 7 months ago :: 440 views

At 4-5, one would expect the San Jose State Spartans to be at the back of the pack in the WAC conference. However, this appears to be a down year for the conference as they are right in the middle so far. On the down side, none of those wins come against a team that is better than mediocre. This is another chance to make a statement against a team with a winning record. On December 15, they lost to Northern Arizona at home. They are a very young team. The two leading scorers are a sophomore and freshman respectively.

Well, what can you say about the Vikings? They were not able to win in the state of Washington, and that they cannot shoot free throws consistently well. It has been their downfall in two exciting games, the championship game of the TOWC against Colorado State and the EWU game Saturday. The good sign is that the level of competition will be fairly consistent the rest of the season. To this point, there has been a tough game, then an easy one. Perhaps consistency will help the team come together. The one glaring hole on this team is Scott Morrison. He disappeared recently, either due to bad play, or an injury, but the void has not been filled. The one thing that is obvious to fans is that the entire team suffers when he is not on the court.

Match-Ups
Center
SJSU: C.J. Webster PSU: Scott Morrison/Julius Thomas
At 6 feet 8 inches 255, Webster is similar to the size the Vikings will see all year in the Big Sky. The choice is whether or not to use Morrison. If they are going to remove him from the lineup, they might as well do it now, because it has not helped the team to see him start, play 15 minutes, then sit the rest of the game. If they choose to keep him in there, he needs to play at least 25 minutes, and he needs to get a lot more touches. His presence makes the outside players much more dangerous, and his rebounding ability in the middle gives everyone more opportunities. Webster is averaging 9.3 points and 7 rebounds per game. This may be the game to move Thomas to power forward because of how tall Webster is. Kyle Coston has been very inconsistent this season, and it would allow Tiefenthaler to play a position where he would fit in better. JR Moore will be able to deal with the wide-body inside, and perhaps give Bone a reason to play Morrison more. If Morrison plays 25 minutes, the Vikings have an advantage, if not, the Spartans will take advantage.
Advantage: Push

Power Forward
SJSU: Chris Oakes PSU: Tyrell Mara
Since becoming eligible two games ago, Oakes has been the best player for the Spartans. He is the prototypical power forward with the ability to score and rebound well inside, but lacking an outside shot. He has the size to overpower Mara inside, which means that the Vikings have to exploit him defensively by playing Mara outside. If not, the best option is probably to play Tiefenthaler to try to match his size. Oakes is the key guy for the Spartans, and power forwards have tended to produce high numbers against the Vikings, so I will give him the advantage.
Advantage: Spartans

Small Forward
SJSU: Tim Pierce PSU: Deonte Huff
Pierce is a guy who has the ability to explode offensively if his shot is dropping. He and should be a good match-up because they both have the instinct to be the guy for their teams. I think Huff will outproduce Pierce in this game because the Vikings have really relied on him in recent games. Pierce has less pressure to score due to the return of Oakes. After his first double-double of the year, Huff will try to stay hot, but the Vikings also need him to return to his status as the best free throw shooter. In the last 4 games, he is only 5-12 after a 5 game stretch where he was 23-25. The Vikings rely on the senior due to the recession of fellow seniors Lucas and Morrison.
Advantage: Vikings

Shooting Guard
SJSU: Justin Graham PSU: Dupree Lucas
The freshman Graham has had a great season for the Spartans picking up some of the scoring slack when Oakes was out. After a couple of steady games, Lucas got back to his early season form with bad shooting. After a great junior year, coach Ken Bone was expecting a lot more from Lucas. This is his opportunity to get it back on track. Perhaps he can exploit the freshman, and create better shots than he normally gets. If he can do that, he may be able to get back his confidence going into the bulk of the conference season. If he has trouble again, it may be the last straw. Murray has played much better than Lucas recently, and may be the better option going forward if Lucas continues shooting badly. Lucas is the better defender, so he will get the start. Perhaps the duo can hold Graham under 10 points. He and his backup, DaShawn Wright are averaging about 20 points per game, and should have the advantage in this match-up.
Advantage: Spartans

Point Guard
SJSU: Jamon Hill PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez
Hill is the only senior on the Spartans who really sees extended time. They will need him to provide leadership on a team that sorely needs it, especially if they are in this game late. Shockingly, even though he is under 6 feet tall, he is averaging over 3 rebounds per game. Dominguez had a tough second half against the Eagles after a perfect first half. The Vikings will need his points, as well as those of Polis to keep up with the pace of the Spartans. Both point guards have shot the ball well at the Stott Center this year, and that is likely to continue. The advantage definitely goes to the miniature duo of the Vikings, whose production has been a blessing in a down year for many.
Advantage: Vikings

Bench
The bench has disappeared recently for the Vikings aside from Murray and Polis. Guys like Hammond and Tiefenthaler will be relied upon to provide scoring and energy in a game that will likely have poor attendance. The two key guys for the Spartans are DaShawn Wright and Devonte Thomas, both of whom are wings. The Viking defenders have done a good job against bench scorers so far this season.
Advantage: Push

The Vikings have not played well recently, and this is not really a team to try to fix things against. Though they do not have a great record, they are solid all the way around, and have the ability to score quickly. The Vikings play well at home, but this may not be much of an advantage without most of the students. If the Vikings can make their free throws, and get some inside production, they should win a close game.

Prediction: PSU 79-76

PSU VS EWU Preview
WiViking :: 7 months ago :: 884 views

Alright everybody, are you ready? It is time for Big Sky basketball. Though this game is only a tease into the conference season, it should be a good gauge in how they might fare the rest of the season.

Saturday marks the first shot a Big Sky team has had against the Eastern Washington Eagles in the post-Rodney Stuckey era. All signs indicate that opponents will like what they see. They are 3-1 at home, but the teams they beat in those three games have won a combined 6 D-I games all year. The Eagles are lead by senior Kellen Williams, who averages an astonishing 35 minutes per game. In the first game last year, the Vikings lost 88-70 at home to a strong team led by Stuckey and senior Paul Butorac, and beat the same team 92-88 in Cheney later in the season.

So far this season the Vikings are 3-4 on the road. The defeat Tuesday against the Washington Huskies made the Vikings 0-3 against the Pac-10, but on the positive side, exposed them to the style of game they will have to play if they get to the NCAA tournament in March. It also provoked some questions from fans about the coaching decisions of Ken Bone. There will always be more questions when the team is losing, but concerns that Scott Morrison is not seeing enough time definitely appear valid. Along with Jeremiah Dominguez, he is the guy that makes the offense work. Even when he is not scoring, he forces the defense to focus on him, opening up the perimeter for the rest of the team. From now on the Viks play a schedule full of games they can win, many of which they will be favored in. The January 13 game at Idaho State will be available on ESPN Full Court.

Match-Ups
Center
EWU: Brandon Moore PSU: Scott Morrison
After a lackluster performance at U-Dub, Morrison will look to rebound. Moore will present a challenge on the boards for Scott because he is a strong player inside. Though Kellen Williams leads the team in rebounds, the Eagles will depend on Moore to pick up some big ones inside if they want to win. Neither player is an explosive scorer, but I will give the edge to Morrison who leads in all statistical categories and should be able to use his height to get some put back opportunities. The other option the Eagles have used at center is Matt Brunell, but he is a smaller guy who has produced less, so Moore should get the start.
Advantage: Vikings

Power Forward
EWU: Kellen Williams PSU: Tyrell Mara
Mara had a tough night on Tuesday trying to cover Jon Brockman. Unlike that match-up, Mara will not be at a major physical disadvantage in this one. As a smaller team, the Eagles may be forced to try to use the fast break against the Vikings. If they do, it is at their own peril. Both Mara and Tiefenthaler excel in that system, and outside of Morrison and JR Moore, it benefits the game of every player. Williams is the leading scorer and rebounder for the Eagles, and will not be taken lightly by the Vikings. I expect that they will try to really apply pressure with Mara, and when he tires, using Tief. If the Vikings really focus their effort here, they may not win the power forward point battle, but it will be hard for the Eagles to win. Besides Williams and DeLeon, they do not really have another scoring option, which means bad nights for them almost always equates to a loss.
Advantage: Eagles

Small Forward
EWU: Marcus Hinton PSU: Deonte Huff
Hinton is not much of a scoring threat, but that does not mean he cannot make a huge impact on the game. Huff has been the Vikings most consistent player offensively, even when he is not shooting well from the outside. If Hinton is able to slow him down while staying out of foul trouble, it could go a long way in keeping the Eagles in this game late. If he cannot it is tough to envision them winning. The Vikings have too many advantages on the rest of the floor. As for Huff, he is really moved into a leadership role by example. He gives great effort every night while performing at a high level, and a great example is the massive improvement in free throw percentage, even though he has played more minutes. I expect him to beat Hinton in every category, but I think Hinton will be able to slow him down enough to keep it close near the end.
Advantage: Vikings

Shooting Guard
EWU: Trey Gross/Milan Stenojevic PSU: Dupree Lucas/Andre Murray
The starter for each team is the more consistent performer. The backups are explosive scorers who can shoot the lights out from the outside. Lucas did a great job along with Dominguez on Justin Dentmon, and has really become a more consistent, if scoring less than before. Murray has developed into a potent weapon for the Vikings as the season has gone on, which has helped the team win some tough games like the one against Utah Valley State. Gross is a pretty good player for the Eagles, but nothing special. Stenovic, the junior newcomer is a different story. Though his effect depends entirely on his shooting, he can really torch an opponent. Even though he is new to the team, the seem ready to delegate a large number of shots to him in tough contests. In games against Wazzu, U-Dub Santa Clara, and Portland, he averaged 9 shots per game and over 11 points. Neither option had any success defensively against Nik Raivio, so the Viks will hope that they can outscore the duo.
Advantage: Push

Point
EWU: Gary Gibson/Adris DeLeon PSU: Jeremiah Dominguez/Mickey Polis
After a tough stretch early in the season, definitely warrants mention as a semi-starter. Though he is not the most effective running the offense, and he is not as quick as Dominguez, his ability to shoot the 3 ball make him an important piece of the Vikings arsenal. After the game off JD came back with a strong effort against the Huskies. If the Viks two point guards duplicate their performance from that game, there is no team with a better combination in the Big Sky. The Eagles boast a strong pair themselves. Sophomore Gary Gibson is not the prototypical pass first point guard, but he plays a very effective game. He has the ability to score in bunches at times, as the big total against Idaho speaks to. The real star of the team may be Bronx native and future candidate for All Big Sky Adris DeLeon. He is the best passer and third best rebounder on the team. If need be, he can carry the team on his shoulders offensively (22 points at Washington, 24 at Kansas.) If the Viks are able to shut down Williams, and Stenojevic has an off-shooting night, look for DeLeon to pick it up.
Advantage: Push

Bench
Even though they had a tough night on Tuesday, there is still reason to believe in the Viking bench. There is a lot of talent as players have exhibited all year, but a major lack of consistency outside of Murray recently, and Thomas on the boards. This may point out that the lack of confidence that coaches have had in players has had an effect. I look for this trend to continue in this one. Maybe Hammond, Tiefenthaler, or Coston will come back with a strong game. It is hard to tell who it is going to be at any given time. The Eagles have a bench led by the strong play of DeLeon and Stenojevic. If they have good games, it could help keep an otherwise mediocre offensive team in the game. The advantage goes to the depth of the Vikings, no matter how inconsistent.
Advantage: Vikings

The first conference game, especially on the road, should be a thrill for the new guys. Nobody else has played yet, so the winner gets the top spot in Big Sky rankings for the coming week. If the Eagles are able to come out with a strong shooting game and get some production out of their two bench stars they could win this game at home. Unfortunately, I do not think they can put together a full team effort yet, and even a semi-solid performance from the Viks should get it done. Hopefully, Coach Bone will give Morrison some more minutes to utilize his advantage.

Prediction: PSU 68-61

Jeremiah Dominguez
WiViking :: 7 months ago :: 218 views

According to the PSU athletic department, starting point guard Jeremiah Dominguez is now eligible, and will play in the game tomorrow night against the Washington Huskies. This gives the Vikings a very good chance to win the game. If they can execute, and stay out of foul trouble that is...

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