@ USF on ESPNU

Thursday's game with USF is broadcast on ESPNU at 8:00 pm PST. They are 1-2 at home in league, losing by one to SCU last Saturday. So far they have beaten USD and LMU, and lost to SMC and Pepperdine besides the Broncos.

Pilots need to really be ready for this one, as I expect USF will be desperate to get a split at home this week. Two more home losses would be devastating for their chances to finish in upper half of league.

Saw them play earlier this year. They've got one guy, Lowhorn. Slow him down and we'll be looking good.

Yes we should beat them , it would be nice to build some confidence on the road at this time of year. At least their fan's give the Pilots some respect for the growth in the program so I cheer for them whenever their not playing us. Their best player Dior Lowhorn is the leading scorer of the WCC from last year, and I think he's right up there this year. It seems like he has been in college forever because he played his first year at Texas Tech for Bobby Knight than had his transfer year he had to sit out before his last 3 at USF.He has always had good games against the Pilots,but through the years has not really had any other teamates step up and support his efforts. I know their dangerous, and like most teams they play much better at home so.....

How about a game preview our resident USF Don expert?

Very much looking forward to Thursday's game. Great atmosphere on the hallowed Hilltop. Should be a fun pre-game affair at the nearby Gambrinus European restaurant and beer bar (sorry, no Pliny!).

Go Pilots!

slick wrote: (sorry, no Pliny!).

You can get that at the Monk's Kettle or Toronado after the game, or take it out from K&L, Blackwell's, or the City Beer store.

Even the Whole foods on 4th has it.

http://www.monkskettle.com/images/beer.pdf

http://www.toronado.com/draft.htm

Please tell me you have a Pliny Locator app on your iPhone....

PilotNut wrote:Please tell me you have a Pliny Locator app on your iPhone....

OK,

I have a Pliny locator on my iPhone.

Only in Pilotland!!!

The geez and the rest of the "Kids" in UP land carrying I-Phones

Wait until Stonehouse gets one, imagine the information overload euphoria we will all be in then .



MesaPilot1

Alas,

There is no listing for Pliny anywhere in Nevada

Stoney is a bit behind the times. He's still using this model with a long cord.

Containing Dior Lowhorn is obviously a key vs. USF... he is by far their best player, and can really hurt you when he is on... Ethan will need to lock him down defensively.

I am assuming that we will not see Nik this weekend, either...

Stohl is 10 3's away from setting the new career 3-pointers made record. If he makes 10 this weekend, I would be quite happy. If he sets the record vs USF, I would be really really happy.

According to Yahoo!'s USF Team Report:

A strange, unexpected thing is happening at San Francisco: Sophomore Kwame Vaughn is replacing Dior Lowhorn as the team’s top scoring threat.

Well methinks that would probably be a result of people designing their defense to shut down Lowhorn as much as possible daring the rest of the team to beat them... I'd say Vaughan is the one stepping up to the challenge.

The biggest concern for USF HAS to be Stohl, he set a personal best at the time of 9 3s last year in San Francisco, you can bet they will do their best to not let history repeat itself.

(Insert Mesa rant about Stoney and I colluding with our "enemy/best friend" at Dons Central here:... Hahahha)

DaTruRochin wrote: (Insert Mesa rant about Stoney and I colluding with our "enemy/best friend" at Dons Central here:... Hahahha)

I believe that is referred to as a "Frienemy."

Haha I think one of us needs to get out more... But I'm not exactly sure which one...

I am not sure what you call your friend by the bay. But, after consultation with my 17 yr old daughter I have decided he is Stonehouse's BFF .

Just call me jealous, I regret missing the tourney game at Pacific(Ask Nut, I was in my car 150 miles into trip and just couldn't do it). It sounds like you guys had a great time with Stoney's BFF. Plus that weaney Angie likes to refer to our Postseason tourney as a pay to play tourney (which technically is correct) but he's just such a miserable person he cant give another team in the WCC that turns their two 9-22 seasons into a 19 win season a sliver of credit. What a dou@#$bag he must really have no personal life to be that scarey :face: odd of a non supportive coexistant WCC fan.Pilotnut edit approriately please.

I really love oh you know who's latest attempts to liven up ALL WCC boards. He's got the Gael fans on their knee's crying like little girls , throwing personal insults at him. You guys must be toughening up our local NOPo "boy". What is he starting a new debate "purple gang" up there in Oregon,lol.

I am going to try to subtlely, and humbly solicit a Dons Central persona to give us a preview of the game via their perspective. Don't hold your collective breath's though , non of us have a new BMW or expensive bottle of wine to chat small talk about so I doubt will get much replay from the Don's.


MesaPilot1

Oregonian USF Preview Article: Portland basketball: Pilots making due without Nik Raivio entering games against San Francisco, Santa Clara


Game Day: Portland @ USF

Game Day: Portland at San Francisco
By Jim Beseda, The Oregonian
January 28, 2010, 6:30AM

When: 8 tonight

Where: War Memorial Gym (4,600), San Francisco, Calif.

Records: Portland (12-7, 3-2 West Coast Conference); San Francisco (7-13, 2-3)

On the air: Radio on KCMD (970) [edit to add game is also televised on ESPNU]

Probable starters: Portland -- F Ethan Niedermeyer (6.5 ppg), F Robin Smeulders (13.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg), C Kramer Knutson (5.1 ppg), G Jared Stohl (10.3 ppg), G T.J. Campbell (13.1 ppg, 5.7 apg); San Francisco -- F Dior Lowhorn (11.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg), F Angelo Caloiaro (8.3 ppg), Tomas Bruha (2.9 ppg), G Kwame Vaughn 14.1 ppg), G Dontae Bryant (3.98 ppg, 3.5 apg).

Briefly: Stohl, starting in place of injured senior Nik Raivio, made 6 of 12 three-pointers in Saturday's 80-64 victory over Pepperdine. In 19 games, Stohl has made 55 of 118 three-pointers and needs 10 more to break Casey Frandsen's school record of 202 career three-pointers set from 2000-04. ... The Pilots had lost 10 consecutive games against San Francisco before sweeping last season's two-game series with the Dons, including a 72-67 victory in San Francisco. ... The Dons, in their second season under former NBA guard Rex Walters, are 6-3 at home, including an 87-71 victory over San Diego three weeks ago.

Pilots win 74-58 on the road... a good WCC road win.

Stohl shoots 6-12 from 3, needs only 3 more to tie Frandsen's record, 4 to surpass.

ESPN Recap. This isn't as good as the one at portlandpilots.com but there should be video highlights forthcoming since the game was aired on ESPNU.

Also,

Jared Stohl tied his season high with 22 points

FALSE!!!! (See Idaho @ UP).

Great win last night (or this morning for me...man I'm tired now). It's great to see us win without having Nik in the line-up. Hopefully it helps us play better with more confidence when we get him back. I thought it was an all around pretty good game for everyone. I was hoping we'd put them away sooner than we did, but they were able to stay in it for a bit with the 3 point shot. the effort from TJ, Jared, Ethan, and all the bigs was just great - love it!

I was at the game--what a night! Very solid all-around performance by the Pilots (coaches as well as players) preceded by a fine reception organized by local alums. The turnout of UP fans was largest I have witnessed in a bay area venue.

Go Pilots!

I also had to watch the game this morning...no way I was gonna be able to stay up until midnight. That was a solid win for us, really any without Raivio is a big win. Stohl and TJ obviously had very good games. We were really able to shut down Lowhorn. When he came out with about 5 minutes left the announcers said something about him being tired for working so hard...at that time, I was thinking that he kind of disappeared. To me, that means our bigs did a solid job defensing (or defending, maybe) him.