Portland @ Pepperdine, Thursday 2/18, 5pm

NewUPFan wrote:You might want to check to make sure that you can watch the game. At least here in the Portland area, DISH is stating that the game is not available. I wonder if PRIME has some sort of agreement that puts it on ESPN GamePlan or something like that.

Rochin54 wrote:

NewUPFan wrote:You might want to check to make sure that you can watch the game. At least here in the Portland area, DISH is stating that the game is not available. I wonder if PRIME has some sort of agreement that puts it on ESPN GamePlan or something like that.

Hmmm - not good news. My "channel lineup" online tells me I get it, but I will have to check when I get home to see whats up.

PilotNut wrote:NewUPFan: Are you hosting the PN Viewing Party?

NewUPFan wrote:I don't think hosting a Viewing Party of "This Program is not available in your area" would be that exciting.

Pilots basketball: Second place (and No. 2 seed) still within reach with four WCC games left

By Jim Beseda, The Oregonian
February 17, 2010, 7:15PM

University of Portland coach Eric Reveno is struggling to come up with things to say that his Pilots haven't already heard.

But sounding like a broken record has worked, because the Pilots have won seven of their last eight games heading into tonight's West Coast Conference game against the slumping Pepperdine Waves in Malibu, Calif.

"Now it's about trying to fine tune," Reveno said. "The fun part of the riddle is figuring out things can you still do better. There's always little things that you try to tweak, and if you're watching tape, maybe you see something that you can help a player with."

With four conference games remaining, the Pilots (16-8, 7-3 WCC) have almost no chance of catching Gonzaga for first place. But assuming the Bulldogs stay the course and if UP were to win out, the Pilots could finish alone in second or at worse end up tied with Saint Mary's.

The only problem with finishing in a second-place tie with Saint Mary's is that the Gaels have a higher ranking than Portland in the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index, so the Gaels would earn the No. 2 seed into the WCC Tournament, and the Pilots would draw the No. 3 seed.

The difference in seeds is significant, because the No. 3 seed opens tournament play in the quarterfinals, while the top two seeds earn automatic berths into the semifinals.

"In terms of the conference race, we can only control what we do," Reveno said. "If someone else trips up or something changes, so bet it. But we don't want to be the one tripping up or giving a game away that we shouldn't."

The Pilots have cut back on the time they're spending in the weight room and their practices have gotten a bit shorter, but other than that, it has been business as usual.

"We're tapering back a bit, but when they're on the court, I still want them to be in the habit of playing really hard," Reveno said. "We'll have walk-throughs, and those will be walk-throughs. But when we're practicing, we'll go at a certain pace. I think you need that to still stay sharp."

The Pilots are favored to win not only tonight's game against Pepperdine (7-19, 3-7), but also Saturday's final regular-season road game against Loyola Marymount (13-13, 4-6).

After opening conference play with three consecutive wins, the Waves have lost seven in a row, including an 80-64 loss to the Pilots four weeks ago.

"This group has worked hard and taken pride in being good," Reveno said. "I don't think we as a team have an arrogance about us that we'd overlook anybody. I sure hope not."

-- Jim Beseda