Pilots @ Pepperdine - Saturday 1/15 @ 5pm

Remember, today's game in Firestone Fieldhouse begins at 5pm!

Once again, the Pilots (9-7/0-1/NET 247) are the underdogs to the Waves (6-12/0-3/NET 268) despite the better NET.

KenPom favors PU by 6, 77-71, and Las Vegas has PU winning by 6 with a 149.5 o/u.

With one WCC game now under their belt, the team should have fewer turnovers and will hopefully have the stamina to go 40 minutes with a bench that is just too short, IMO.

It has been over 2 years since UP won a WCC game...could today be the day to break that awful streak?

The short bench is clearly a problem. I noted Tyler played 41 minutes against USD when he was not as his best.

Dean Murdoch wrote:Anyone know how come we didn't see Kristian Sjolund at all?

More importantly, is he available for today's game?

The answer is, YES!!  

In complete control from start to finish and a great response to Pepperdine's run in the second half.

Huge win for the group. This was fun to watch!!

GUYS

WE WON A CONFERENCE GAME

NDUKA ALSO GOT A DOUBLE DOUBLE

DID YOU KNOW HE NEVER EVEN GOT A DIVISION II OFFER?*

(*For context, the Pepperdine commentator sure loved repeating this throughout the game.)

Chika's board at the buzzer was #10 completing the double double.

DoubleDipper wrote:It has been over 2 years since UP won a WCC game...could today be the day to break that awful streak?

I think so!

Although I watched the game streamed live, not in person, it is still the first time I have ever seen the Pilots win a WCC game. EDIT: First win as a UP student...

I bet I am not alone...

According to Twitter, this was also the first WCC win by 19+ points since 2015.

This seems to be the last game in question.

Pilots are on the move!

#278 #252 in the Kenpoms
#250 #227 in the Torviks

I was in church tonight and turned on the truck radio right after Sjolund made a basket for a 52-39 lead. So, the first part of the game I hear is a stretch where the Pilots turned a 13 point lead into a 4 point lead, and made no baskets for 5 minutes. Thankfully they made some FTs. You can imagine my frustration, and understand why I was still nervous with under 3 minutes to go and up 15.

Congrats to the team for getting the road win.

StudentPilot wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:It has been over 2 years since UP won a WCC game...could today be the day to break that awful streak?

I think so!

Although I watched the game streamed live, not in person, it is still the first time I have ever seen the Pilots win a WCC game.  EDIT: First win as a UP student...

I bet I am not alone...

It's been 0 days since the Pilots have won a WCC game!

I haven't been this optimistic about the direction of the program since watching us beat UCLA in 2009.

blacksheep wrote:

I haven't been this optimistic about the direction of the program since watching us beat UCLA in 2009.

Then we played PSU and Idaho.

Legans now has as many conference wins as the last three years of the Porter regime.

up7587 wrote:I was in church tonight and turned on the truck radio...

Man, I love those drive-through churches...(Sorry, still giddy from the win).

Difficult to recognize the PU lineup from previous years tonight...lots of freshmen.

One-time UP recruit, Ohia Obioha, who was "stolen at the last minute by Lorenzo Romar" according to the previous staff, had only 1 point for PU.

There are a lot of ways to win or lose a game, and although UP dropped to #2 in the nation in free-throw shooting tonight, they still hit 22-28 compared to PU's 8-16.

It will be a tough and compressed schedule ahead, and with lots of minutes being played by the starting 5, the Pilots are going to have to get more contributions from the bench.  Good minutes by Kristian and Matija tonight when the starters needed a breather...but others are going to have step up.

Congratulations to the team and staff...

Geezaldinho wrote:
Then we played PSU and Idaho.

That's something we just don't talk about here.

DoubleDipper wrote:
Difficult to recognize the PU lineup from previous years tonight...lots of freshmen.


Congratulations to the team and staff...

I still need the program to keep track of all the new UP players.

blacksheep wrote:

Geezaldinho wrote:
Then we played PSU and Idaho.

That's something we just don't talk about here.

Who are we kidding. It’s something we obsess about.

Geezaldinho wrote:

blacksheep wrote:

Geezaldinho wrote:
Then we played PSU and Idaho.

That's something we just don't talk about here.

Who are we kidding. It’s something we obsess about.

Talk to your children today about the dangers of a 25th-ranked Pilots basketball team.

Speaking of... I had a sneaking suspicion that outside of the big three WCC men's basketball teams (Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, and BYU), we were the last to be ranked -- even if only for a brief minute. Turns out that is true.

------------- Big Three -----------------
Gonzaga: currently ranked (#2)
BYU: was ranked earlier this season (as high as #12) and currently receiving votes (2)
Saint Mary's: 2019-20 season (as high as #18)

------------- Everyone Else -------------
Portland: 2009-10 season (infamous #25 for one week), and we were ranked as high as #17 in 1958-59
Pacific: 2004-05 season (as high as #17), but accomplished as a Big West team. Finished the season ranked #22.
Santa Clara: 1995-96 season (as high as #22). This is the season we won the WCC Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
LMU: 1989-90 season (as high as #19), and finished the season ranked #21.
San Francisco: 1981-82 season (ranked as high as #6), and the program was shut down after this season due to donor/NCAA issues. Currently receiving votes (2). They could possibly be the first to break through since we did.
Pepperdine: 1975-76 season (as high as #20), and finished the season ranked #20.
San Diego: never ranked

Geezaldinho wrote:I still need the program to keep track of all the new UP players.

I actually know the names of all the players this year. I couldn't identify the players from last year in a line-up.

Chika has got to get WCC Freshman of the Week, right?

DoubleDipper wrote:

Dean Murdoch wrote:Anyone know how come we didn't see Kristian Sjolund at all?

More importantly, is he available for today's game?

The answer is, YES!!  

Legans said on the radio postgame show that they still don’t know if the toe is broken or not. Ouch!!! Apparently he can play through it, but that can’t feel good.

During that interview, coach also said that Chika can really shoot the 3. He made one Thursday and shot another in this game. Right now Chika’s  scoring almost all of his points through offensive rebounds and hustle. If he starts consistently knocking down a 3 pointer, lookout!

FloridaPilot wrote:San Francisco: 1981-82 season (ranked as high as #6), and the program was shut down after this season due to donor/NCAA issues. Currently receiving votes (2). They could possibly be the first to break through since we did.

Excellent digging and post, FP.

I have no idea where USF was rated, or if they even had ratings back then, but we should remember that USF won three national titles back in the day.

In 1949 USF won the NIT, which at the time was a much bigger deal than the NCAA Tournament, under Coach Pete Newell who later went on to coach the 1959 Cal Bears to the NCAA Championship.

And in 1955 and 1956 Bill Russell and KC Jones twice led the Dons to the NCAA title under Coach Phil Woolpert.

Thanks, DD. I was not around to see that 1940s - 1980s USF basketball, but that shut down makes me wonder what could have been. Maybe, instead of us all complaining about Gonzaga we’d be complaining about the Dons?!

Back to Pepperdine: After this game and the USD game, I think it’s fair to suggest four WCC wins should be the floor for this season. Fingers crossed!

PILOTS FLYING HIGH: First-year coach Shantay Legans has the Portland men off to a 10-7 start after an 82-66 win at Pepperdine on Saturday. It was the Pilots’ first conference road victory in 26 games, dating back to a 72-65 win at Loyola Marymount on Jan. 20, 2018.

Senior forward Moses Wood and junior guard Chris Austin each scored 22 points for the Pilots, who have won 10 times in their first 17 games for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

https://wccsports.com/news/2022/1/16/mens-basketball-red-hot-timme-gonzaga-flex-their-muscles.aspx

FloridaPilot wrote:

Back to Pepperdine: After this game and the USD game, I think it’s fair to suggest four WCC wins should be the floor for this season. Fingers crossed!

I bet you are one of those guys who yatters on about the pitcher throwing a no hitter.

Geezaldinho wrote:I bet you are one of those guys who yatters on about the pitcher throwing a no hitter.

Which is the worse party foul - yattering on about a no-hitter, or exhuming a devastating loss from 12 years ago in a win thread?