@ Portland State -- Saturday 12/7 @ 7 PM

And I hope people noticed that the PSU Pep band paired up nicely with the Pilot dancers for a couple dance numbers and with the Villans? on a song or two.

And we had a better student presence there than at a couple of recent home games.

There were a couple of upsets last night in the WCC:  Utah St was a 10 point favorite at home vs. Pacific, but Pacific won by 10; and 10 point underdog Pepperdine won by 6 at UC-Irvine.  And it looked for awhile like PSU and Tim Douglas would upset the Pilots too, but soon Coach Reveno’s strategy became clear…..push, push, push, and substitute liberally to wear down the Vikings.  
 
The Pilots energy level late in the game, especially from Thomas and Korey, made a very close game look like a blowout if one were to look only at the final score.   Besides having a monster night with his 19 points and 18 rebounds, Thomas is such an unselfish team player he makes his teammates better.  And Korey’s kangaroo like energy while swatting shots and grabbing rebounds was a treat for Pilot fans and a shot in the arm for his team….and probably the ultimate difference maker in very close game.  
 
Maybe it was the small size of the Stott Center that made 1,100 fans sound noisy, or maybe it was the “city bragging rights,” but I don’t recall a more physical, intense, or up-tempo game in quite awhile.  With the fire alarms still buzzing and Tim seemingly scoring and disrupting the Pilots offense at will in the first 5 minutes, it created a wonderful atmosphere for a college basketball game that continued for the entire game.  From a fan prospective I would love to see UP and PSU play twice a year….something we did back in the dark ages.
 
Kudos to the UP fans, dance team, and students for actually taking over the noise level last night…..it did not go unnoticed by the UP players.   It made me think back to my high school days when we had to fight our way out of the gym at the end of a game (Geezer and I were ready)…..but all was calm with hugs and handshakes as we left the Stott Center and headed into the 10 degree wind chill and post-game partying.

Here are the post game interviews and highlights...  Too bad they didn't get Sharp's buzzer beater in the first half!

YouTube Link

PilotNut wrote:Here are the post game interviews and highlights...  Too bad they didn't get Sharp's buzzer beater in the first half!

They did in one of those animated gifs on the portlandpilots lead story.
Second one down.
http://www.portlandpilots.com/news/2013/12/7/MBB_1207135132.aspx?path=mbball

Bank off the target square corner..

Reveno really lucked out with Sharp's bank shot! He should have never called that timeout. Here's some insight from the Tribune's game article:

The Pilots finished the half on an 8-0 run. With time running out in the half, UP got the ball and appeared destined for an easy fast-break layup. Inexplicably, Reveno called a timeout with three seconds remaining. It turned out to be a good thing for the Pilots, though. Bobby Sharp banked in a 3-pointer from the right side as time expired, and UP went to halftime leading 47-40.

“I called timeout in the last three seconds, and I shouldn’t have,” Reveno said. “We had a layup. But we ended up with a 3. It was a lucky break. It’s one of those things that, like a tennis player, you’re supposed to apologize for the let. It was just lucky, but those things matter. Going in with seven and a little bit of mojo, it made a difference.”

Speaking of Sharp... he's really been off target with the 3-pointers the last few games: 2-8 in the last two games; 4-13 in the last four games. (And last night's 3-point make was clearly NOT on target. Lucky bank shot.)

I'd like to see Tanner Riley get a few of Sharp's minutes. Riley didn't get in the game at all last night. If Option 1 (Sharp) isn't working, let's try Option 2 (Riley).

Tanner's absence last night was peculiar... with liberal subbing, something had to be up. Hopefully that is a temporary situation!

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Speaking of Sharp... he's really been off target with the 3-pointers the last few games: 2-8 in the last two games; 4-13 in the last four games. (And last night's 3-point make was clearly NOT on target. Lucky bank shot.)

What do you mean,...luck? Perfect bank. Sam Jones style.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Reveno really lucked out with Sharp's bank shot! He should have never called that timeout.

Yea, we were discussing Rev's timeout call while enjoying the PSU popcorn, pop, and hot dogs....and concluded the coach owes Bobby one for bailing him out of a potentially embarrassing situation.
 
It was obvious Bobby, and a few others, who have not practiced or played in the Stott Center were having difficulty lining up their sites on the baskets that appeared to be located in the shadows of an already dimly lit gym.  Prior to his 3-pointer to end the half (his only points of the game) his previous attempt was an air-ball.
 
Points:
• Re: the '"free" food at the Stott Center.....the price of a General Admission ticket was $18; I think we paid for the snack!  
• Yes, the “Original Balloon Man” was good entertainment and made for lots of laughs….. 
• The “Risky Business” dance routine performed by the Vikings dance team was a lot better than it could have been if they’d worn the “tidy-whities’ of Tom Cruise fame.   
• It appeared that most of those singing “Sweet Caroline” were Pilot fans…..because by that point UP was leading by 10 with little time left on the clock.  But, it was definitely a nice touch and added to a raucous, but fun atmosphere.  
• Senator Ron Wyden spent all his time with the PSU contingent during the pregame partying and on the sidelines during the game….but in addition to his PSU cap, he did have on a purple and white shirt!!  The reason he participated in the ceremonial jump-ball was because it was obvious the PSU president was doing everything possible to curry favor with senator all night....$$$$

A few more thoughts on last night's game:

• Agreed with other comments that this was one of the most fun, entertaining, intense games I've seen the UP play. Small crowd, but in a small gym it felt bigger. And the UP students were great. If only that crowd intensity could be replicated at home. Why are UP fans more enthusiastic and loud at a road game than they are at home?

• Last year we would have lost this game, because Nicholas had one of his regularly scheduled terrible shooting nights (4-13). Last season we did not have enough other offensive weapons to make up for a Nicholas off-night, or enough offensive rebounding presence to scoop up all those misses. This year, Bailey and VDM are picking up the slack.

• VDM has now passed Nicholas to become the team's 2nd-leading scorer. Bailey is up to 16.7 ppg. This team becomes better and better as Nicholas settles in as a second-tier scoring option (who leads the WCC in rebounding!).

• Lay-ups were much better tonight. I only remember 1 or 2 misses.

• In a wild, back-and-forth game, we still only committed 12 turnovers. 15 assists.

• Inexcusable that the Oregonian did not cover this game. Pathetic.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:
• Inexcusable that the Oregonian did not cover this game. Pathetic.

Not even online, or so I thought when I checked the Vikings and Pilots sections on nOrigonlive.

Then I clicked on the NCAA section and saw the Vikings website story

http://www.oregonlive.com/collegebasketball/index.ssf/2013/12/mens_college_basketball_portla.html

Doesn't the winning team get to write the history?

It is really odd to see what was good coverage of local sports die on the vine. It's like watching a botched hanging.

And they wonder why they are rapidly becoming irrelevant.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:A few more thoughts on last night's game:

• Small crowd, but in a small gym it felt bigger. And the UP students were great. If only that crowd intensity could be replicated at home. Why are UP fans more enthusiastic and loud at a road game than they are at home?

Umm, I think you answered your own question....

Some of us weren't nearly as loud as we usually are at UP, but the sound just reverberated throughout the small space.  That, and the fact that many PSU fans in attendance just weren't all that vocal, imo.  I sat with some PSU fans for awhile who were polite and applauded when PSU scored.....but that was about it.  

I honestly believe the UP fans and students that attend games at the Chiles Center would seem much, much louder if the CC were a 1500 seat arena.

As for the Oregonian....yes, PATHETIC is a good description.  There was a time, many years ago, the PSU/UP matchup was a big deal in the print media (that's really all there was).  Fortunately, the Portland Tribune his pretty good at covering UP for those who still read a newspaper besides the WSJ or NYT.

(Women's game starting in 20 minutes......gotta run!)

Here's the Tribune story: Pilots prevail over Viks

"Trash Talking, Stare Downs, Technical Fouls, I Love It……"

From columnist Greg Crawford:

As one of two active media people present for the Portland Pilots vs. Portland State Vikings on Saturday (The Oregonian did not even bother to cover the game, shame, shame on them), I loved what I saw and heard, all the more reason that these teams that are a 20 minute car ride apart should play twice per year.

Read the entire article here:
http://www.csnnw.com/blog/crawfords-court/trash-talking-stare-downs-technical-fouls-i-love-it

Read the comments. Jim Beseda calls Greg out on the number of working media, identify himself and two others. He's also got some info about a Oregon Classic idea.

Crawford said active media. If Beseda was active, where is his article?

PurpleGeezer wrote:Crawford said active media. If Beseda was active, where is his article?

I haven't seen one from him on the game. But here's one he published 4 days ago. http://portlandpilots.com/news/2013/12/6/MBB_1206133312.aspx?path=mbball

But he claimed he was active media at the game. Where is is work on that?

The O reports that Tim Douglas' performance in Saturday's game earned him Big Sky player of the week.

http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2013/12/vikings_tim_douglas_named_big.html

I wonder if they are going to notice a player on the winning team got WCC POW for his performance in the same game.

PurpleGeezer wrote:I wonder if they are going to notice a player on the winning team got WCC  POW for his performance in the same game.

I wondered this, as well. But, you have to wonder if PSU/Big Sky just did a better job of getting eyes on their press release, or if the O just missed the boat (again) on this one.

Are you saying our SID didn't send them a press release comparable to the one PSU presumably sent out?

I have seen one, but maybe the O no longer is deemed worth sending one to. It would be a question to ask him.

I am not saying anyone at UP did anything wrong... it is probably a mistake/miss on the O's part; those press releases are pretty much automatically sent out. It can't hurt to follow up with the O, if you want to get the good publicity out there!

PurpleGeezer wrote:But he claimed he was active media at the game. Where is is work on that?

Beseda has been live-Tweeting every UP game, including the one at PSU: https://twitter.com/jimbeseda

Being active at the game doesn't always mean there has to be an article afterward.

PilotNut wrote:

PurpleGeezer wrote:I wonder if they are going to notice a player on the winning team got WCC  POW for his performance in the same game.

I wondered this, as well.  But, you have to wonder if PSU/Big Sky just did a better job of getting eyes on their press release, or if the O just missed the boat (again) on this one.

As an aside, plus one for the actual nautical reference!  Let the media, active or otherwise, take note . . .

Stonehouse wrote:

PurpleGeezer wrote:But he claimed he was active media at the game. Where is is work on that?

Beseda has been live-Tweeting every UP game, including the one at PSU: https://twitter.com/jimbeseda

Being active at the game doesn't always mean there has to be an article afterward.

Crap Stoney, I would have tweeted all game if it meant I get a free seat at the press table and the free press buffet most teams provide. I paid $25 a pop for the center section reserved seats I bought and that came with a free hot dog I had to wrest out of some 8 year old's hand. It was the last one.

I'll even take some pictures! now that I have my new tablet. I notice one of the guys Beseda named as fellow press was a photographer. Still waiting on his pictures. The one of Tim in the article was an old game.

He tweeted 15 times at $1.67 a pop, I guess. Better seats and  eats, though.

I'll throw in an extra 5 tweets for the same treatment.