The Portland State Men’s Basketball team did not finish the regular season as they would’ve preferred. After a hot start to the beginning of their year, the Vikings lost three of their last four games against the No. 2 – No. 4 seeds of the Big Sky Tournament. They secured a victory on Senior Night against Weber State to end their regular season. Regardless, PSU still has a shot at making the NCAA Tournament. Jase Coburn has done a phenomenal job with the program. If anything, it’s good to get those losses out of the way now. Portland State was never going to receive an auto bid to the Madness. This article is going to examine three things the Vikings need to do if they want to win the Big Sky Tournament.
Start Fast
PSU will likely face a hungry opponent in their second matchup. The winner of Montana and Northern Colorado will play the Viks in the second round. Whichever team wins this contest will likely have a few lumps to work out before their game against Portland State.
The Grizzlies have mallywhapped the Bears twice this season, but it’s hard to knock off a squad three times in a year, especially a 20-win team. This game should prove to be a battle.
If the Vikings want to capitalize, they’ll need to blow out Northern Arizona or Idaho State in the first round. Having rested players could prove vital in their second contest.
PSU beat the Lumberjacks twice by about 10 points; they’ll need to do better the third time around. Flipping to the Gem State, the Viks beat the Bengals twice in varying ways.
In the second game of their conference slate, Portland State nearly lost in Pocatello, but PSU beat the Bengals in overtime. In their second matchup, the Vikings looked the part of the No. 1 seed, crushing ISU by 23 points.
An easy victory could also boost the Viks’ confidence; back-to-back blowouts are a subconscious boost.
Big Sky Country
Montana’s the heart of this conference, and they’ve dominated the league for the past seven years. UM won the Big Sky Tournament last year, and MSU the season prior. These teams have combined for six of the last seven conference titles.
If Portland State’s gonna make noise in this tournament, they’ll likely have to get through one of these teams.
If the Griz knock off the Bears, they’ll be waiting for PSU in the semi-finals.
Montana defeated Portland State by six points a couple of weeks ago and by four earlier in the year.
Regardless, the Vikings are going to have their mitts full in the second matchup of the tournament. UNC beat the Viks by 12 about a month ago.
Portland State’s gotta ball out in the semis if they’re gonna make their dreams come true. They aren’t good enough to coast, but they’re good enough to make the tourney.
Have Fun
There’s a lot of what-ifs before the game’s tip-off. The most important thing PSU can do at this point is relax, play hard, and have fun.
Coburn has proven that his teams are ready. From a talent standpoint, the Viks aren’t that much better than the other squads in this league, but they’re still the No. 1 seed.
Portland State just locked in its third-consecutive winning season for the first time in 17 years.
And they’ll give it their all, Jase is a dawg. (See Article Linked Below)
They’re realistically five or six teams who could win this tournament, but the Viks are the frontrunners.
A trip to the big dance would mark Portland State’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009.
Sick days are activated.
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