Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
Portland Pilots (9-10) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (15-3)
The 2022-23 college hoops betting action goes on Saturday, January 14, with the Portland Pilots taking on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the West Coast Conference showdown at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington.
The tip-off is set for 10:00 PM ET, and Gonzaga opens as a huge 17-point home fave with a total of 160.5 points. The Bulldogs aim for their 15th consecutive victory over the Pilots, so let’s take a closer look.
The Portland Pilots (9-10; 8-9 ATS) put an end to their five-game losing streak this past Thursday. They outlasted the San Francisco Dons 92-87 as small 2-point home underdogs, improving to 1-3 in the conference play. The Pilots blew a double-digit lead but found a way to escape with a victory, making 29 of their 31 attempts from the free-throw line.
Portland went 13-for-30 from downtown against the Dons and posted a 20/14 assist-to-turnover ratio. Junior guard Tyler Robertson had 23 points and five assists, junior forward Kristian Sjolund double-doubled with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while fellow junior F Moses Wood added 20 points.
POR 52-51 USF | 2nd Half
JAM from Sj olund ?? pic.twitter.com/jCOZfBKeLj
— Portland Pilots Men's Basketball (@PortlandMBB) January 13, 2023
The Pilots lean on their offense, tallying 106.6 points per 100 possessions (104th in the country). They make 9.3 triples per game (30th) on a 36.7 percentage clip (69th) while handing out 15.5 assists per contest (58th). The Pilots struggle on the other side of the ball, allowing 106.0 points per 100 possessions (238th) on 36.9% shooting from deep (335th). Portland is No. 175 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 161 in the KenPom rankings.