BYU Cougars (17-14) vs Portland Pilots (14-18)
Game Info: Friday, March 3, 2023 at 9:00 pm (Orleans Arena)
Betting Odds: BYU Cougars -6.5 -- Over/Under: 156.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
The BYU Cougars and the Portland Pilots will meet in Las Vegas to face off in the second round of the West Coast Conference Tournament at the Orleans Arena.
Portland moved to 14-18 after San Diego in the first round of the WCC Tournament. The Pilots used a big second half to pick up an 18-point win and end the Toreros season, 92-74. Portland scores 78.0 points per game, while allowing 78.5 ppg and shooting 45.7% from the floor.
Portland dropped their final four games, but they came up big against USD, and they might put a scare on the exiting Cougars here. Tyler Robertson is one of the best players in the conference, and it was on display in their first round matchup. The junior swingman recorded game-highs of 23 points, 11 rebounds, and six dimes, to bring his well-rounded season line to a clean 15.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, and a team-lead 5.3 apg. Junior forward Moses Wood has scored 19 points or more in four of the last six games, and he leads the Pilots in rebounding (6.3), while scoring 15.6 ppg.
BYU finished at 17-14 after beating San Francisco in their home finale. The Cougars fed off the energy in the Marriott, and poured in on the Dons to win by a massive margin, 87-61. BYU scores 75.6 points per game, while allowing 69.9 ppg, and shooting 45.3% from the field.
BYU’s time in the West Coast Conference is winding down, as a move to ‘greener pastures in the Big 12 awaits. Inconsistency has left the Cougars off of bubble radars, but a nice showing here in their final WCC tournament could warrant some kind of postseason bid. The Cougars played through the duo of Fousseyini Traore and Rudi Williams this season. Traore grabbed 14 boards in the win over San Fran, and he leads the team in scoring (13.2) and rebounding (8.0). Williams scored a team-high 21 points against USF last time out, and he’s up to 12.7 ppg. Senior forward Gideon George scored 20 points in the NYE victory over Portland, and he averaged 10.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg.
Portland is 13-16 against the spread this season, with a 17-12 over/under record. BYU is 16-13 ATS this year, with a 15-14 o/u record.
If this wasn’t Portland's second game in as many days, I’d like the position they come into more here. After running San Diego off of the court last nite, the Pilots may surely feel the effects when they meet a physical and ‘fresh’ BYU bunch. The Cougars' days in the WCC are numbered, and I don’t feel Portland will be the school that bows them out. BYU may not be playing for an invite to the Big Dance, but with this conference tournament being their last, they should get up for a winnable matchup and the chance to advance. In a perfect world, we get one more BYU versus Gonzaga classic, but for the moment, roll with the Cougars capitalizing on a tired group of Pilots, covering here Friday night.
Corey’s Pick BYU -6.5
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
Mitch's Take...
