Portland State vs Cal Baptist Prediction - College Basketball Picks 11/17/23

The Vikings’ latest win came versus Linfield. Portland State got off to a 32-23 edge by halftime and ended up winning 70 53 after 38 more points. KJ Allen led the team with 18 points, five steals and seven rebounds off the bench. Kendall Munson added 10 points with six rebounds as well.

Cal Baptist Lancers

Over on the Lancers’ side, they’ve performed pretty well through two games so far. Cal Baptist kicked off their season with a 74-57 win over San Francisco State, shooting 39.7 percent overall with a 47-31 rebounding edge. The Lancers weren’t great from the line however, notching just 18-of-32 (56.3 percent) on foul shots.

Game two was an 80-66 win over Jackson State, a game which was closer than the final score indicated. The Lancers were down 39-34 at the break, but scored 46 points in the second half to carry the win. Tops in scoring was Dominique Daniels with 26 points and six assists. Brantly Stevenson added 16 points and six rebounds off the bench.

ANDREW’S FREE PICK

I’m going to stick with Portland State here, but you could make a case either way. The Vikings have had a couple of close calls in their three games so far, and they had some issues with Linfield in their last outing. Portland State shot just 55 percent (11-of-20) from the line and got out-rebounded 43-35 in that one, but benefitted greatly from Linfield’s 19 turnovers.

As for Cal Baptist, they’ve been solid but not overwhelming so far this year themselves. The Lancers started slow in their last outing versus Jackson State but eventually found a rhythm. This should be a pretty good matchup and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a close, competitive game. It’ll be a fun one to check out.