Quick turn-around: UP @ Pepp, Saturday, 2pm

Pepperdine played GU fairly well last night, after spotting them a 17 point lead to start the game.

Tip-off is 2pm, but the game does not appear to be on TV anywhere, so I dont quite understand the early tip...? You can get livestats and purchase the Pepp video here: LINK.

Pepp preview of the game: LINK.



GO PILOTS! BREAK THE WAVES!

The UP site says there is a free live simulcast at portlandpilots.com. I'm working on hooking my PC up to my TV. Wish this game was in the evening; hard to justify another Saturday sitting on my butt.

up7587... almost 100% sure that live simulcast is referring to audio, not video. If you want to watch it, you'll have to buy it from the Pepperdine site.

I feel a lot more confident about today's game after watching us on Thursday. We finally beat a team on the road by a comfortable margin. Pepperdine has two solid players in Mychel Thompson and Keion Bell and some promising freshman, but Portland has way more experience and a lot more depth, not to mention a significant size advantage. To get the win, we'll need to use our size and really pound them on the boards like we did LMU. And let's hope we can get out and defend the three-point line a bit better... the Waves have some decent outside shooters, which can make them dangerous.

Anyway... I'm pumped. 4-1 is at our fingertips. Let's hope the guys buckle down and make it happen. I think they will.

Stonehouse wrote:up7587... almost 100% sure that live simulcast is referring to audio, not video. If you want to watch it, you'll have to buy it from the Pepperdine site.

Once again, my signature rings true.

Interesting. The livestats on the Pepp site are ahead of the radio broadcast....

Off topic, but watching the livestats and whatnot for other conference members, I gotta say our websites is DEFINITELY one of the better as far as aesthetics, functionality, and ease of layout...

New drinking game: one drink every time Tom Kolker says "and we go the other way." Careful, could be dangerous to your health.

I had this strange dream we were tied for 3rd in the conference...

DaTruRochin wrote:I had this strange dream we were tied for 3rd in the conference...

Better pinch yourself!

73 to 58! 4-1 in conference. This completes one of the steps outlined for a successful season: win two road games against the bottom of the conference. Now we need to defend home court next week against USD, and see if we can get one from the top two, SMU or GU. Go Pilots!

4-1 in WCC play. I love it. Final score 73-58.

This sets up a HUGE game Thursday vs. USD at Chiles. HUGE!

PilotNut wrote:4-1 in WCC play. I love it. Final score 73-58.

This sets up a HUGE game Thursday vs. USD at Chiles. HUGE!

According to the Trib, the Pilots have NEVER started 5-1 in conference. Time to put that stat to bed!

DaTruRochin wrote:Off topic, but watching the livestats and whatnot for other conference members, I gotta say our websites is DEFINITELY one of the better as far as aesthetics, functionality, and ease of layout...

Maybe because ours doesn't use the CSTV template. The Pilots do have a great site.

I would check the archives for the Pilots' best conference start, but...

4-1 is our best start, and the 3rd time it has happened, per the radio broadcast... I assume that info was fed to Tom by Jason Brough, the SID and color guy. Who, by the way, both do a great job on the air...

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:
I would check the archives for the Pilots' best conference start, but...

I couldn't have said it better.

Nice win, BTW. But we have to play three tough teams next and beat at least one if we want any sort of post season. Our RPI actually went DOWN with the two wins this weekend.

I think to win either game next weekend would be stealing. With these games being at home and this Pilot team though, I'm really hopeful.

Big win. 4-1 in WCC play with a HUGE conference game on Thursday with USD. What's at stake? Well, 3rd place in the conference is potentially at stake. A win over USD puts the purple guys in the dirver's seat for 3rd place. Why would that be so important? Well, for one thing, the 3rd place team would not play the conference champion in the tournament unless it were to be in the championship game. Second, the 3rd place team would play the lowest seeded team from the Friday night winners when 5 plays 8 and 6 plays 7. I think the higher seeded team in that group will likely be Santa Clara, and the lower seeded winner would be our opponent - either Pepperdine, LMU, or USF. Any one of those three teams would be a much, much better match up for us than SCU. SCU will be a very dangerous tournament team. They always are. Santa Clara is the best team, out of those four, and would give us the best game. The Broncos typically are a second half conference team when they get off to a slow start, and typically play their best basketball at the end of February and in March. Just my opiniion.

Regardless, these two road wins over LMU and Pepperdine were very, very important, and we got them. The USD game will clearly have major conference standing and tournament seeding rammifications. The SMC game is not a likely win, and an upset would simply be added icing on the cake. But the USD game is CRITICAL! I think we win.

Nik Raivio is turning it into another gear in WCC play... 16 and 6 at HALF this game, and 16 and 14 (estimate, i'm too lazy to look it up) in the last game... He's definitely setting himself apart as the playmaker on this team, and Jared is providing instant offense off the bench, most exciting indeed...

DaTruRochin wrote:Nik Raivio is turning it into another gear in WCC play... 16 and 6 at HALF this game, and 16 and 14 (estimate, i'm too lazy to look it up) in the last game... He's definitely setting himself apart as the playmaker on this team, and Jared is providing instant offense off the bench, most exciting indeed...

Raivio has really been so consistent this year. I'd still love to see some kind of a national list of the best efficiency ratings (EFF)of college players. I think he'd make the list... Let me know if anybody finds that. Some stat geek must have that information somewhere...

up7587 wrote:73 to 58! 4-1 in conference. This completes one of the steps outlined for a successful season: win two road games against the bottom of the conference. Now we need to defend home court next week against USD, and see if we can get one from the top two, SMU or GU. Go Pilots!

This was a close prediction for Polmeroy: 73 to 62:

http://kenpom.com/sked.php?team=Portland&t=p

He has us beating USD: 62 UP --57 USD. Let's see if that one is close...

Geezer or anybody else?

The Washington Husky upset of UCLA helped our RPI ,didn't it?

This RPI stuff is starting to sound like it could actually mean something to the Pilot's at season end. Isn't is nice this year to have hope and even be concerned what our RPI is. What a treat!!!


MesaPilot1

MesaPilot--

Yes, that upset will help us. Pilots fans finally have a legit reason to cheer for the Huskies! LOL

Opponents' winning % is a huge part of RPI. For example, the team that wins one of the best conferences like the ACC or the Big East is almost guaranteed a spot in the top 10 even if their record has more losses than a team like St. Mary's. St. Mary's has a really poor strength of schedule so far, and that may really hurt their chances of making the tourney if they start losing or become a bubble team.

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/SportFit/ciau/rpi.html

This will help our RPI, however, I still think the NIT is probably a more realistic goal for this team than the NCAA tourney unless this team just rolls on all cylinders and just completely shocks me... I hope it does. I don't see us finishing with a top 64 RPI, but, I guess I should put on my New Agey goggles and think positive, right??

Mesa - RPI meaningful as far as post-season play?

Honestly, we would need to win the WCC tournament to get into the dance, unless we somehow went 13-1 in conference and lost in the tournament finals.

As far as the NIT, it's basically an invitational. They either like you or don't like you. I don't think RPI really factors in to it a whole lot.

I think the NIT asks you:

1) Did you have a winning season?
2) If we give you a home game how many tickets can you sell?

There might be some more that goes into it.

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:I think the NIT asks you:

1) Did you have a winning season?
2) If we give you a home game how many tickets can you sell?

There might be some more that goes into it.

Not much more from what I understand... Btw how awesome is it to actually be discussing post season Pilot basketball within the realm of realistic possibility??