Katz's 76 Classic Wrap-Up

3. Portland is a credible NCAA tourney team: Pilots coach Eric Reveno got plenty out of this event, beating UCLA and Minnesota before losing to West Virginia in the final. But he said something telling prior to Sunday's title game. He said if the Pilots are the team they are supposed to be now and the one that has earned respect, then they need to win games like Wednesday against Portland State. He's right. The Pilots can afford to lose at Washington, but must win the games it should to be taken seriously as a real at-large threat and/or challenger to Gonzaga in the WCC.

"I hope that people see that we play as a team,'' Portland forward Kramer Knutson said. "We don't have a bunch of guys out there playing for themselves and trying to make big shots. We play as a unit and go hard every time we are on the floor.''

Remember Knutson, Ethan Niedermeyer, Luke Sikma and Robin Smeulders inside as tough, gritty guys who can finish and don't mind being knocked down. The compact, cornerback-like T.J. Campbell is a piston of a player at the point and Jared Stohl can make big-time shots.

"We are going to look at these three days and see how much we have improved and see what we need to work on to be competitive,'' Reveno said. "I loved that these guys really tried to battle back and they showed some true heart and competitiveness.''

Reveno said that this team has a chance to be special. He's right. This team is deeper than conference mate Saint Mary's a year ago and will have more quality wins if it doesn't lose games it shouldn't.

mattywizz wrote:I was kind of hoping we would stay under the radar for a little longer...but you know what? It also feels pretty good to get kind words from national media.

• Portland: Even with a loss to No. 8 West Virginia in the title game, the Pilots were the story at the 76 Classic in Anaheim. The 27-point domination of UCLA was not a fluke, especially when Portland took out a deep, talented Minnesota team that doesn't have a single scrub. The Gophers and Bruins have oodles more talent than the Pilots, but that doesn't mean T.J. Campbell can't play with any of them. Portland shoots from all over the perimeter, can board with the best and never loses its poise. The Pilots should be a good watch throughout the season.

Smackdown of the week: There is no second place. Portland's 27-point rout of UCLA, the most lopsided loss of the Ben Howland era, was a pounding from start to finish.