Collision course: Portland vs. Gonzaga -- Round 1.

Portland basketball: Pilots open WCC play Saturday at Gonzaga

What was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Portland Pilots is showing signs of becoming more productive.

At 12-3, the Pilots head into Saturday's West Coast Conference opener against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Spokane looking as if they might be able to at least throw scares into perennial favorites Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.

"I think we've performed like a top-three team in the conference," Portland coach Eric Reveno said. "We've had a heck of a non-conference season, but you've got to just keep winning.

"You don't want to be the team that's recognized in Portland as having the best non-conference record in school history. They don't make a banner for that."

Conference play begins Thursday with two games -- Saint Mary's at Loyola Marymount at 6 p.m. on ESPNU, and San Diego at Pepperdine at 7 p.m. All eight teams will be in action Saturday, with the Portland-Gonzaga game in Spokane at 5:30 p.m. on FSN.

The Pilots are drawing what is likely to be one of their toughest tests of the regular season Saturday, taking on the 10-time defending WCC regular-season champions at the McCarthey Athletic Center -- where the Bulldogs are an impressive 82-5 since the arena opened in 2004-05.

Gonzaga returns four starters from last season's team that finished 27-7 and lost to Syracuse in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. After some early-season struggles, the Bulldogs (10-5) have won six consecutive games, including Sunday's 73-63 victory at Wake Forest.

The Bulldogs also have owned the series with Portland, winning the last 14 games against the Pilots and 27 of 28 since the 1996-97 season. Portland's only win during the stretch came on Feb. 19, 2003 when the Pilots edged Gonzaga 72-68 in Spokane.

"I think with Gonzaga, the big mistake is to read too much into their December results," Reveno said. "Their schedule has been unbelievable, and I've seen nothing from them that would make me think that they're not still the favorite."

Three WCC teams begin conference play ranked among the top 50 in Rating Percentage Index (RPI) according to figures released Tuesday by the NCAA: Portland (37), Saint Mary's (41), and Gonzaga (44).

Those numbers could be important in March when the NCAA selection committee hands out at-large bids to its new 68-team tournament bracket, but they're also likely to change significantly between now and the March 4-7 WCC Tournament in Las Vegas.

"I don't know how good we can be, which is kind of fun, because last year we were more of a known commodity," Reveno said. "This team is different in that I think we're pretty good, but we could be better."

Reveno had very few complaints after last week's final tune-up, an 88-79 victory over Utah that extended the Pilots' winning streak to five games and improved their record at the Chiles Center to 8-0.

"I love our record, first and foremost, but secondly I love the fact that we've had the opportunity to learn from good programs," Reveno said. "We've been tested every time ... and every game we've learned something new about ourselves.

"We can do a lot of things better. At the same time, you've got to appreciate that the guys have worked hard. People who have been around the program for awhile know that what this team is doing is a nice accomplishment."

Picked for fifth in the preseason coaches' poll, the consensus was that Portland might struggle adjusting to the loss of four starters from last season's 21-11 team. But the Pilots have made a smooth transition to a new starting lineup that consists of seniors Kramer Knutson, Luke Sikma and Jared Stohl, and juniors Nemanja Mitrovic and Eric Waterford.

The Pilots also are getting solid contributions from four newcomers -- sophomore Derrick Rodgers, and freshmen Riley Barker, Tim Douglas and Tanner Riley -- who have seen most of the playing time off the bench through the first 15 games.

"We've just got a really balanced team," Stohl said. "We rely on our defense to win games, and anybody on our team can score when we need them to. We've got a lot of unselfish guys on our team, and that's what has allowed us to be successful so far.

"It's going to be a tough conference, as usual. But if we play our 'A' game, I think we'll be somewhere in the top three."

Stohl, the school's all-time leader in three-point field goals, and Mitrovic have done most of the Pilots' scoring, averaging a combined 27.8 points a game, while connecting on more three-pointers (93 for 187) than any guard combo in the nation.

Sikma is the only WCC player currently averaging double figures in points (12.4) and rebounds (10.7), and Waterford has been steady at the point guard spot with 17 assists and only two turnovers in his last five starts.

"I don't think we're trying to set any expectations for ourselves," Mitrovic said. "Our only expectation is to keep playing the way we've been playing. If we do that, I think we have a good chance to make a run at a league title."

-- Jim Beseda

"I don't know how good we can be, which is kind of fun, because last year we were more of a known commodity," Reveno said. "This team is different in that I think we're pretty good, but we could be better."

DaTruRochin wrote:I don't think there's any question who is the more talented of the two teams, the Zags game all comes down to mental toughness, especially when they aren't clicking. When they lose, they force the issue, grow lax on defense and wear their frustration on their sleeve.

Fortunately we do have the shooters to get back into games if there is an early deficit. I think in order to win, the pilots are going to have to shoot well throughout AND play tough defense forcing GU out of their game. It might be difficult, and even require some luck, but beating the Zags at home is a real possibility. I mean heck, even Casey Frandsen managed to do it once...

U Zig, I Zag
Zag for Life

Overall Pilot fans are a good bunch and pretty classy. Like most Portlanders they are probably stoned most the time, that's where the easy-breazy attitude comes in, but still.

Trying very hard to prepare for Gonzaga...even think like Coach Few, the whole deal. I think I will go fly fishing this afternoon.

onetouchfutbol wrote:I don't think we can talk about our inside game without mentioning Hannibal's contributions this year. His back door cuts and dunks have offered some unexpected points that have really been key in some games in my opinion, and he's one of the few players we have big enough to put a body on Sacre (besides Sikma and Knutson) and hopefully block out effectively. We need his 6-8 points and all of his fouls so we don't miss a beat if Sikma or Kramer go to the bench. We need all three of our big guys to play well to win this game...to contribute down low and also hopefully set picks/screens for Mitrovic and Stohl. Hannibal's play is one of the reason that Riley Barker's minutes are more hit and miss. In my opinion, he's having his best year so far...

up7587 wrote:Really? Zags used a PA guy to tell the crowd to get up and yell?