Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

by Guest Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:54 pm

I just looked at the schedule for the Ospreys. Wow, it has been a difficult one. So far they have lost to Memphis, Kansas St., Florida St, Minnesota and Pittsburgh for five of their seven losses. Plus a loss to CSU tonight. All of those losses have been on the road. They also lost to Savannah St, a MEAC school, on the road. They have one road win, at Bethune Cookman. They've only had two home games, which they won, beating Edward Waters College and Florida A&M.

by DoubleDipper Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:05 pm

up7587 wrote:I just looked at the schedule for the Ospreys. Wow, it has been a difficult one.

Yea, before tonight's game against CSU, North Florida had the 5th toughest schedule in D-1....UP's is 45th toughest, according to Pomeroy

by DoubleDipper Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:34 am

I'm sure Dean will give us the whole rundown, but going into Wednesday's game, Pomeroy ranks:

North Florida -- 213
Portland -- 215

It should be quite a game; he picks UP by 3 points.

by dholcombe Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:00 am

Can someone explain to me how these games are part of the tournament. It seems to me that only the Vegas games are bracketed and it only matters if you win this weekend...

by DoubleDipper Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:05 am

dholcombe wrote:Can someone explain to me how these games are part of the tournament. It seems to me that only the Vegas games are bracketed and it only matters if you win this weekend...

Ha ha, I’ll give it a try.

Basically, there are four seeded teams in the tournament, but eight teams total, giving us four games per day in Las Vegas this coming Saturday and Sunday. The four seeded teams are:

Portland
Colorado St.
Bradley
Virginia Tech

Those four teams will play in the evening games on Saturday and Sunday regardless of their results against the other four teams in the tournament's off-site preliminary rounds. In those rounds four teams travel to the seeded team’s arenas to play. Those teams are:

Cal St. Bakersfield
North Florida
Georgia Southern
Mississippi Valley St.

Starting this week CSU and UP are playing CSUB and UNF at home; Bradley and Virginia Tech are playing GSU and MVS at home….then they all meet up in Las Vegas on Saturday with third round games there determining who will play on in the consolation and championship games….but only the four seeded teams are eligible for those games. (Are you with me so far?)

To this point, all has gone to form in the West bracket:

UP beat CSUB
CSU beat UNF

In the East bracket:

Virginia Tech lost at home to Georgia Southern
Bradley demolished Georgia Southern.
Virginia Tech defeated winless MVS.

There are games still to be played on Wednesday night, then on Saturday it’s:

MVS vs. GSU
CSUB vs. UNF
VTU vs. BU
UP vs. CSU

Sunday game pairings are determined by Saturday’s results, but again, only the four seeded teams have a chance to win the championship….regardless of the preliminary game results. Phew!

by NoPoNeighbor Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:42 am

dholcombe wrote:Can someone explain to me how these games are part of the tournament. It seems to me that only the Vegas games are bracketed and it only matters if you win this weekend...

The answer is, in short, that this is a fake tournament.

by DoubleDipper Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:46 am

Or, perhaps more aptly, it's two four-team tournaments in Las Vegas with the opportunity for a few needy schools to make a few dollars and get some exposure.

by Geezaldinho Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:48 am

The whole point of the format is that under NCAA rules, I think it all counts as one game.

It's a way to expand the schedule.

by DoubleDipper Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:54 pm

The Pilots win against CSUB caused them to move up a number of spots in the various RPI and independent computer polls…. And it changed the Pilots from underdogs to favorites in Wednesday night’s game against UNF.

Pomeroy:
UNF – 213
UP – 215
UP favored by 3 points; 67-64 with a 63% probability

Sagarin:
UNF – 222
UP – 243

RealTimeRPI:
UNF – 170!
UP – 253
UP favored by 4 points; 72-66 with a 60% probability

Man, it would seem RealTimeRPI is putting a lot of stock in UP's home court advantage....maybe they've never been to the Chiles Center. Although we can expect some high school and middle school teams to up to watch, they do not make near the noise that we get from the grade school kids....too sophisticated, I suppose. Smile

by DoubleDipper Tue Dec 18, 2012 6:09 pm

I had to look it up; the University of North Florida is located in Jacksonville, has an enrollment of over 16,000 students, and is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. And, in a huge change from our CSUB opponents, all of UNF’s players are from Florida or Georgia, and only two are transfers. As I post this, the wind chill in Portland is 32 degrees; I hope they're enjoying the balmy conditions after Ft. Collins where they lost to CSU 83-55.

As already noted, they are apparently unafraid to go on the road and take on the stiffest of opponents. Depending on which poll you consult, they rank as high as 5th for the most difficult schedule played to this point.

Just going by their stats, it would appear they will be a more formidable foe than CSUB as they are bigger (10 of the players are 6’5” or better), but still play a more of wing/guard oriented offense due to their athleticism.

The player to watch is #3. A senior guard, he averages 16 per game and shoots the 3-pointer with regularity and accuracy (43%), and converts from the line over 90% of the time.

Another scorer is #1; a 6’6’ 230lb junior wing….he leads the team in rebounds and averages 12 points per game. A second wing to watch appears to be #15, at 6’6” 225 he combines with #1 to form a form a couple of tough dudes to guard.

The point guard is #4. With only average size at 5’11”, he’s far and away the assist leader on the team (over 5 a game), but has not been a great scorer.

UNF goes to the bench with regularity, playing about 8 or 9 deep, but all 13 players have been on the court this year.

On paper, this looks like a tough matchup...it should be good.

by Tahira99 Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:37 pm

Pilots vs North Florida basketball team is very strong in this game.Many player to need in this game and hard body ,long high mans need in this game play no.Basketball regularity playing game and combines the set.

by Guest Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:05 am

Couldn't have said it better myself.

by ShipstadPilot11 Wed Dec 19, 2012 6:59 am

Tahira99 wrote:Pilots vs North Florida basketball team is very strong in this game.Many player to need in this game and hard body ,long high mans need in this game play no.Basketball regularity playing game and combines the set.

by Guest Wed Dec 19, 2012 10:18 am

DoubleDipper wrote:RealTimeRPI is putting a lot of stock in UP's home court advantage....maybe they've never been to the Chiles Center.

#pilotsproblems

by blacksheep Wed Dec 19, 2012 10:49 am

DeanMurdoch wrote:
DoubleDipper wrote:RealTimeRPI is putting a lot of stock in UP's home court advantage....maybe they've never been to the Chiles Center.

#pilotsproblems

I don't think it's so much that we have a great home court, it's that we play so poorly on the road. If you gave us a separate ranking home and away, you'd see a dramatic difference between the two. Who knows, maybe the Chiles Center is more difficult place to play in than we think.

by DoubleDipper Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:06 am

blacksheep wrote:......maybe the Chiles Center is more difficult place to play in than we think.

Hmm, maybe, or it is just a very comfortable place for the home team.

There's no doubt the Pilots have had success at home against some really good squads, including this year against UNLV. It would appear they just respond better when they can clearly hear their coaches "coaching" from the bench.

Coaches Reveno and Wolfe had to be exhausted after the CSUB game... pirat

Regardless, I still have to question RealTimeRPI placing the Pilots 80+ positions below the Ospreys, but favoring them to win. Not so much they are favoring them, but the RPI positioning of the two teams in the first place.

by Stonehouse Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:27 am

Regarding RPI... it's still way too early to put much stock in them. North Florida is obviously benefitting a great deal from their strength of schedule, but until they have more results against "equal" schools it's very hard for the computers to tell where they actually stack up.

Portland hasn't won over any of their highly-rated opponents, but have beaten everyone they have "supposed" to have beaten (other than Montana State, of course).

by **PilotNut** Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:25 pm

Better late than never, right?!

LINK

Pilots Host North Florida, Before Traveling to Las Vegas

Portland Pilots (5-6) vs North Florida (3-7)
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. (PST)
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center (4,852)
Live Video: PilotsVideo.com
Radio: 800 AM
Overall Series: First Meeting

GAME & TICKET INFORMATION
• Portland continues to host the preliminary rounds of the Continental Tires Las Vegas Classic when North Florida visits the Chiles Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
• All single-game tickets are available through Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com, or at the Pilot Box Office 60 minutes prior to tip-off. Tickets start at $10 for adults and $5 for kids.
• Season tickets, mini packs and group packages are available as well. Contact the Pilot Box Office at (503) 943-7525 or visit PortlandPilots.com for more information.

GAME COVERAGE
• A free live video stream of the game will be available at PilotsVideo.com. All non-televised Portland home games will be streamed for free this season.
• All Portland basketball games will be broadcast live on True Talk 800 AM with Bill Johnson calling the play-by-play and a 30-minute pregame show. The audio simulcast and live game statistics will also be available on PortlandPilots.com.

COMING UP
• The bracketed portion of the Continental Tires Las Vegas Classic will be hosted at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 22-23. Portland opens against Colorado State on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and will then face either Virginia Tech or Bradley on Sunday, Dec. 23rd.
• Sunday’s games will be televised live on CBS College Sports, while all Pilot games will be live on the radio on True Talk 800 KPDQ.

ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA
• The Ospreys (3-7) are picked to finish fourth this season in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
• North Florida has played one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the nation with road losses to No. 17 Memphis (81-67), No. 21 Minnesota (87-59), Kansas State (74-55), Florida State (75-67), Pittsburgh (89-47) and Colorado State (83-55).
• The Ospreys lost to CSU on Monday in Fort Collins, Colo.
• Travis Wallace and Parker Smith scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the loss.
• UNF was outrebounded by a 41-23 margin and gave up 23 second chance points.
• Parker is averaging 15.7 ppg, while Wallace contributes 11.5.
• Head coach Matthew Driscoll is in his fourth season at UNF and has a career record of 47-60 with the Osprey, including a 16-16 record last season.

by DoubleDipper Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:28 pm

Yes, finally, the Pilots website has something to say about tonight’s game:

HOME SWEET HOME
• The Pilots are 5-1 at the Chiles Center this season with the lone loss a narrow defeat a ranked UNLV squad.
• Portland has rattled off a 46-16 home record since the start of the 2008-09 season.
• The Pilots had a 19-game home winning streak snapped by Gonzaga in 2011.
• Signature home wins have come against Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Saint Mary’s three times.
• Portland finished the 2010-11 regular season with a 13-2 record at the Chiles Center for the second straight season.

HOME VERSUS ROAD
• Portland is 5-1 at home this season, but 0-5 on the road.
• At the Chiles Center the Pilots are scoring 71.8 points and allowing 61.0, while on the road UP is averaging 55.2 and surrendering 75.8 points.
• The Pilots have a +10.5 rebounding margin at home and -7.6 on the road.

by dholcombe Wed Dec 19, 2012 6:06 pm

Stonehouse wrote:Regarding RPI... it's still way too early to put much stock in them.

This. I haven't even looked at them yet this year....although I think I'll go take a peek now.

by Guest Wed Dec 19, 2012 8:57 pm

Great win to pull back up to .500 - Kevin Bailey with a huge game and Riley Barker steps up with VdM suffering from foul trouble all game.

Still stuff to work on, but sure fun to watch this one.

by DoubleDipper Wed Dec 19, 2012 9:46 pm

One word…RileyBarker. Five for 10 at the line coming in, he misses his first attempt, than hits eight straight at critical times to keep the Pilots ahead, but not in control until the last two minutes.

And what an animal again under the hoop….his confidence, quality of play, and playing time are all trending up; that’s good for the Pilots. If you practice every day against Thomas, you either get better or you don't survive. Smile

by DoubleDipper Wed Dec 19, 2012 9:50 pm

The scouting report the coaches gave the team today was exactly what we saw on PN, stop #3 and #1 and you’ll win the game…..fortunately for the Pilots getting the job just half done was good enough.

#3 Parker Smith was shut out in the first half, and when he made his shots in the second half they were from the upper deck...he can shoot, but Korey totally shut him down with his athleticism.

#1 Travis Wallace had a career night, and had the most points scored by an individual against the Pilots this year, BUT, by my estimation he spent at least 1,200 seconds in the paint tonight and there was never a call against him. Pathetic officiating, but Pilots guards needed to help out inside…Thomas and Riley couldn’t do it all against Wallace without fouling out…he is just too athletic at 6’6”.

by oh brody Wed Dec 19, 2012 10:35 pm

It was great to see the Pilots pick up the "W" even with Rhino and VDM struggling. Bailey and Barker stepped up their games and played huge.

The team carries a three game winning streak and some momentum going into Saturday's game against the Rams of Ft. Collins. I'm hoping the team can continue to play with confidence down in Vegas and pick up our first wins of the season away from the Chiles center. Hey, UP is more familiar with the Orleans arena than any of the other teams, right?

by Geezaldinho Wed Dec 19, 2012 10:38 pm

I like this from the PortlandPilots summary:

The Pilots never trailed in the game despite an off shooting night by leading scorer Ryan Nicholas who finished 0-for-8 from the field (0-for-8 ).

had to say it twice. It's like they didn't believe it.

Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)

Re: Pilots vs. North Florida (Wednesday Dec. 19, 7 p.m.)