Cal-State Northridge (+2.5) vs Portland State - 4:30pm Pacific - Game #563-564

CSUN is coming off a disappointing 11-17 season and their leading scorer Mike Efevberha left school early which has this team flying under the radar to start the season. Efevberha was talented but dominated the ball too much (14 shots per game) and by midseason was clashing with head coach Braswell. His departure opens the door for no less than nine key contributors returning from last year to step up, namely talented juniors G/F Jonathan Heard & F Calvin Chitwood. Braswell also added three JC transfers, two to shore up suspect point guard play, and another being a dead eye shooter who hit six 3's in last exhibition game. The Matadors are not only fast (led league in steals last 5 seasons), deep (can play 11-13 players), and experienced (10 players averaged double digit minutes last year), but will also have much better team chemistry this year.

Portland State took a hit before the season when starting center Anthony Washington left school for personal reasons. He was their best low post option and leaves the team with only one other player taller than 6-7. In the backcourt PSU only has one player available who saw meaningful action last year. Shooting guard Jake Schroeder, the team's leading scorer, graduated, sophomore guard Anthony Locke left the team, and shooting guard Paul Hafford is currently sidelined with an ankle injury. JC transfers and freshman will be trying to fill the void in their Division 1 debuts. PSU head coach Ken Bone says 8 different players have had injuries in the preseason making it difficult to practice. After losing center Washington, the Vikings will attempt to be more of an uptempo team. That not only requires time to master and depth that they do not currently have, but also plays right into the hands of a very athletic CSUN team who's record is signifcantly better when scoring over 70 points. PSU's only advantage here is playing two hours from campus but I believe the Matadors are good enough to overcome it. Take the points.

RAS Official Play: Cal State Northridge +2.5   1 UNIT


Return to Record Page