BOISE, Idaho - After earning a first-round bye in the Big Sky tournament, the Southern Utah University men's basketball team will see their first action of tournament play against Portland State on Thursday at 5:30 PM MT. The game will be available for viewing on ESPN+.

Game Info

Southern Utah vs Portland State

Date: March 10, 2022

Tip-Off: 5:30 PM MT

Location: Boise, Idaho

Venue: Idaho Central Arena

Stream: ESPN+

Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

Preview

The Thunderbirds (20-10, 14-6) enter tomorrow night's contest on a two-game win streak, coming off of victories on the road over Idaho State and Weber State. The T-Birds are seeking to make a run through the conference tournament and capture their first-ever Big Sky postseason championship in their final year as a member of the conference.

Portland State (13-16, 10-10) finished 7th in the Big Sky for the regular season. The Vikings already have one tournament game under their belt, beating tenth seeded Idaho State, 66-52, Wednesday afternoon to advance to the quarterfinals. Khalid Thomas poured in a game-high 17 points, while Ezekiel Alley added 15 points of his own, and the Vikings outscored the Bengals 38-22 in the second half to run away with the victory.

Portland State ranks in the middle of the conference in both team offense and defense, sitting at sixth in the Big Sky in points scored and points allowed. The Vikings have struggled to shoot the ball from behind the arc all season. They rank dead last in the Big Sky in both three-point percentage (.300) and made three-pointers per game (6.2). 

PSU will look to force turnovers with their pressure defense and score in transition. The Vikings have the best turnover margin in the Big Sky at +4.79 and lead the conference in steals per game (9.24)

The T-Birds have found their offensive rhythm in their previous two contests and hope to keep it going against Portland State. SUU shot right at 50 percent from the field in each of their last two games, including over 36 percent from three in both matchups.

After being outrebounded by Montana State last Tuesday, Southern Utah got back to their dominance on the glass, outrebounding both Idaho State and Weber State. Portland State is allowing the most rebounds to opposing teams per game in the conference (38), so the T-Birds will need to exploit the Vikings on the glass to advance to the semifinals. 

Without leading-scorer Tevian Jones in the lineup, Southern Utah has had numerous players step up on offense, and the team has continued pace as the highest-scoring offense in the conference.

Prior Matchups

Southern Utah swept the regular-season series against the Vikings, beating PSU by 10 in Cedar City and by three in double overtime in Portland behind a career-high 36 points from Jones.

The Thunderbirds shot lights-out when they hosted PSU this season, finishing with a mark of 61.5 percent from the field (32-52) and 41.2 percent from three (7-17). The game was tied at the half, but Maizen Fausett scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and Southern Utah pulled away to come out with an 86-76 victory.

In the second matchup between the two squads, Jones had one of the best games of his career, setting a career-high in both points (36) and rebounds (10) to secure a double-double.

Southern Utah led by 12 at the half, but the Vikings shot 60 percent from the field in the second half to erase the deficit and send the game to overtime. Both teams struggled to score in the extra period, but a Dre Marin three-pointer with 34 seconds left gave the T-Birds a 2-point lead that they would never relinquish, picking up the victory by a final of 85-82.

Last Time Out

The T-Birds played their final game of the regular season this past Saturday, winning a huge game at Weber State to reach 20 wins for the second consecutive season, while also securing the two seed in the Big Sky tournament.

John Knight III and Harrison Butler scored 17 points apiece, and Aanen Moody chipped in 16 points, as the T-Birds outscored Weber State 48-37 in the second half to turn a one-point halftime deficit into a 10-point victory.

Holding onto a two-point lead late in the second half, Butler and Moody combined to go on a 13-3 run, hitting difficult shot after difficult shot to create separation and shut down any hope of a Wildcat comeback.

The T-Birds shot 55.6 percent from the floor (15-27), and 54.6 percent from three (6-11) in the second period on their way to an 80-70 victory. Southern Utah outrebounded Weber State, 36-27.

Notable Stats

• John Knight III (1st team), Tevian Jones (3rd team), and Maizen Fausett (3rd team) each received All-Conference honors earlier this week for the second consecutive season.

• The Thunderbirds have won the previous six contests against Portland State.

• John Knight III finished the regular season as the Big Sky's leader in steals per game at 2.1.

• Southern Utah led the Big Sky in both scoring and rebounding for the regular season.

• Nick Fleming and Aanen Moody each logged a career-high 40 minutes of play against Weber State.

• Harrison Butler, Aanen Moody, and Nick Fleming are averaging a combined 36 points per game over the last two contests.

• SUU holds a 40-14 overall record and 26-8 record in conference play since the beginning of the 2020-21 season.

• Coach Todd Simon has led Southern Utah to consecutive 20 win seasons for the first in the program's Division I history.

Follow Us

For all the latest on Southern Utah men's basketball, follow @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram, and like the Southern Utah Basketball Facebook page.