Portland vs. San Francisco Betting Odds, Pick & Prediction: January 28th 2010

Portland Pilots vs. San Francisco Dons
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Two teams fighting to get back in the West Coast Conference race duke it out on Thursday night when the San Francisco Dons (7-13, 6-10 ATS) play host to the Portland Pilots (12-7, 9-6-1 ATS). These two teams currently both sit in the middle of the WCC pack, as Portland is sitting at 3-2 SU, while San Fran enters this NCAA basketball betting affair at 2-3 SU. The Pilots took care of Pepperdine without any issues over the weekend, winning 80-64 at home. San Francisco lost a heartbreaker at home against Santa Clara that same day 66-65 for its second straight loss both SU and ATS.

This Portland team probably isn’t as good as the one that was ranked in the Top 25 early in the season, but it is still one to be reckoned with. The Pilots have averaged 74.4 points per game in their five WCC games, and they’ve already played both Gonzaga and St. Mary’s. The three top scorers on this team are all lethal and can all do more than just score. G Nik Raivio, the team’s leading scorer (14.1 points per game), is also third on the squad in rebounding at 6.1 boards per game. The second best rebounder on the team is F Robin Smeulders, who is a huge force on the inside for the Pilots at 13.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The catalyst to the offense is G TJ Campbell, who is averaging 13.1 points and a team-high 5.7 assists per game.

The Dons have been allowing points left and right this season. They’re conceding 74.1 points per game in ‘09-’10, and they’re just not scoring enough to keep up with the big boys in the WCC consistently. If San Francisco has any chance of pulling off the NCAA basketball wagering upset in this one, it is going to have to get a huge game out of F Dior Lowhorn. Lowhorn may be averaging the most points on the team (17.6 per game), but he is only shooting a dismal 17.8% from downtown; one of the worst marks in the entire country. That will have to improve for the Dons to find any success in this game or against any of the other solid clubs in the WCC.

Portland covered the two meetings between these teams in the ‘08-’09 season, winning 72-67 on the road and 78-60 at home. The Dons had won the previous eight meetings outright though, going 6-1-1 ATS in those eight clashes.

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