WHO: Portland State Vikings (2-2)
WHEN: 6:00 PM CT (Monday, November 21)
WHERE: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, IA)
TV: none
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network (TuneIn, or local listings) | SiriusXM Ch. 195 (?)
STREAM: BTN+ (Matt Menzl, Jay Wilson)
MOBILE: BTN+ (check Apple App Store or Google Play Store)
TWITTER: @IowaHoops | @IowaAwesome | @IowaOnBTN
LINE: Iowa -23.5 (TOTAL: 153.5)
KENPOM: Iowa -22 (Iowa 98% win probability)
NOTE: Don't forget to follow all the action during the game and chat with your fellow Iowa fans in the Go Iowa Awesome discord! (More info here.)
Portland State has a better record than the parade of cupcakes that have so far visited Carver-Hawkeye Arena this year, but don't let that deceive you: they're still not very good. The Vikings have won two games -- but both came against non-Division I opponents. In their two games against Division I opponents (Oregon State and Portland), the Vikings are 0-2, though both losses were respectable-ish (73-64 to Oregon State, 69-54 to Portland).
Like several of the teams Iowa has faced this year, Portland State doesn't have a good offense. They're 281st in offensive efficiency, mainly because they rarely get to the free throw line (335th) and because they're terrible at making shots (38% eFG, 352nd). They're especially bad at making 3s (20%, 357th), but they've also been bad at 2-point tries (42%, 314th) and free throws (65%, 289th). They also get a lot of shots blocked (12.5%, 296th) and concede a lot of steals (11.5%, 296th). Against opponents with a pulse (Oregon State, Portland), they scored 0.86 PPG and 0.74 PPG, respectively.
Their defense has been moderately better -- they rank 204th in defensive efficiency and they've been holding teams to just 46.9% eFG (102nd), including 32.4% on 3FG and 46.4% on 2FG. Teams are also making just 53% of their free throws against the Vikings, but that's almost certainly just a statistical fluke. On the downside, they don't force a lot of turnovers (17.7%, 233rd) or block a lot of shots (6.2%, 268th) and they allow a lot offensive rebounds (33.3%, 298th).
This should play out a lot like Iowa's other games this season: a big game in the paint for Keegan Murray & Co. and if Iowa's threes are falling, this should get out of hand in a hurry. There isn't much reason to think that Portland State can mount much of a threat to Iowa, barring an epidemic of bad shooting from the Hawkeyes.
