Complete Release (PDF) I Game Central

Portland Pilots (5-12, 2-2) at Saint Mary’s Gaels (16-2, 5-0)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012
Tip-off: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Moraga, Calif.
Arena: McKeon Pavilion (3,500)
Television: CSN Bay Area (CSN NW, tape-delayed at 9 p.m.)
Radio: 800 AM
Overall Series: 29-52
At UP: 21-19
At SMC: 7-30
At Neutral: 1-3
Last: SMC 83, POR 69 (Feb. 17, 2011 at Saint Mary’s)

COMING UP
• Portland (5-12, 2-2 WCC) remains in the Bay Area following a loss at San Francisco on Thursday and makes the short trip to Moraga, Calif. to take on the WCC-leading Saint Mary’s Gaels (16-2, 5-0) on Saturday at 8 p.m.
• Saturday’s game will be televised live on Comcast Bay Area and tape-delayed at 9 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet Northwest. Glenn Kuiper and Stan Morrison will be calling the action.
• All Portland basketball games will be broadcast live on True Talk 800 AM, with a 30-minute pregame show. Bill Johnson will call the action courtside and an audio simulcast will also be available on www.PilotsVideo.com.
 
GAME TIME CHANGES
• Fans are encouraged to check portlandpilots.com for updated game times as many times have changed from the originally printed pocket schedule and on season tickets. The home game versus San Francisco on Saturday, Jan. 21 will now be a 1:30 p.m. tip-off.

LAST OUTING
• San Francisco 104, Portland 70 (San Francisco, Calif.): Portland gave up a season-high in points as the Dons found their shooting touch in a 104-70 in Thursday night at War Memorial Gymnasium. Ryan Nicholas and Tim Douglas scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Pilots. The Dons (11-8, 1-4 WCC) picked up their first WCC win after struggling shooting the ball in their first four league games. USF was averaging 66.2 points and shooting 24 percent from three-point range entering the game, but finished Thursday a remarkable 13-for-18 from beyond the arc. In addition to the points allowed opponent high, USF’s 13 three-pointers, 72 percent three-point shooting, and 67 percent field goal shooting were also highs on the season for a UP opponent.  USF built a 20-point lead late in the first half after an early three-point barrage. The Pilots scored seven of the last night points of the period to pull within 53-38 at the break. The Dons came out firing again in the second period, opening the half with a 16-2 run to put the game out of reach. Portland committed 21 turnovers in the game, including 12 in the second half. The Dons gained a 34-23 advantage in points off of turnovers and 44-18 margin in points in the paint. Portland finished the game at 40 percent shooting from the field and 4-for-14 from three-point range.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots fell to 0-9 on the road this season with a 104-70 loss at San Francisco on Thursday. Portland allowed season highs in points, field goal percentage (.672), three-pointers made (13) and three-point percentage (.722).
• Sophomore F Ryan Nicholas leads the Pilots in scoring (11.4) and rebounding (7.6).
• UP underclassmen are accounting for 77 percent of the minutes played and 78 percent of the team’s scoring thus far.
• Portland has outrebounded 10 of 17 opponents this year.
• In the Pilots’ two league wins, Portland held Santa Clara and Pepperdine both under 40 percent shooting from the field. The Pilots are 5-0 when holding teams under 40 percent shooting.
• The Pilots played one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the nation, including nine of 13 games away from the Chiles Center. Portland’s strength of schedule entering Friday is No. 7 nationally, according to KenPom.com.
• Sophomore C Riley Barker (knee) has missed the last 10 games due to injury and will not be available on Saturday.
• Head coach Eric Reveno and all three assistant coaches return for their sixth year together on The Bluff, the longest current stretch of any Division I coaching staff in the nation.
• Portland is coming off of back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time ever.
• The Pilots were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) for the third consecutive season in 2011.
• Portland returns two starters and nine lettermen from last year’s team that finished 20-12 overall and 7-7 in the WCC.
• All nine UP graduates in the last two years and have gone on to play pro ball.
• The Pilots were picked to finish seventh in the nine-team West Coast Conference, while senior G Nemanja Mitrovic was named to the preseason all-conference team.

ABOUT SAINT MARY’S
• The Gaels (16-2, 5-0 WCC) are alone atop the WCC standings after a convincing 83-62 win over No. 21 Gonzaga Thursday in Moraga.
• Junior G Matthew Dellavedova scored a season-high 26 points and redshirt F center Brad Waldow had career-bests of 17 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. 
• Saint Mary’s, who is receiving votes in both national polls entering the week, boasts a perfect 12-0 home record.
• Dellavedova leads the Gaels in scoring (15.8 ppg) and is the WCC leader in assists per game (6.4 apg).
• Senior F Rob Jones adds 14.6 points per game and a league-leading 10.5 rebounds per game.
• The Gaels were picked second in the WCC Preseason Poll after returning four starters from last year’s surprise squad that finished 25-9 overall and shared the league title with Gonzaga. The Gaels missed an NCAA bid, but were invited to the NIT.
• Head coach Randy Bennett is in his 10th year at the helm and has guided SMC to three NCAA appearances, including a Sweet 16 run in 2010.

GETTING DEFENSIVE?
• Defensive intensity had picked up last week in a pair of home wins over Santa Clara and Pepperdine,  but the Pilots went back on the road and gave up a season-high 104 points to San Francisco on Thursday.
• In the home wins over SCU and Pepperdine, both teams shot under 40 percent shooting from the field. USF shot a season-high 67 percent from the field on Thursday.
• In all five Pilot wins, opponents have shot under 40 percent from the field and averaged 36.3 percent. In UP’s 12 losses, opponents have shot 51.2 percent with no opponent converting less than 42 percent from the floor.
• Portland is allowing 61.4 points in wins and 82.1 points in losses.

BREAKOUT WEEK AT HOME FOR VARIOUS PILOTS
• In addition to breaking a seven-game losing streak as a team against Santa Clara last Thursday, many Pilots recorded career-highs individually:
• POINTS: Sophomore F Ryan Nicholas (19), freshman G David Carr (11) and freshman F/C John Bailey (7); (freshman G Kevin Bailey (15) matched his high versus Pepperdine on Saturday.)
• ASSISTS: Sophomore PG Tim Douglas (8) and senior G Nemanja Mitrovic (5).
• REBOUNDS: John Bailey (5).
• TEAM HIGHS: Portland registered season highs in points (84), rebounds (44), assists (17), and free throws made (28).

LINEUP NOTES
• Sophomore C Riley Barker has missed the last 10 games (knee) and will not be available on Saturday.
• Head coach Eric Reveno has used six different starting lineups this year.
• Sophomore Ryan Nicholas is the only Pilot to start all 17 games this year, while 10 different Pilots have started at least one game.
• Three different freshmen have started at least four games.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Portland’s highly-touted four true freshmen have each appeared in all 17 games and are all averaging more than 15 minutes per game.
• Thomas van der Mars (Gouda, Netherlands) has started the last 12 games and is averaging a freshman-best 8.0 points and 4.9 rebounds. He also is third in the WCC in field goal percentage (.531).
• Kevin Bailey (Clovis, Calif./East Clovis HS) has started the last nine games and has reached double figures five times this season. He played one of his best all-around games against Santa Clara, holding the league’s leading scorer, Kevin Foster, to 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting. Bailey then matched his season-high with 15 points vs. Pepperdine.
• Dorian Cason (Fontana, Calif./Summit HS) is the team’s third leading rebounder (4.4) and scored a season-high nine points at San Francisco.
• David Carr (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic HS) started the first four games at guard and is averaging 15.1 minutes per game. He recorded a career-high 11 points to go with three rebounds against Santa Clara.
• Redshirt freshman F John Bailey (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson HS) played a season-high 10 minutes against SCU and responded with highs of seven points, five rebounds and a blocked shot.

NICHOLAS’ TIME IS NOW
• After sitting behind All-WCC forward Luke Sikma and four-year starting center Kramer Knutson last season as a freshman, Ryan Nicholas is off to a fast start this year.
• Making his first 17 career starts, Nicholas is averaging team-highs of 11.4 points (14th in the WCC) and 7.6 rebounds per game (fifth in the WCC). He is also 12th in the league in FG percentage (.483).
• He recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the season-opener against FAU. He has since topped those career highs with 19 points versus Santa Clara and 13 rebounds at Gonzaga.

DOUGLAS GIVEN THE KEYS
• Sophomore PG Tim Douglas moved into the starting lineup during WCC play last season, but missed the team’s final three games due to injury (all losses). He was voted team co-captain by his peers entering this season.
• He was named the WCC Player of the Week twice as a freshman, joining Elias Harris (Gonzaga, 2010), Patrick Mills (Saint Mary’s, 2008), Darrell Tucker (San Francisco, 2000) and Greg Anthony (Portland, 1987) as the only freshmen in league history to do so.
• Douglas is leading the Pilots in assists (55) and second on the team in scoring (10.0).

NOT AN EASY ROAD
• The Pilots have played one of the most challenging schedules in the nation.
• Ken Pomeroy lists Portland’s strength of schedule No. 7 nationally entering Wednesday.
• UP faces eight teams that made the post-season last year, while nine of the team’s 13 non-league games were away from the Chiles Center.
• Road games included: at Washington, at #2 Kentucky, at #23 Saint Louis, at Nevada, at UC Santa Barbara, at Utah and at Boise State.
• Entering Friday, UP’s non-conference D-I opponents are a combined 121-67 (.644).

HOME SWEET HOME
• Portland has rattled off a 41-9 home record since the start of the 2008-09 season.
• The Pilots’ 19-game home win streak was snapped by Gonzaga last February.
• 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.

MITROVIC MAKES ALL-TOURNEY TEAM 
• Senior G Nemanja Mitrovic was named to the World Vision Classic All-Tournament Team after leading the Pilots to a 2-1 record and averaging 12.0 points per game.
• Mitrovic finished last season No. 6 in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.463) and 20th in three-pointers made per game (2.9).
• One of only two seniors on the roster, Mitrovic was voted a team captain this year along with sophomore PG, Tim Douglas.
• A native of Toronto, Mitrovic played just 43 minutes as a freshman and 312 minutes as a sophomore before averaging 13.5 ppg and earning All-WCC honors last year.
 
STAFF STABILITY
• Eric Reveno was named the 2009 WCC and District 9 Coach of the Year after leading UP to a 10-win improvement during the 2008-09 season.
• Now in his sixth year on The Bluff, Reveno credits the stability of his coaching staff as key to the program’s turnaround.
• All three assistants that joined Reveno when he was hired in April of 2006 have remained on the Portland bench ever since.
• No other current Division I coaching staff in the nation has retained the same four-member coaching staff longer than Reveno and his staff.
• Reveno is the third longest tenured WCC coach behind Gonzaga’s Mark Few (13) and Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett (11).

THREE-POINT THREATS
• Portland was the No. 1 three-point shooting team in the nation over the previous three seasons combined (.412, 752-1825).
• The Pilots led the nation in three-point percentage in 2009 (.418), were No. 5 in 2010 (.407), and No. 3 in 2011 (.412).
• Portland is struggling this season far from beyond the arc (.313, 86-275).

YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Portland’s 2011-12 roster features only three upperclassmen in seniors Nemanja Mitrovic and Eric Waterford, along with junior Derrick Rodgers.
• The six-player sophomore class played significant minutes as freshmen last year.
• Freshman G Kevin Bailey is the first top 100 recruit that the Pilots have landed, while freshman G David Carr is the first local Portland product to sign with the Pilots since Reveno took over the program.
• Underclassmen have accounted for 77 percent of the minutes played and 78 percent of the team’s scoring this year.

OREGON STATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR SIGNS WITH PILOTS
• Portland signed the reigning Oregon ‘5A’ State Player of the Year, Jake Ehlers, to a National Letter of Intent on Nov. 9.
• Ehlers (6-7, 200) led Corvallis High School to a 27-1 record and the Oregon ‘5A’ state championship as a junior last season while averaging 22 points per game.