Men’s Hoops Hosts LMU Thursday Night

Complete Release (PDF) I Game Central I Tickets

Portland Pilots (6-18, 3-8) vs. LMU Lions (15-9, 8-3)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012
Tip-off: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center (4,852)
Television: CSN-NW
Radio: 800 AM
Overall Series: 40-45
At UP: 25-15
At LMU: 13-25
At Neutral: 2-5
Last: LMU 62, POR 59 (January 28, 2012 at LMU)

COMING UP
• Portland (6-18, 3-8 WCC) looks to even the season series against West Coast Conference rival Loyola Marymount (15-9, 8-3) on Thursday at the Chiles Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Northwest with Scott Lynn and Bob Weiss calling the action.
• The Lions edged the Pilots by a 62-59 margin on Jan. 28 in Los Angeles. A Jarred DuBois three-pointer with 17 seconds left in regulation proved to be the game-winner.
• All Portland basketball games will be broadcast live on True Talk 800 AM, with a 30-minute pregame show. Bill Johnson will provide the play-by-play and an audio simulcast will also be available on www.PilotsVideo.com.
 
TICKETS
• Tickets are still available for Portland’s two remaining home games.
• Fans can get tickets through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com, or through the Pilot Box Office (M-F, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Tickets may also be purchased at the door 90 minutes prior to tipoff each game. Call the Pilot Box Office at (503) 943-7525 with any questions.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots dropped a 79-60 decision at the Chiles Center to BYU on Saturday. The Cougars tied a Chiles Center record with 53 free throw attempts in the game. Freshman G Kevin Bailey led Portland with 15 points.
• Sophomore F Ryan Nicholas leads the Pilots in scoring (11.2) and rebounding (7.7), while collecting four double-doubles this season.
• Portland underclassmen are accounting for 77 percent of the minutes played and 79 percent of the team’s scoring thus far.
• UP’s five freshmen have been the most productive freshman class in Coach Reveno’s six years on The Bluff.  The group has accounted for at least 40 percent of nearly all key statistical categories this season.
• In five of the Pilots six wins this year, the team has held opponents under 40 percent shooting from the field.
• 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 Wednesday was No. 18 nationally, the second highest among non-BCS schools and tops in the WCC according to KenPom.com.
• Senior PG Eric Waterford made his first start of the season on Jan. 22 against San Francisco, but left the game with a knee injury after just three minutes. He will not be available on Thursday.
• The Pilots have also been without sophomore C Riley Barker (knee) since Dec. 3 and he will not play on Thursday.
• 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.
 
LAST OUTING
• Brigham Young 79, Portland 60 (Portland, Ore.): University of Portland struggled with missed free throws and turnovers, while Brigham Young University tied a Chiles Center record with 53 free throw attempts as the Cougars pulled away for a 79-60 victory before 4,159 fans on Saturday night. The Pilots outshot the Cougars 45 percent to 35 percent for the game and had a 22-19 edge in field goals made, but the Cougars capitalized on a decisive advantage from the foul line. The visiting Cougars made 38 free throws, while Portland was just 10-for-23 at the free throw line and committed 24 turnovers to BYU’s 12. Freshman guard Kevin Bailey led the way for the Pilots with 15 points, while junior Brandon Davies paced five Cougars in double figures with 18 points and 13 rebounds. The game was even throughout most of the first half until BYU pulled ahead 27-19 on a three-pointer by Charles Abouo with five minutes remaining in the half. Portland cut the lead to 32-27 at the halftime buzzer, and caught fire to start the second half as Bailey scored nine points during a 12-3 run that put the Pilots up by four with 16 minutes remaining. But the lead would not last as the Cougars shot 36 free throws – making 29 – and the Pilots committed 15 turnovers from that point forward. The Pilots remained within striking distance for most of second half, cutting the lead to seven on a David Carr three-pointer with 4:11 on the clock. Portland then missed a three-pointer and two free throws after a technical foul was called on Davies as BYU would extend the margin in the closing minutes from the line. Sophomore forward Ryan Nicholas finished with eight points and 11 rebounds for the Pilots (6-18, 3-8). Freshman forward Dorian Cason provided a spark off the bench with nine points and four steals before fouling out in 15 minutes of action. BYU (20-6, 8-3 WCC) gained a 41-30 rebounding margin, including 16 offensive rebounds. The Cougars also held a 25-9 advantage in points off of turnovers. Freshman guard Matt Carlino had 13 points, despite shooting 3-of-11 from the field. Senior forward Noah Hartsock was 0-for-6 from the floor, but made all 12 of his free throw attempts.
 
ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
• The Lions (15-9, 8-3 WCC) scored 60 second half points, including 10-for-13 from the three-point line, to erase a 16-point deficit and earn a 90-88 win over San Francisco on Saturday.
• LMU also knocked off Pepperdine (67-57) last Thursday and have now won five of its last six games.
• On Jan. 28 in Los Angeles, Portland dropped a 62-59 heartbreaker to the Lions when Jarred DuBois hit a three-pointer with 17 seconds remaining to break a tie and win the game.
• The Lions are tied for third in the WCC with BYU, sitting a half-game behind Gonzaga for second place.
• LMU is 7-2 overall on the road this season, including a perfect 5-0 in WCC road contests. The Lions remaining road games are against the Pilots, Gonzaga and No. 16 Saint Mary’s.
• Signature non-conference wins for the Lions came against UCLA (69-58) and Saint Louis (75-68), while an 82-68 romp at BYU was a key league win. LMU also lost games to Florida State (77-61) and Harvard 77-67.
• Senior F Drew Viney, who was named to the WCC Preseason All-Conference Team, is averaging 15.7 points per game. Sophomore PG Anthony Ireland adds 15.1 ppg and is third in the WCC with 4.9 assists per game.
• Max Good is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Lions and posts a 47-71 overall record.
• Portland owns an 8-5 record over LMU under head coach Eric Reveno.
• The Pilots won both regular season meetings a season ago, but the Lions knocked UP out of the WCC Tournament with a 72-68 win in the quarterfinals.
 
LINEUP NOTES
• Senior PG Eric Waterford (knee) is out for Thursday.
• Sophomore C Riley Barker has missed the last 17 games (knee) and is also out.
• Head coach Eric Reveno has used eight different starting lineups this year.
• Sophomore Ryan Nicholas is the only Pilot to start all 24 games this year, while 11 different Pilots have started at least one game.
• Three different freshmen have started at least four games.
 
GETTING DEFENSIVE?
• In home wins over Santa Clara and Pepperdine, both teams shot under 40 percent shooting from the field.
• In five of the Pilots six wins, opponents have shot under 40 percent from the field. Opponents are shooting a combined 37.4 percent. In UP’s 18 losses, opponents have shot 49.3 percent from the floor.
• Portland is allowing 64.2 points in wins and 80.3 points in losses.
 
BAILEY BREAKING THROUGH
• Freshman G Kevin Bailey is averaging 11.0 points in WCC games and has scored a season-high 22 points twice.
• Bailey has reached double figures in five of the last nine games, while leading the Pilots in scoring a team-high eight times this year.
• The Clovis, Calif. ranks 23rd overall in scoring in WCC games and sixth among freshmen.

FRESHMEN PHENOMS
• UP’s 2011-12 freshman class is accounting for the most production of any freshman class in Reveno’s tenure as head coach.
• This year’s five freshman are logging 41 percent of the team’s minutes played, 40 percent of the scoring and 40 percent of the rebounds.
• Among the nine WCC programs, the Pilots lead the league in freshman rebounding and are second to only San Diego in minutes played and scoring.
• Thomas van der Mars is leading all WCC Freshman in rebounds per game (5.4) and second in FG percentage (.562, third among all players) and blocked shots (19).
• In WCC games, van der Mars is also the top rebounding freshman (6.2) and ninth in freshman scoring (9.4).

YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Portland’s highly-touted four true freshmen have each appeared in all 24 games and are all averaging more than 15 minutes per game.
• Thomas van der Mars (Gouda, Netherlands) has started the last 19 games.
• Kevin Bailey (Clovis, Calif./East Clovis HS) has started the last 16 games.
• Dorian Cason (Fontana, Calif./Summit HS) is the team’s third leading rebounder (4.3).
• David Carr (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic HS) started the first four games at guard and is averaging 15.3 minutes per game.
• Redshirt freshman F John Bailey (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson HS) played a season-high 10 minutes against SCU on Jan. 5 and responded with seven points, five rebounds.
 
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 having a breakout year.
• Nicholas is averaging team-highs of 11.2 points (t-16th in the WCC) and 7.7 rebounds per game (fifth in the WCC).
• He recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the season-opener against FAU. He has since recorded three more double-doubles, including two of the last six games.
 
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. 18 nationally entering Wednesday, second highest among non-BCS schools and tops in the WCC.
• 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 Wednesday, UP’s non-conference D-I opponents are a combined 174-99 (.637).
 
HOME SWEET HOME
• Portland has rattled off a 41-13 home record since the start of the 2008-09 season.
• The Pilots had a 19-game home winning streak 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.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Portland’s 2011-12 roster features only three upperclassmen in seniors Nemanja Mitrovic and Eric Waterford, along with junior Derrick Rodgers.
• 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 79 percent of the team’s scoring this 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).