Cal Poly vs Portland Picks and Odds (Dec. 13)
- Portland is a 4-point favorite over Cal Poly on Monday
- Cal Poly has lost five of its last seven
- Read below for analysis and a betting prediction
Portland (7-3) is a 4-point home favorite over Cal Poly in a non-conference game Monday at 10 pm ET. The Pilots are playing their first game since a home loss to VMI on Dec. 3.
Cal Poly (3-6) won the first game of its two-game stay in Portland, stopping Portland State 61-58 on Saturday. The Portland game will be the seventh of the Mustangs’ nine-game road trip that began Nov. 19 against Santa Clara in the SoCal Challenge.
Cal Poly vs Portland Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly Mustangs | +152 | +4 (-110) | Over 128 (-114) |
| Portland Pilots | -184 | -4 (-110) | Under 128 (-106) |
Odds as of Dec. 12th at FanDuel.
Both teams have beaten Big Sky member Portland State on the road in the last three weeks. The Pilots beat their cross-town rivals 69-54 on Nov. 23 in a game they led by 26 points with 2 1/2 minutes remaining before Portland State scored the final 11 points. Cal Poly built a 10-point lead Saturday before Portland State rallied, holding on when the Grizzlies missed three three-pointers in the final 15 seconds.
Portland Begins Anew
Eastern Washington transferred much of its program five hours southwest this season, when head coach Shantay Legans took the Portland job, and the early results have been promising for a team that has had recent difficulty competing in a conference that includes Gonzaga, BYU, Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara.
Legans brought three of his players — wing 6’6 Tyler Robertson, guard 6’2 Mike Meadows and guard 6’2 Jack Perry — from a team that scared Kansas in the NCAA tournament a year ago, and his 7-2 start was the best for a first-year coach since Portland joined Division I in 1958.
Robertson, who missed the first two games because of an injury, leads four Pilots in double-figures at 16.8 points per game. He also leads in rebounding (7.4) and assists (4.4) after averaging 11.1 points a year ago as a 2020-21 complementary piece to Tanner Groves, who transferred to Oklahoma this year.
Meadows is averaging 10.1 points per game, behind UNLV transfer forward 6’8 Moses Wood (15.6) and Fordham transfer guard 6’4 Chris Austin (15.1). Meadows had the program’s first triple-double with 15 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists in a 122-78 victory over NCAA Division III Willamette, when the Pilots also set the school record for most points in a game.
🏀 FACTS! #WCChoops pic.twitter.com/sFjxXFv7mZ
— WCC Basketball (@WCChoops) December 10, 2021
Robertson had 19 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocked shots while playing all 40 minutes in the 90-82 loss to VMI the last time out, his second double-double in the last three games. He had five 3-pointers against VMI and has at least one in every game.
Six Weeks on the Road
Cal Poly, 2-4 so far on the trip that will keep them away from home from 45 days, has kept games close with a slowish pace. The Mustangs have a pair of 3-point victories to go with two 3-point losses and two 1-point losses. Their only blowout against a Division I team was an 87-57 loss to WCC Santa Clara.
One of the best posts in the Big West this year will be @CalPolyMBB’s Alimamy Koroma! He was top 6 last season in Big West in scoring, rebounds, and blocks… LONG & LEAN at 6’8 w/ a 7’2 wingspan. Almost 40% from behind the arc too. WATCH OUT, Cal Poly is improved!
— Richie Schueler (@RichieSchueler) October 21, 2021
Forward 6’8 Alimamy Koroma is averaging 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 55 percent from the field. Guard 6’4 Jacob Davison — another Eastern Washington transfer — is the Mustangs’ other double-digit scorer at 11.0. He had 16 against Portland State.
Mustangs’ forward 6′ Kyle Colvin, who missed last season because of an injury, is averaging 12.8 points in five starts and had a double-double against Idaho.
Getting to the Line
Portland was tied for fifth in NCAA Division I in made free throws (179) and was seventh in free throw percentage (80.3) before Sunday’s games, and every regular has contributed.
Robertson is 24 of 27 (88.9 percent), Wood is 36 of 41 (87.8), Meadows is 32 of 37 (86.5) and Austin is 30 of 39 (76.9).
Cal Poly is shooting 64.3 percent from the line, among the lowest in Division I.
By the Numbers
Portland is 293rd in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rating because of its soft schedule — rated 353rd of the 358 schools listed by KenPom. Cal Poly is 296th in adjusted efficiency and plays at one of the slowest tempos in Division I, with 64 possessions per game. Portland averages 70 possessions per.
Cal Poly is 5-3 ATS, 3-2 as a road underdog. Portland is 6-3 ATS, 2-3 as a home favorite The Pilots are 8-1 in the season series and won the last meeting 72-67 in the 2018 Portland Classic.
Portland won six games last season (Cal Poly won four), and the Pilots made good use of the transfer portal. The home team is the play.
Pick: Portland -4 (-110)
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Jack has covered college and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s and has written for the Associated Press, USA Today and Baseball America, among others. He staffed the 2015-17 World Series and has staffed four Super Bowls.
