Who's Playing

Portland State @ Northern Colorado

Regular Season Records: Portland State 14-16; Northern Colorado 19-14

What to Know

The Northern Colorado Bears have been on the wrong side of a one-way rivalry with the Portland State Vikings and are hoping to record their first win since Feb. 25 of last year. The Bears and Portland State are set to clash at 10 p.m. ET March 11 at Idaho Central Arena in the third round of the Big Sky Conference Tourney. If the contest is anything like the Vikings' 106-99 victory from their previous meeting in February, the scorekeeper will be kept real busy.

Northern Colorado earned some postseason bragging rights after a successful outing on Thursday. They escaped with a win against the Eastern Washington Eagles by the margin of a single free throw, 68-67. Northern Colorado's guard Matt Johnson II was one of the most active players for the team, shooting 5-for-8 from downtown and finishing with 24 points.

Meanwhile, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds typically have all the answers at home, but on Thursday Portland State proved too difficult a challenge. Portland State enjoyed a cozy 77-65 victory over Southern Utah. The Vikings' forward Khalid Thomas looked sharp as he had 20 points along with seven boards and three blocks.

The Bears are the favorite in this one, with an expected 4.5-point margin of victory. But bettors beware: they are only 6-12-1 against the spread when favored.

Two numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: Northern Colorado is eighth worst in college basketball in takeaways, with only 10.2 on average. To make matters even worse for Northern Colorado, Portland State enters the game with 17.1 takeaways on average, good for 11th best in college basketball. Maybe that strength will give Portland State the oomph they need to beat the odds.

How To Watch

  • When: Friday at 10 p.m. ET
  • Where: Idaho Central Arena -- Boise, Idaho
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Bears are a 4.5-point favorite against the Vikings, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bears as a 5-point favorite.

Over/Under: -108

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Series History

Portland State have won seven out of their last 13 games against Northern Colorado.

  • Feb 03, 2022 - Portland State 106 vs. Northern Colorado 99
  • Jan 31, 2022 - Portland State 79 vs. Northern Colorado 76
  • Feb 27, 2021 - Portland State 73 vs. Northern Colorado 65
  • Feb 25, 2021 - Northern Colorado 66 vs. Portland State 64
  • Feb 10, 2020 - Portland State 83 vs. Northern Colorado 71
  • Dec 28, 2019 - Portland State 69 vs. Northern Colorado 65
  • Feb 07, 2019 - Northern Colorado 80 vs. Portland State 62
  • Dec 31, 2018 - Northern Colorado 73 vs. Portland State 60
  • Mar 01, 2018 - Northern Colorado 85 vs. Portland State 78
  • Mar 02, 2017 - Northern Colorado 87 vs. Portland State 84
  • Dec 31, 2016 - Northern Colorado 73 vs. Portland State 59
  • Mar 08, 2016 - Portland State 74 vs. Northern Colorado 67
  • Feb 27, 2016 - Portland State 89 vs. Northern Colorado 86