WCC Game Preview: San Diego vs. Portland
By James Pigott
Jan 11, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Toreros forward
Simi Fajemisin(25) and guard
Christopher Anderson(0) battle for a loose ball during the first half against the Pepperdine Waves at Jenny Craig Pavillion. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
San Diego Toreros (14-14, 5-10) vs. Portland Pilots (15-11, 7-7)
Date: Thursday, February 20, 2014
Location: Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego, CA
Time: 6:00 PM PST
TV: FOX Sports San Diego, ROOT Sports NW & RM, CSN CA
Video: theW.tv
LiveStats: http://www.wccsports.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mbaskbl.html?event=1287495&school=west&sport=mbaskbl&camefrom=&startschool=&
This Season: San Diego won the first matchup at the Chiles Center by a score of 65-63
PROJECTED STARTERS
San Diego
Christopher Anderson, 9.6 PPG, 5.9 APG
Johnny Dee, 17.1 PPG
Brett Bailey, 2.6 PPG
Dennis Kramer, 11.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG
Jito Kok, 4.0 PPG, 1.8 BPG
Portland
Alec Wintering, 7.8 PPG, 4.6 APG
Bryce Pressley, 8.4 PPG, 3.2 APG
Bobby Sharp, 7.0 PPG or Kevin Bailey, 16.5 PPG
Ryan Nicholas, 13.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG
Thomas van der Mars, 12.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG
LIVESTREAM *Brought to you by thew.tv:
Keys to the Game
San Diego
Please help Johnny Buckets: With second leading scorer Duda Sanadze questionable for Thurday’s game after missing last Saturday’s game with an ankle injury, other players besides Dee need to step up. Dennis Kramer had a quiet game on Saturday, and he could easily score 15-20 points. Christopher Anderson could score more but it will be difficult given his size, although he will be going up against another small point guard (maybe not quite as small) in Alec Wintering.
Portland
Go deep in the rotation: One advantage I think Portland has over San Diego is depth. Portland has many more legitimate scoring options and better role players, including role players seeing reduced roles this season such as David Carr and Tanner Riley. Therefore, Portland needs to rely on its bench early and often to give the starters more rest.
Key Matchup
Thomas van der Mars vs. Dennis Kramer: The two centers are both much improved from last season and are both legitimate scoring threats in the post. They will likely try to get each other into foul trouble, and the winner in this matchup could dictate the style of play in this game.
Prediction
Like Pepperdine, Portland is playing with a sense of urgency not only for their WCC Tournament seeding, but a potential return trip to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in March, where they played every year from 2009-2011. A few more wins should bump up their resume for that tournament. Portland 77, San Diego 70.