Portland State (8-9, 5-5) vs. Northern Colorado (9-8, 5-6)
Bank of Colorado Arena, Greeley, Colorado; Thursday, 8:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two senior guards will be on display as James Scott and Portland State will take on Matt Johnson II and Northern Colorado. Scott is averaging 10.2 points over the last five games. Johnson is averaging 19.6 points over the last five games.
LEADING THE WAY: Scott is averaging 12.9 points and 5.1 rebounds to lead the way for the Vikings. Khalid Thomas is also a big contributor, maintaining an average of 10.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. The Bears have been led by Johnson, who is averaging 13.6 points.
TAKE IT UP A NOTCH: The Bears have scored 68.3 points per game against conference opponents so far, an improvement from the 59.3 per game they managed against non-conference foes.JUMPING FOR JAMES: Scott has connected on 31 percent of the 71 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 3 for 9 over his last three games. He’s also made 64.8 percent of his free throws this season.
UNDEFEATED WHEN: Portland State is a perfect 5-0 when it holds an opponent to 60 points or fewer. The Vikings are 3-9 when opponents score more than 60.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Vikings have recently converted baskets via assists more often than the Bears. Northern Colorado has 38 assists on 82 field goals (46.3 percent) over its past three outings while Portland State has assists on 58 of 96 field goals (60.4 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The disruptive Portland State defense has forced opponents to turn the ball over on 24.1 percent of all possessions, the 15th-best rate in the nation. Northern Colorado has a forced-turnover percentage of only 15.8 percent through 17 games (ranking the Bears 331st among Division I teams).
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