Halftime Report
Portland has overcome an early deficit to take the lead back in this one. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Pepperdine 53-35.
Portland came into the game with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Portland Pilots @ Pepperdine Waves
Current Records: Portland 7-15, Pepperdine 8-13
How To Watch
What to Know
We’ve got another exciting West Coast matchup on schedule as the Pepperdine Waves and the Portland Pilots are set to tip at 10:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves will be strutting in after a win while the Pilots will be stumbling in from a defeat.
Pepperdine’s offense and defense might be a bit winded after their high-scoring matchup with San Diego on Thursday. Pepperdine walked away with a 98-90 victory over San Diego. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Waves.
Pepperdine’s win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Zion Bethea, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 26 points plus seven rebounds. The dominant performance gave Bethea a new career-high in threes. Moe Odum was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 18 points and nine assists.
Meanwhile, Portland fell victim to a painful 88-63 loss at the hands of LMU on Thursday. The Pilots were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 46-24.
Even though they lost, Portland smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That’s a new trend for them: they were averaging 7.7 offensive rebounds per game earlier this season, but in their last five games they’ve averaged 12.6.
Pepperdine’s win bumped their record up to 8-13. As for Portland, they dropped their record down to 7-15 with the defeat, which was their sixth straight on the road.
Looking ahead, Pepperdine is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by nine points. For those looking to play the spread, take note: they are a solid 5-2 against the spread when playing as the favorites at home.
Pepperdine took their victory against Portland in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 91-70. Does Pepperdine have another victory up their sleeve, or will Portland turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Pepperdine is a big 9-point favorite against Portland, 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 Waves as a 8.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 149.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Pepperdine has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Portland.
- Feb 17, 2024 – Pepperdine 91 vs. Portland 70
- Feb 03, 2024 – Portland 93 vs. Pepperdine 89
- Feb 04, 2023 – Pepperdine 94 vs. Portland 93
- Jan 21, 2023 – Portland 91 vs. Pepperdine 76
- Feb 19, 2022 – Portland 77 vs. Pepperdine 74
- Jan 15, 2022 – Portland 82 vs. Pepperdine 63
- Feb 06, 2021 – Pepperdine 91 vs. Portland 70
- Jan 16, 2021 – Pepperdine 80 vs. Portland 65
- Feb 20, 2020 – Pepperdine 66 vs. Portland 59
- Jan 25, 2020 – Pepperdine 80 vs. Portland 69
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
