Portland Pilots vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, 1/18/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Portland Pilots vs Washington State Cougars

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025

Location: Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA

TV: ESPN+

Beasley Coliseum is the site where the Washington State Cougars (13-5) will take on the Portland Pilots (5-13) on Saturday.

The Portland Pilots stepped onto the hardwood against San Francisco and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 81-72 in their last game. Portland finished having earned a 43.3% FG percentage (26 of 60) and knocked down 5 out of their 22 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Pilots buried 15 of their 22 tries for a rate of 68.2%. In relation to rebounding, they collected 29 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 13 dimes in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In regard to defending, Portland allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the field on 31 of 62 shooting. San Francisco recorded 12 dimes and had 6 steals in this contest. In addition, San Francisco snagged 36 boards (14 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. San Francisco ended up shooting 83.3% from the free throw line by burying 10 of 12 tries. They knocked down 9 of their 23 shots from downtown. In relation to fouls, the Pilots ended up with 12 and San Francisco recorded 16 fouls.

Max Mackinnon is one player who played a role in this contest. He ended up shooting 73.3% from the floor and also distributed 2 assists. He played for 38 mins and snagged 4 rebounds. He scored 28 points on 11 out of 15 shooting.

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Portland enters this one with a record of 5-13 so far this season. They are losing possession via turnover 13.7 times per contest and as a team are committing 15.3 fouls per game. As a unit, Portland is grabbing 34.1 boards per game and has tallied 265 assists so far this year, which ranks 100th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Pilots are shooting 33.2% on three-point attempts (141 of 425) and 76.4% from the charity stripe. They average 70.5 pts per contest (279th in the nation) while shooting 43.1% from the floor.

Defensively, the Pilots have forced 9.9 turnovers every game and they draw 17.3 fouls. They are ranked 361st in college in giving up assists with 314 conceded for the year. The Pilots defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 45.1% (529 of 1,174) and they concede 37.2 boards per game as a unit. They are giving up 37.1% from 3-point land while they are 338th in D-1 in points per game allowed (79.3).

The last time they took the court, the Washington State Cougars took a loss by a final score of 88-75 against Gonzaga. The Cougars earned 16 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 in this contest. They also coughed up the ball 15 times, while earning 8 steals for the matchup. Gonzaga committed 12 personal fouls for the game which got the Cougars to the free throw line for 8 tries. They were able to bury 3 of them for a rate of 37.5%. Concerning 3-point shots, Washington State knocked down 8 out of 21 attempts (38.1%). When the game finished, the Cougars finished shooting 32 for 60 from the floor which had them sitting at 53.3%. The Cougars permitted Gonzaga to knock down 34 out of 61 tries from the floor which had them at 55.7% for this game. They finished 47.6% from three-point range by shooting 10 of 21 and walked away from this one shooting 10 of 13 from the free throw line (76.9%). When talking about how they rebounded, Washington State permitted Gonzaga to grab 25 in all (10 on the offensive glass).

Nate Calmese ended up being a factor for the Cougars for this game. He converted 9 out of 14 in the game for a rate of 64.3%, and had 2 rebounds. He totaled 20 points in his 32 minutes on the hardwood and had 8 assists for this contest.

Washington State has a record of 13-5 this year. As an offense, the Cougars are connecting on 49.4% from the field, which is 21st in college. Washington State has scored 1,474 pts for the campaign (81.9 per contest) and they average 36.9 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 17.3 times per contest (25th in Division 1) and they are turning it over 15.4 times per contest. The Cougars are committing 19.7 personal fouls every game and they hit 71.0% from the free throw line.

The Washington State defense concedes 31.1% on 3-point attempts (132 of 425) and their opponents are making 68.6% of their free throw shots. They give up 12.9 assists and 32.3 boards per contest, which ranks them 177th and 71st in those defensive categories. The Cougars on defense are ranked 294th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 75.9. They are forcing 12.5 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.9% from the floor (216th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Washington State

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