Portland Pilots vs Loyola Marymount Lions Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Portland Pilots vs Loyola Marymount Lions

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA

TV: ESPN+

The Loyola Marymount Lions (11-9) welcome the Portland Pilots (9-11) at Gersten Pavilion on Saturday.

The Portland Pilots took the court against Pepperdine and ended up losing by a score of 67-63 in their last contest. Portland ended having earned a 37.9% FG percentage (25 of 66) and buried 7 of 33 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Pilots converted 6 of 9 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. In relation to rebounding, they earned 37 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 18 assists in the game in addition to forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In terms of the defense, Portland allowed 45.3% from the field on 24 of 53 shooting. Pepperdine doled out 9 dimes and had 9 steals in the matchup. Furthermore, Pepperdine snagged 34 rebounds (9 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Pepperdine ended up shooting 60.0% at the free throw line by converting 12 of 20 attempts. They knocked down 7 out of their 23 tries from long range. When it comes to personal fouls, the Pilots ended up walking away with 19 while Pepperdine finished the game with 13 personal fouls.

Cameron Williams is one guy who was a factor in this contest. He finished shooting 66.7% from the field but didn't record an assist. He saw the court for 37 mins and snagged 7 boards. He left the arena with 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Parlay Picks

Portland comes into this matchup with a record of 9-11 this season. They average 78.5 points per contest (148th in the nation) while hitting 47.3% from the field. The Pilots are shooting 30.1% on three-point shots (127 of 422) and 73.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Portland is pulling in 35.1 boards per contest and is sitting with 359 assists on the year, which is 3rd in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 14.0 times per contest and as a squad are committing 18.4 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Pilots are able to force 12.9 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.6 personal fouls. They surrender 35.3% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 324th in Division 1 in points per game from their opponents (80.4). The Pilots defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 44.6% (542 of 1,215) and they surrender 34.1 boards per contest as a team. They currently rank 361st in college in giving up assists with 345 relinquished for the season.

The last time they took the court, the Loyola Marymount Lions took a loss by a final score of 76-70 against Oregon State. The Lions earned 24 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 34 in this contest. They also turned the ball over 15 times, while earning 3 steals for the matchup. Oregon State had 19 personal fouls for the contest which got the Lions to the free throw line for a total of 25 attempts. They were able to bury 24 of the free throws for a percentage of 96.0%. When it comes to shooting from downtown, Loyola Marymount buried 6 of 20 attempts (30.0%). Overall, the Lions went 20 for 55 from the floor which had them shooting 36.4%. The Lions allowed Oregon State to bury 20 of their 57 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 35.1% in the game. They went 26.9% from beyond the arc by going 7 out of 26 and ended up shooting 29 of 31 at the free throw line (93.5%). When talking about how they rebounded, Loyola Marymount allowed Oregon State to pull down 31 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Jalen Shelley ended up being a factor for the Lions in this game. He totaled 18 points in his 30 mins on the court and accumulated 3 assists for the contest. He converted 7 of 13 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 53.8%, and earned 6 rebounds.

Loyola Marymount has a mark of 11-9 on the year. As an offense, the Lions are shooting 45.9% from the floor, which is 151st in college. Loyola Marymount has scored 1,530 points this year (76.5 per game) and they collect 35.7 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 13.9 times per game (211th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.2 times per contest. The Lions are responsible for committing 18.1 fouls every game and they shoot 68.3% from the charity stripe.

The Lions defensively are ranked 122nd in college hoops in PPG given up with 71.5. They are able to force 12.4 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 40.8% from the floor (53rd in D-1). The Loyola Marymount defense allows 32.3% on 3-point attempts (145 of 449) and their opposition makes 73.7% of their foul shots. They have allowed 12.6 dimes and 36.8 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 114th and 291st in those defensive categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Portland

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.