Portland Pilots vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Portland Pilots vs Washington State Cougars

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA

TV: ESPN+

The Washington State Cougars (10-13) will compete against the Portland Pilots (10-13) at Beasley Coliseum on Saturday.

The Portland Pilots stepped onto the hardwood against Pacific and took a loss by a score of 74-51 in their last game. Regarding fouls, the Pilots left the arena with 14 while Pacific finished the game with 25 fouls. They also buried 7 out of their 20 shots from downtown. Pacific finished the game shooting 69.2% from the charity stripe by knocking down 9 of 13 tries. On top of that, Pacific pulled down 34 rebounds (9 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Pacific earned 19 assists and had 10 steals in the matchup. Regarding the defense, Portland allowed 50.9% from the floor on 29 of 57 shooting. They also recorded 11 dimes for this contest while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and having 6 steals. When talking about getting rebounds, they earned 23 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Pilots converted 19 of 28 shots for a rate of 67.9%. Portland ended having earned a 31.0% FG percentage (13 out of 42) and made 6 of 23 shots from beyond the arc.

Joel Foxwell is one player who was a factor for the matchup. He finished the contest at 25.0% from the field and dished out 3 assists. He played 29 minutes and totaled 2 rebounds. He totaled 13 points on 3 of 12 shooting.

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Portland enters this game with a win-loss record of 10-13 this year. They currently have an average of 76.5 points per contest (184th in D-1) while hitting 46.4% from the floor. The Pilots are connecting on 30.7% on shots from 3-point land (147 of 479) and 73.6% from the charity stripe. As a team, Portland is snagging 34.6 rebounds per contest and has tallied 397 dimes so far this season, which ranks 11th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 13.7 times per game and as a unit are committing 18.2 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Pilots are forcing 12.9 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.9 fouls. They are giving up 35.2% on 3-point shots and they are 308th in the country in opponents points per game (78.9). The Pilots are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 44.4% (614 of 1,384) and they concede 34.3 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are currently ranked 361st in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 392 conceded so far this season.

The last time they took the court, the Washington State Cougars went home victorious with a score of 70-58 against Seattle. The Cougars corralled 31 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 37 in the game. They also gave up possession 19 times, while recording 4 steals in the matchup. Seattle earned 21 fouls for this contest which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for a total of 19 attempts. They were able to make 12 of those for a percentage of 63.2%. With regard to shots from beyond the arc, Washington State made 8 of their 19 attempts (42.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Cougars walked away from this one shooting 25 for 45 from the field which had them at 55.6%. The Cougars permitted Seattle to knock down 21 of their 61 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 34.4% for the matchup. They finished the game shooting 14.3% from 3-point land by going 3 of 21 and finished the game at 13 out of 17 from the free throw line (76.5%). In reference to how they attacked the glass, Washington State allowed Seattle to snag 26 in all (9 offensive).

Rihards Vavers ended up being a factor for the Cougars in this matchup. He made 8 of 10 in this game for a field goal rate of 80.0%, and totaled 5 rebounds. He scored 24 points in his 34 mins on the court, but wasn't able to tally an assist.

Washington State has a mark of 10-13 so far this season. As an offense, the Cougars are shooting 47.3% from the floor, which ranks 72nd in D-1. Washington State has scored 1,755 points for the season (76.3 per contest) and they grab 34.9 boards per contest. They are getting an assist 13.0 times per contest (257th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.5 times per game. The Cougars are responsible for committing 18.0 fouls per game and they hit 72.6% from the free throw line.

The Washington State defense gives up 36.1% on shots from 3-point land (192 of 532) and their opponents are connecting on 74.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 13.5 dimes and 30.8 total rebounds per game, ranking them 186th and 27th in those categories. The Cougars on the defensive side of the court are 274th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 77.0. They are able to force 10.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 46.2% from the field (300th in the nation).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Portland

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