Portland Pilots vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/26/2022

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Friday, Mar 25, 2022
Game Time: 6:00 pm ET, Saturday, March 26, 2022
Venue:  America First Event Center, Cedar City, UT 
Where to Watch:  ESPN+

 

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Portland +4, SUU -4; Over/Under:  155 points
Bet365:  Point Spread:  Portland +4, SUU -4; Over/Under:  155.5 points
BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Portland +4.5, SUU -4.5; Over/Under:  155.5 points
 

Season Record

Portland Pilots:  19-14 (6th place, WCC)
Southern Utah Thunderbirds:  22-11 (2nd place, Big Sky)
 
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Will Rogers is on an 11-5 NCAAB RUN! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

 

Portland Pilots vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds Preview and Analysis

 
Recent Form
Portland Pilots:  3-2 last 5
Southern Utah Thunderbirds:  4-1 last 5
 
 
 

Portland Pilots Analysis

Portland is coming into this game with a 19-14 record overall and they are 6-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Santa Clara Broncos while their 2 wins in that span came against the San Diego Toreros and the New Orleans Privateers in their last game. Kristian Sjolund led the team in points in that game with 21 while Moses Wood and Chris Austin were both next on the team with 19 points each. Tyler Robertson led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Wood led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 50% from the field, 47.1% from 3-point range, and 63.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72 PPG against them. Portland has an ATS record of 20-11 this season and their O/U record is 15-16.
 
 

Southern Utah Thunderbirds Analysis

Southern Utah is coming into this game with a 22-11 record overall and they are 12-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 4 of their last 5 games and are coming into this one on a 2 game winning streak. Their last loss was against the Portland State Vikings while their 4 wins in that span came against the Idaho State Bengals, the Weber State Wildcats, the Kent State Golden Flashes, and the UTEP Miners in their last game. Nick Fleming off the bench led the team in points in that game with 18 while Dre Marin was next on the team with 17 points. Marin and Fleming both led the team in assists in that game with 4 each while John Knight III led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 58.2% from the field, 43.5% from 3-point range, and 88.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 78.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72.9 PPG against them. Southern Utah has an ATS record of 13-18 this season and their O/U record is 19-12.
 

 

Portland vs Southern Utah Prediction

SUU is coming into this game as a 4 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Portland has not been playing very well in their recent games and they have not even played that much recently either. They have won 2 of their last 3 games but their loss came against Santa Clara in their WCC tourney by over 20 points. Their last game was a 21 point win against New Orleans but that game was on March 19 and it is the only game they have played in this tourney. They are going up against a SUU team that has been heating up recently with 4 wins in their last 5 games and they have won their last 2 coming into this one. They are coming off of a big win on the road by double digits and they will have a lot of confidence playing in this game at home off of that win. They have also played more games in this tourney and in the last week than Portland has so SUU will get off to a quicker start here. SUU has been playing much better than Portland has been recently and they have the comfort of being at home here. SUU will cover the spread in this game.
 
Portland Southern Utah Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, March 26, 2022 (6:00 pm ET start time) is SUU 84 Portland 71.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Portland Pilots Southern Utah Thunderbirds prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.
 

NCAAB Betting Trends

 
Portland Pilots: 19-10 ATS in all games. 10-3 ATS in road games. 14-5 OVER after playing a game as favorite.
Southern Utah Thunderbirds: 11-26 ATS after scoring 80 points or more. 10-19 ATS as a home favorite or pick. 19-12 OVER in all games.
 

Key Injuries

 
Portland Pilots:  None.
Southern Utah Thunderbirds:  T. Jones (G) out for season - Wrist injury.
 

Notable Quotes

 
“It’s just fun to be able to play in a bit of postseason. I have had a bit of experience last year going to the Big Dance but it’s still postseason play so another game to get better and improve while it’s a bit of a stepping-stone to next year.” - Tyler Robertson on playing in this tourney.
 
 
"It is humbling to be a finalist for the mid-major coach of the year honors. I've always felt coach of the year awards are team and staff recognitions so it is great to have Southern Utah acknowledged among the best mid-majors. I'm really proud of our guys' achievements." - Todd Simon on being one of the finalists for two different awards.
 
 

Starting Lineups

 
Portland Pilots
C. Austin 
M. Meadows 
C. Nduka
T. Robertson 
M. Wood
 
Southern Utah Thunderbirds
M. Fausett 
T. Jones 
J. Knight 
D. Marin 
J. Spurgin
 

Statistical Leaders

 
Portland Pilots
PPG: T. Robertson (15.1)
APG: T. Robertson (4.4)
Reb/G: T. Robertson (6.3)
 
Southern Utah Thunderbirds
PPG: T. Jones (14.6)
APG: J. Knight III (4.2)
Reb/G: M. Fausett (8.2)
 
Coaches:
Portland Pilots: Shantay Legans (1st season)
Southern Utah Thunderbirds: Todd Simon (6th season)


Amedeus Mastrangelo

About the Author:

Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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