Raising Hell – From the desk of Nathan Hellman

For years, Portland State athletics has been an afterthought in the consciousness of Oregon sports fans. In this state, you’re either a Duck or Beaver. It’s that cut and dry. It’s that plain and simple. A major reason for this cold shoulder toward the Vikings is that Portland State has a history of losing. While the Ducks are fighting for Final Four berths and the Beavers are hoisting NCAA Baseball National Championship trophies, the Vikings are usually remarking, “We’ll be better next year. Just wait.” The long-time public sentiment is Portland State cannot compete with the Ducks or Beavers in athletics–not on the basketball court, football field or softball diamond. But this may be the first year the Vikings can claim they’re better than both Oregon and Oregon State in one sport. And it’s not a fringe sport–it is maybe Oregon’s most popular sport: basketball. The Vikings have flourished this season, dominating Big Sky foes with an 11-2 record in conference play and sustaining a nine-game winning streak at one point. For Portland State, it’s been a breakthrough season. While the Vikings have been blowing out teams and reeling off long winning streaks, the basketball gods have not been as kind to the Ducks and Beavers. Portland State sits atop the Big Sky standings, while the Ducks have compiled a pedestrian overall record and are the Pac-10’s eighth-place team, and the Beavers are fading into near oblivion with a 0-15 mark against Pac-10 foes. There’s no need for the Vikings and Beavers to suit up. It’s more than evident that Portland State would crush their counterparts from Corvallis in a head-to-head matchup. But Oregon would be a different story. Even though the Ducks are ranked No. 56 in the RPI compared to Portland State’s No. 115 ranking, a game between these two squads would be extremely close. Let’s not fret over who would win. The truth of the matter is while Oregon has more talented players, the Vikings are a more cohesive team. So, the teams would likely split a series. But if you lead this rivalry away from the court and into the financial side of sports, there is already a clear and definite winner-and it wears green and white. The overall men’s basketball budgets for Oregon’s top Division I teams are as follows: Portland State at $788,328, Oregon State at $2,233,600 and, from last year’s budget, Oregon at $3,854,636. Portland State might not have state-of-the-art facilities, flashy uniforms, high-priced coaches, first-class marketing gurus, an expansive travel budget or an arena that seats more than 1,500 fans. But the Vikings have more than a handful of wins, which have come at a small price. The Vikings have accrued 19 victories this season, meaning each one has cost only $41,490 toward the budget. That’s outright cheap compared to the price tags on the Beavers’ and Ducks’ wins. With a respectable 15 wins, the Ducks have essentially paid $256,976 for each “W” this season. Oregon State is not even in the conversation for best team on the court, and nothing has changed here, as the Beavers’ meager six wins have cost their athletic department $372, 267 per victory. Admittedly, it’s arguable whether Portland State could defeat Oregon or Oregon State in an actual game of hoops. But one thing that’s not arguable is whether the Vikings are winning the financial aspect of collegiate basketball. The Vikings have the most victories, and they’ve come at the cheapest price, making it even more amazing that Portland State has the best chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Just think how many wins these other two Oregon programs would have with merely $788,328. Yep, probably about one or two wins more than zero.