With three games on the slate this weekend, the Portland State men’s basketball team will begin their season by playing three outstanding squads in games against Belmont, Wright State and No. 14-ranked Washington.
Their first game is today against Belmont, and the Vikings look to get going early by finding their rhythm against a young Bruins team. Enjoying similar success as Portland State, Belmont is no patsy on the schedule and has played in three of the last four NCAA tournaments.
Portland State will play another quality opponent in Wright State on Saturday night. The Raiders are a team with solid pedigree, as they regularly face ranked opponents in a conference with teams like Butler, who finished last season ranked 25th in the nation.
Despite playing both of these teams for the first time, the Vikings will have their hands full against two well-coached teams that have played against top-level talent before. The Vikings should benefit, however, from the distinct looks and will gain valuable experience in both matchups for use later in the season.
The Vikings will need to be careful with how much they exhaust themselves before their third matchup against Washington on Sunday. Playing against their first-ranked opponent, the Huskies will provide Portland State with stiff competition. Washington’s outstanding rebounding will test Portland State in an area they have been struggling with.
Also, look for junior forward Phil Nelson to try and impress the Huskies, his old team.
With all three teams figuring to be tough matchups, Portland State can answer a lot of questions this weekend in Seattle before they head to their next big matchup against Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., on Nov. 29.