Portland State Men’s Basketball coach Tyler Geving didn’t really care as much about wins and losses going into last weekend’s basketball tournament, but even he has to be happy with his teams 3-0 record. Winners of four straight games now, the Vikings are starting off the season hot.
The tournament, which was headlined by competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi, was dominated by Portland State. Although there was not a declared winner, the Vikings undefeated record earned them the unspoken title. Coach Geving went into the tournament hoping for three wins, but he never let winning be the number one goal.
“Defense is something we have talked about as the team,” Geving said. “We want to be ranked in the top half of our league defensively, that is definitely one of our goals. Defense was our weakness last year, so it is something I’ve been trying to stress a lot and put emphasis on.”
Defense certainly played a part in the Vikings’ wins last weekend, which started with big stops down the stretch against Loyola Chicago, who had a seventeen point lead against Portland State. The Vikings managed to fight back through big second half efforts from Aaron Moore, and Andre Winston Jr. Moore finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, his eighth double as a Viking.
Portland State had trailed most of the second half to Loyola Chicago until a three pointer tied the game with just under four minutes to go. From then on, Portland State took over, forcing stops on defense and getting to the foul line on offense. Moore also added a jumper in the lane to put Portland State ahead for good, as they won 67-63.
The excitement didn’t end there for the Vikings, who continued their solid play against Southern Illinois Edwardsville. For the second game in a row, Portland State trailed by double digits in the second half, but they fought back late to secure their second win of the tournament. PSU won by three, after a last second shot fell short from SIU Edwardsville.
The third and final game of the tournament was arguably the easiest game for Portland State, against UC Davis. The Vikings lead for almost the entire game, and they only beat UC Davis by as close as seven points in the second half. DaShaun Wiggins led the vikings in scoring with 21 points, and three other Vikings reached double figures. Portland State finished the game winning by 16, 79-63.
The Vikings were the only team to finish undefeated in the tournament, which used a round-robin style, of everyone playing everyone. SIU Edwardsville was the only team to go without winning in the tournament.
The tournament fulfilled many of the goals that Coach Geving had for his team. This early in the season, the Vikings just want to stay healthy, and play good basketball.
“We want to get better,” Geving said. “When you are in a conference like the Big Sky, it all comes down to how you do in league play. You can go 9-0, or 0-9 (in preseason) and it doesn’t really mean anything. We want to find out about our team. We want to find out what our strengths and weaknesses are. When January rolls around, there is not a lot of time to get better. So it is all about getting an identity the first couple months of the season.”
This tournament was not only about basketball, but it also included a performance of sorts from Kobayashi, a competitive eater. Kobayashi performed at halftime and after games. He had eating contests with students and the media. He also drank a gallon of milk in under a minute. Kobayashi helped add to an atmosphere at the Peter W. Stott Center that has had some excitement over the last couple years, but could still make some improvements.
“I’d like to get a good fan base, and get a lot of students out to the games,” Geving said. “As a fan when you come to the game, and it is jam packed, it’s pretty fun. If you’re a true basketball fan, and you love college basketball, why wouldn’t you come out?”
The Vikings are now winners of four games in a row, and they will continue their out-of-conference season against Boise State this Friday. The game is set to tip off at 5p.m. Portland State’s next home game isn’t until December 7, when the Vikings will play their crosstown rival, the Portland Pilots. Geving hopes that the game against both Portland schools will draw a big crowd and exciting atmosphere for the Vikings to play in.