Raising Hell – From the desk of Nathan Hellman

There is a moment in every season where a team is on the precipice of a successful year and an undesirable finish. It’s the crossroads between a team achieving its wildest dreams and living its most frightening nightmares.

Right now the Portland State men’s basketball squad is roaming around in that fantasy world, that rests sandwiched between triumph and failure. The team is sitting in third place in the Big Sky with an overall record of 11-8, and it’s that time for the Vikings. The time when the cloth comes off and the creature beneath is exposed, for better or worse.

Thanks to a gift, or premeditated sabotage attempt, from the Big Sky schedule-makers, Portland State is on an 11-day break from real, competitive basketball. They might as well take a premature spring-break vacation to Cancun or Maui, where the sun is out and the air is warm.

Their last game was a sensational 85-83 overtime victory over Northern Colorado, where three players poured in more than 20 points. And their next game on Jan. 31 is a crucial home matchup versus bitter rival Montana.

But that’s almost two weeks between games. How does the energy from an emotional overtime victory carry over 11 days?

That’s the question everyone around this team is dying to know. Without supreme psychic abilities, I might not have that answer, but I can offer another: It will be difficult to step back on the floor against a Big Sky opponent after an 11-day layoff.

“You want to maintain your competitive edge that is developed over the course of the season. But that’s hard to do without any games,” said head coach Ken Bone.

And speaking of challenging and encountering a crossroads, immediately after the Vikings start the second phase of their season, they will face a gauntlet of formidable opponents.

Talk about just waking up from a lengthy nap and being forced to step in the ring for 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather. Once again, thanks, schedule-makers.

After going toe-to-toe with Montana, the Vikings are slated to tangle with Montana State, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State and Idaho State-all in a matter of 15 days.

“After not playing for a while, I think the guys will just look forward to playing some games,” Bone said.

When it’s boiled down, this 15-day period will define Portland State’s season. After defeating Northern Colorado, the Vikings had reached the apex of their year. They were sitting on cloud nine and could have probably strolled through this five-game stretch without any hang-ups if it wasn’t for the extensive layoff.

But forget about the maybes and theatricals, because reality says this is the Vikings schedule. And if they still have ambitions to hoist the Big Sky Conference championship trophy at season’s end, they must shake off any rust and recapture the magic.

Northern Arizona sits atop the Big Sky standings with a 13-6 record and 5-1 against conference foes. While Idaho State performed poorly against non-conference teams, they have been golden versus the Big Sky.

Montana and Montana State have always been a thorn in Portland State’s side. And, in probably the sole cakewalk of the stretch, Sacramento State is a dreadful 3-15.

The overriding theme: It will not be easy.

Fortunately for the Vikings, they have already played three of the five teams. And another bit of good news is that Portland State enjoyed double-digit victories over each, defeating Northern Arizona, Idaho State and Sacramento State by an average of over 16 points.

With the schedule-makers laying a tough road for the Vikings to navigate and the team experiencing a rare mid-season vacation, it appears the cards are stacked against Portland State.

But, ultimately it will be the Vikings who decide their fate, not the schedule-makers.

Which raises the question: How would you like to finish the year, Vikings?