Pepperdine vs Portland 1/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Portland Pilots (9-7) vs. Pepperdine Waves (6-12)
January 15, 2022 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Pepperdine Waves -4 / Portland Pilots +4; Over/Under: 149
(Get latest betting odds)
The Portland Pilots will travel to Firestone Fieldhouse to take on the Pepperdine Waves this Saturday night in College Basketball action.
The Portland Pilots dropped to 9-7 on the season after being defeated by the San Diego Toreros, 68-63 (OT), this past Thursday. Portland fought back from a 52-46 deficit with 6:40 left in regulation to force OT, however, the Pilots offense had no answers in the extra period and could not fight back after San Diego took a 64-62 lead with 1:24 left in OT. Portland shot 35.9% from the field & 27.8% from beyond the arc while allowing San Diego to shoot 35.6% from the field & 21.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Pilots was Moses Wood who had a double-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, & 1 steal.
On the season, Portland is averaging 74.1 ppg on 43.5% shooting from the field. The Pilots are averaging 8.0 three-pointers per game on 35.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Portland has been led by Tyler Robertson (14.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.1 spg), Chris Austin (14.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.3 apg), Moses Wood (13.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.5 apg), & Mike Meadows (11.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.1 spg).
Defensively, Portland is allowing their opponents to average 71.9 ppg on 41.0% shooting from the field. The Pilots have a rebound margin of 1.9 and a turnover margin of -1.8.
The Pepperdine Waves lost their 3rd straight game and dropped to 6-12 on the season after being defeated by the St. Mary’s Gaels, 77-62, this past Thursday. Pepperdine struggled defensively against St. Mary’s and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 39-30 margin. Pepperdine shot 40.7% from the field & 44.4% from beyond the arc while allowing St. Mary’s to shoot 52.9% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Waves was Jan Zidek who had 17 points, 7 rebounds, & 1 assist.
On the season, Pepperdine is averaging 69.5 ppg on 41.4% shooting from the field. The Waves are averaging 7.4 three-pointer per game on 32.8% from beyond the arc. Offensively, Pepperdine has been led by Jan Zidek (12.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Houston Mallette (11.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Jade’ Smith (9.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.1 spg), & Maxwell Lewis (9.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 spg).
Defensively, Pepperdine is allowing their opponents to average 75.3 ppg on 45.7% shooting from the field. The Waves have a rebound margin of -0.5 and a turnover margin of -0.7.
The Pilots are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games and 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Waves are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games and just 7-10 ATS on the season.
Portland has been led by their offense which ranks 134th in scoring offense & 94th in 3P-FG% and despite the defense ranking just 251st in scoring defense, the Pilots do come into this matchup ranked 92nd in defensive FG%. The Waves have struggled on both ends of the court this season and come into this game ranked just 240th in scoring offense, 298th in FG%, 306th in scoring defense, & 305th in defensive FG%.
Pepperdine comes into this game with a 6-4 home record, however, this is a team that just hasn’t played well this season which include back-to-back double-digit losses at home to San Diego & St. Mary’s. Portland has been decent on the offensive end this season and as I think they can keep this game competitive, I’m taking Portland and the points. Good Luck!
