The Southern Utah Thunderbirds will try to cover the spread at Centrum Arena on Thursday when they get a visit from the Portland State Vikings in NCAA basketball action.

This season, the Thunderbirds are 5-12 overall and 7-8 ATS ATS, while the Vikings are 5-10 and 7-6 ATS against the number. As for the totals, Southern Utah boasts a 5-6 on the OU, and Portland State is 5-5.



View Portland State vs Southern Utah Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Thunderbirds were listed as 3.5-point favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark earlier in the day. It opened first at Sportsbook, where the total was expected shortly.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Thunderbirds at No. 262 and the Vikings at No. 315 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 66-62 result in favor of the Vikings.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Vikings is ranked No. 332 in NCAA hoops at 29.9 per game. Contrast that with Southern Utah’s No. 66 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Southern Utah is the No. 262-ranked team in the country at 5.2 per game, while Portland State rates No. 186 at 6.1 per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Portland State owns the country's No. 242-rated mark, allowing 73 points per game on the highway. Southern Utah, on the other hand, rates No. 253 in scoring at home.

Portland State was an 85-76 loser in their most recent outing on the road against North Dakota. They failed to cover the 5-point spread as underdogs. Portland State suffered an 85-76 loss against North Dakota on Saturday, getting 19 points from Michael Harthun in a losing effort at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

In their last action, Southern Utah was a 76-68 loser on the road against Montana State. They failed to cover the 6-point spread as underdogs. Damon Heuir scored 20 points in a futile effort to lead the Thunderbirds to a win (they lost 76-68 to Montana State at Worthington Arena on Monday).


Portland State Vikings Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Eastern Washington are 7-3
After a loss are 2-8

Southern Utah Thunderbirds Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
After playing Montana State are 1-1
After a loss are 4-6

A few Vikings at Thunderbirds trends to consider:
Portland State is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Portland State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Southern Utah's last 6 games
Southern Utah is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games


Next up:
Portland State at Eastern Washington, Monday, January 28
Southern Utah home to Eastern Washington, Saturday, January 26