Many eyes in the college basketball world will be on Firestone Fieldhouse Saturday as host Pepperdine looks to handle the Portland Pilots in NCAA hoops action.

The Waves sit at 8-6 (6-3-1 ATS) on the season. By comparison, the Pilots are currently 7-9 (4-7 ATS). Looking to wager on the totals? Pepperdine is 5-2 OU, and Portland is 1-5 OU.



View Portland vs Pepperdine Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Waves were listed as 6-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 Waves at No. 175 and the Pilots at No. 219 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 65-61 result in favor of the Waves.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Pepperdine's No. 243-ranked offense, averaging 64.8 PPG, against a Pilots defense that ranks No. 165 at 65.7 PPG. The Waves field goal percentage has averaged 45.6% so far, more than the Pilots marksmen have achieved on the year, 41.6% per game.

Defensively, Portland features the nation's No. 225-rated defense on the road, allowing 73.3 points per game. Pepperdine, meanwhile, comes in at No. 291 nationally in scoring at home.

Portland was a 61-50 loser in its last match on the road against San Diego. They failed to cover the 6-point spread as underdogs. The Pilots got 12 points from Thomas van der Mars, but it was San Diego that prevailed in a 61-50 final on Thursday at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Last time out for Pepperdine, they were a 78-62 loser as they battled Gonzaga at home. They earned a push in the match as a 16-point underdog. Pepperdine suffered a 78-62 loss against Gonzaga on Thursday, getting 16 points from Lorne Jackson in a losing effort at Firestone Fieldhouse.


Portland Pilots Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing Loyola Marymount are 3-7
After playing San Diego are 3-7
After a loss are 6-4

Pepperdine Waves Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 2-8
Before playing BYU are 4-3
After playing Gonzaga are 1-9
After a loss are 5-5

A few Pilots at Waves trends to consider:
Portland is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Pepperdine
Portland is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Portland is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pepperdine's last 11 games when playing Portland
Pepperdine is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Pepperdine is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Portland
Pepperdine is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games


Next up:
Portland at Loyola Marymount, Saturday, January 12
Pepperdine at BYU, Thursday, January 10