Portland Pilots vs San Francisco Dons Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Portland vs San Francisco NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in San Francisco.

Portland vs San Francisco Prediction

Looking to win big? The Pilots and Dons face off at 10:00 ET on ESPN+. The Dons are hosting the game at War Memorial Gymnasium in San Francisco, CA. This West Coast conference matchup has an over/under of 147.5 points, and San Francisco is favored to win by -20.5 at home vs. Portland.

Portland vs. San Francisco Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Portland Pilots at San Francisco Dons
Where: San Francisco at War Memorial Gymnasium
Date: Thursday, January 9th
Betting Odds SF -20.5, PORT +1575 | SF -4500 O/U 147.5

Pilots Preview: Can Portland Deliver Being Underdogs on the Road?

Portland's season continued to be a struggle as they fell to 3-12 after an 81-58 loss to Saint Mary's on Saturday. The Pilots were +18 point underdogs at home and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 139, just over the O/U line of 136.5.

Portland trailed 28-19 at halftime but allowed 53 points in the 2nd half while scoring 39. They'll need to tighten up their defense and find more consistency on offense to turn things around.

Pilots Offense Breakdown

The Portland Pilots struggled offensively in their last game, scoring just 58 points on 37% shooting from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 44.4%, with two-point shooting at 38.2% (13/34) and three-point shooting at 35% (7/20). They did connect on 78.6% of their free throws, hitting 11 of 14 attempts.

Augustas Marciulionis led the way with 20 points and 6 assists, shooting 43.8% overall and 50% from three (3/6). Jordan Ross added 14 points, shooting 55.6% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc (2/4). Max Mackinnon and Mikey Lewis each contributed 12 points, with Mackinnon hitting 50% of his threes (2/4) and Lewis going 1/3 from deep.

Pilots Team Defense

Despite holding their opponent to just 37% shooting, the Portland Pilots gave up 81 points in their last game. They limited two-point attempts to 38% shooting, with the other team hitting 13 of 34 shots.

From beyond the arc, the Pilots allowed 7 threes on 20 attempts, a 35% shooting rate. Their opponent also went 11/14 from the free-throw line, shooting 78%. Portland gave up 12 offensive rebounds.

Dons Preview: Will the Dons Defense Show Up at Home?

San Francisco dropped to 12-4 on the season after a 91-82 loss to Washington State on Saturday. The Dons were +2.5 point underdogs going into the game and failed to cover the spread.

San Francisco led 49-48 at halftime but struggled in the second half, scoring just 33 points while allowing 43. The total points for the game reached 173, surpassing the O/U line of 147.5.

Dons Offense Breakdown

Malik Thomas led the Dons with 34 points on 57.1% shooting, including 3 of 7 from deep, in their win. LeJuan Watts contributed 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Ethan Price added 20 points, hitting 5 of 6 shots.

San Francisco shot 41.8% from the field, with a 49.3% effective field goal percentage, and made 10 of 33 threes (30.3%). They also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and dished out 9 assists.

Dons Team Defense

San Francisco's defense struggled, giving up 91 points on 49% shooting from the field. The Dons allowed 56% shooting on two-point attempts, with the opposing team hitting 18 of 32 shots.

From beyond the arc, San Francisco's opponents shot 36%, making 7 of 19 three-point attempts. The Dons also sent them to the free-throw line 41 times, where they converted 34 free throws at an 82% rate.

Pilots vs Dons Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last three road games, Portland has averaged 62 points per game while allowing 82. The team's record in this stretch was 0-3 while going 2-1.
In their last three games at home, the Dons have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 0-2-1 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 78 points per game in these contests.
Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Pilots have gone 2-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 0-3.
Across their last three matchups as the betting favorite, the Dons have an overall record of 3-0 while going 1-2 against the spread.