Vikings still class of league

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krobinett@journalnet.com

POCATELLO -- Ask a college basketball coach about another team's greatness long enough, and it's only natural that at some point he'll want to step in and praise his own squad.

It's human nature. From the playground on, no one wants to hear about how much better someone else is than they are themselves. Even if it's true.

But there was little interjecting Tuesday morning during a conference call of Big Sky coaches. One by one, they were asked about the phenomenal run Portland State has put together -- 17 straight wins against league competition, a trip to last year's NCAA tournament and a 12-4 start to this season -- and no one stopped to ask "What about us?"

They just went on and on about how good the Vikings are.

"They look like the Lakers of our league right now," Weber State coach Randy Rahe said. "They're ultra-talented and deep. They've got all the pieces to be a dominant team in the league."

"I don't see any weaknesses," Idaho State coach Joe O'Brien said. "Right now, it's Portland State and everybody else."

"If someone had thoughts of knocking (Portland State) off," Montana State coach Brad Huse said, "They're starting to figure out it's going to be a tall task."

That's the story of the Big Sky this season. Can anyone beat Portland State?

Only four teams have done so this season.

Hampton beat Portland State 77-71 in the Great Alaska Shootout, Washington survived the Vikings at home by a single point, Cal Poly upset them by three points and No. 23 Baylor knocked them off 79-66.

Vikings coach Ken Bone noticed a common them in all four setbacks.

"Unfortunately, we play to the perceived level of the competition," Bone said. "I need to convince my team that we're not as good as we think."

But other than that, the Vikings have been dominant. They went on the road and beat Gonzaga, which was ranked 7th at the time 77-70, and are off to a 3-0 start in Big Sky play.

They have the reigning conference MVP in point guard Jeremiah Dominguez, who is averaging 13 points and 2.7 assists per game, and are also blessed with one of the league's top newcomers in Hawaii transfer Dominic Waters, who scored 41 points against Northern Arizona on Sunday. Washington transfer Phil Nelson is also averaging 11.9 points per game.

That's a potent three-headed monster that coaches around the league are trying their darndest to figure out how to beat.

Northern Arizona came painfully close Sunday, when it lost to Portland State 92-91 in four overtimes.

If NAU coach Mike Adras could do anything over, he said it would be to put a defender with fresh legs on Waters. But even then, he's not sure if the Lumberjacks would have won.

"They're a nightmare trying to defend," he said.

Problem is, Portland State is also strong on defense. During a commanding win over Montana, the Vikings held the Grizzlies to a mere 45 points.

Because of that, some coaches feel it would take Portland State having a poor game for their team to pull an upset.

"If anyone in our league is going to beat Portland State this year," O'Brien said, "Portland State is probably going to have a night where they aren't on their top game and the other team is going to be on theirs."

And if the Vikings are on their game?

"That would be tough," Rahe said. "When they crank it up, they look invincible."

With Big Sky play just getting started, here's an updated prediction of the league standings:

1. Portland State (12-4, 3-0)

Here's the scary thing about the Vikings, Bone believes they should be playing better. "There's room for improvement," he said. "We need to get it to where there are a few more guys clicking on all cylinders so it's not just Dominguez and Waters out there."

2. Weber State (7-7, 1-0)

At just about this time last year, Weber State beat Portland State 73-68 at home. It was the last time anyone in the Big Sky defeated the Vikings. Combined with a good start to this season, that puts the Wildcats in a good spot.

3. Idaho State (4-11, 1-0)

By Kellis Robinett

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