Portland vs. Washington State Picks and Prediction for Saturday, January 31, 2026
Use Code WWWC Portland Pilots (10-13) vs. Washington State Cougars (10-13)
The 2025-26 college basketball season goes on with another loaded Saturday slate, and in this preview, we are taking a closer look at the West Coast Conference showdown from Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA, to get you the Portland vs. Washington State prediction.
The Pilots meet the Cougars for the second time this season. Back in December, Washington State beat Portland 67-62 as a 4-point road favorite. The Cougars are now looking for their 10th straight victory over the Pilots.
Read more about this Portland vs. Washington State prediction, and make sure to check out all our NCAAB picks for Saturday’s card. The tip-off at Beasley Coliseum is set at 6:00 PM ET.
Portland hopes to snap its two-game skid
The Portland Pilots (10-13; 10-11 ATS; 9-12 O/U) have dropped three of their last four games overall, falling to 3-7 in conference play. After a 67-63 defeat at Pepperdine and a 71-58 victory at Loyola Marymount, the Pilots have lost consecutive games against Saint Mary’s 75-69 at home and Pacific 74-51 on the road.
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Last Saturday, the Pilots battled bravely against Saint Mary’s, covering a 14.5-point spread with ease. Four days later, the Pilots fell apart and failed to cover an 8.5-point spread at Pacific. Portland made just 30.9% of its field goals against the Tigers, and freshman guard Joel Foxwell was the lone Pilot with points in double figures (13).
Foxwell leads the way for Portland with 15.0 points, 7.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game, while junior forward Cameron Williams tallies 11.8 points and 5.6 rebounds a night. The Pilots score 105.2 points per 100 possessions (234th in the country) and allow 107.0 points in return (138th). They are No. 224 in the NCAA NET Rankings.
Washington State eyes its third straight W
The Washington State Cougars (10-13; 11-11 ATS; 11-11 O/U) put an end to their four-game losing streak last Saturday, beating Pepperdine 95-79 as 11.5-point home favorites. Last Wednesday, the Cougars stayed on track and beat Seattle U 70-58 as slight 1.5-point home favorites to advance to 5-5 in conference play.
Washington State held Seattle U to 34.4% shooting from the field (3-for-21 from deep). The Cougars committed 19 turnovers, but they shot 55.5% from the field (8-for-19 from deep). Junior forward Rihards Vavers led the way with 24 points and five rebounds, while fellow junior forward ND Okafor had 13 points, eight boards, and four assists.
Both Vavers (10.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG) and Okafor (10.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG) have done a good job this season, but freshman guard Ace Glass has been a key player with 16.7 points and 3.3 boards per game. The Cougars score 113.4 points per 100 possessions (99th in the nation) and allow 109.6 points in return (208th). They are No. 144 in the NCAA NET Rankings.
Portland vs. Washington State Pick
Spread Pick for Portland vs. Washington State
- Washington State (4 units)
The Pilots lost freshman forward Timo George (12.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG) for the rest of the season due to an injury, and that’s a huge blow to Portland’s frontcourt. George had nine points and five rebounds in 21 minutes on the floor in Portland’s 67-62 loss to Washington State last month.
Washington State is arguably a better rebounding team than Portland. The Cougars are 19th in the country in defensive rebound percentage (73.9%). Their 3-point defense is awful (312th in opposing 3-point percentage, 36.5%), but Portland makes just 30.3% of its shots from deep (328th).
The Cougars make 35.7% of their shots from downtown (80th). I expect them to beat the Pilots once more and cover the spread. Washington State is 8-1 ATS in its last nine dates with Portland.
Over/Under Pick for Portland vs. Washington State
- Under (4 units)
The previous encounter between Portland and Washington State flew under the 152.5-point line. Both teams had an awful shooting night and combined for 19 missed free throws. The Cougars went 8-for-23 from downtown, while the Pilots hit eight of their 31 shots from deep.
I will take the under in this one, even though both teams have struggled to defend the 3-point line this season. As I noted, the Cougars are 312th in opposing 3-point percentage. The Pilots are 240th in opposing 3-point percentage (35.1%) and 323rd in opposing 3-point rate (.449).
Yet, neither side plays at a fast pace. Moreover, both teams are turnover-prone. Portland is 320th in turnover percentage (19.5%), and Washington State ranks 295th in this category (19.0%).
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