Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Portland State
'Cats begin new year and Big Sky play on Thursday at 2:00
12/30/2025 11:44:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Weber State hosts Portland State on Thursday at 2:00 in the Big Sky opener.
• Weber State will ring in the new year and open Big Sky Conference play with a home game against Portland State.
• The Wildcats and Vikings will tipoff at 2 p.m. on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at the Dee Events Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Tony Parks and former Weber State head coach Joe Cravens on the call.
The Weber State radio broadcast with Carl Arky and former WSU standout and Big Sky MVP David Patten calling the action.
Live stats and video links are at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Weber State ended the non-conference season with a 6-7 record. The Wildcats have wins over Campbell, Kansas City twice, and Oral Roberts. WSU is coming off a 103-64 win over Lincoln on December 22. The 'Cats are 5-2 at home this season.
• Portland State was 6-5 in non-conference play. The Vikings were picked second in the Big Sky preseason coaches and media polls.
• Weber State is the only team in the Big Sky with five players averaging in double figures after non-conference play. Jace Whiting and Trevor Hennig are tied for first at 13 points a game. Tijan Saine Jr. is next at 12.2 per game. Viljami Vartiainen is averaging 11.4 points per game. He has missed the last six games with a knee injury but is expected to return soon. Edwin Suarez Jr. is averaging 10.5 points per game.
This season, Weber State has had seven different players lead the team in scoring.
• Through the non-conference schedule, Weber State leads the Big Sky in 3-point field goal defense, rebounding, and rebounding margin. WSU is also second in the conference in scoring offense and third in field goal percentage and steals.
• The Wildcats are sixth in the nation in 3-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 26.1 percent from 3-point range. The 'Cats are also 31st in the country and first in the Big Sky in fastbreak points at 17.1 per game.
• This season, WSU is 6-1 when leading its opponent in field goal percentage and 0-5 when trailing. The 'Cats are also 6-0 when leading in assists and 0-5 when trailing, and 6-1 when leading at halftime, and 0-4 when trailing.
• Thursday is the first of an 18-game Big Sky schedule and Weber State will play four of the first six conference games at home.
Weber State and Portland State will open and close the Big Sky regular season. The 'Cats and Vikings will open the conference season on Thursday in Ogden and will play the final regular season game on March 2 in Portland.
• The Wildcats have won three straight and eight of their last 10 games when opening the Big Sky schedule at home.
• This is just the fifth ever game for Weber State played on January 1 and the first time ever in Ogden on New Year's Day. The 'Cats played at Whitworth on January 1 in 1965, at Portland State in 2005, at Eastern Washington in 2015, and at Montana in 2022.
• Portland State enters Big Sky play with a 6-5 record, highlighted by wins over Cal State Bakersfield, Utah Tech, and South Dakota. The Vikings beat Utah Tech and South Dakota on the road and are 2-4 on the road this season. PSU started the season with wins in five of the first seven games but have since lost of their last four games. They are coming off close losses at Colorado and Tulane to end the non-conference schedule.
• This season the Vikings leads the Big Sky in field goal defense, holding opponents to 41 percent shooting. They are also first in turnovers forced per game, at 14.5. PSU also ranks second in the Big Sky in rebounding (behind Weber State), and is second in assists and steals. They are third in scoring defense, scoring margin, turnover margin, and blocks.
• The Vikings were 19-13 overall last season and finished third in the Big Sky at 11-7.
PSU was picked second this season in the Big Sky preseason media and coaches polls. The Vikings had three players named to the Big Sky preseason all-conference team in Terri Miller Jr., Jaylin Henderson, and Tre-Vaughn Minott. Miller earned second-team All-Big Sky honors last season and Henderson earned honorable mention honors. Minott is the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Miller leads the team and is third in the Big Sky in scoring at 17.8 points per game this season and Henderson is fifth at 17.0. Henderson is also second in the conference in assists and steals and Minott is second in the league in rebounding.
• Portland State is coached by Jase Coburn who is in his fifth season at Portland State. He has a record of 68-68 overall and is 35-38 in Big Sky games.
• Weber State holds a 47-20 series lead over Portland State, but the series is 6-6 over the last 12 meetings. The two teams split the series last year, each winning at home, including the Wildcats winning on a Blaise Threatt jumper in the final seconds to seal the win.
In games in Ogden, Weber State is 27-4 overall and has won the last four games.
• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who is in his fourth season as head coach and his 20th season overall at Weber State. He spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe before becoming the 10th head coach in WSU history in May 2022. He has been on the coaching staff for over 600 games at Weber State, more than anyone in WSU's history.
This summer, NBA superstar and Wildcat legend Damian Lillard was named the General Manager of Weber State Basketball.
• After Thursday, the 'Cats will host Sacramento State on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The first Big Sky road games will be next week at Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado.
