When Weber State men’s basketball hosts Portland State and Sacramento State this week at the Dee Events Center, the Wildcats will be facing significantly different opponents.

The women’s team, meanwhile, gets a decent shot at ending its losing streak before playing the best team in the conference by traveling to PSU and Sac State.

For the WSU men (8-10, 3-2 Big Sky, No. 228 NCAA NET rating), first comes Portland State (8-10, 2-3, 223 NET) at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Vikings play fast — the 17th fastest adjusted tempo rating in the country, per Ken Pomeroy — but without the offensive-rebound crashing PSU was once known for.

The guard-and-wing-oriented team stages turnover-filled games on both sides: defensively, Portland State causes turnovers at a rate 29th best in the country but, offensively, is one of the worst teams in the country at unforced turnovers.

It’s a similar story with free throws, too. PSU is 108th in offensive free-throw rate and 45th (75.5%) in free-throw percentage. Defensively, the Vikings send opponents to the free-throw line at the fifth-highest rate in the country. That could prove problematic for PSU, as Weber State is 64th nationally in free-throw rate and fifth in team free-throw percentage (80.2%).

So between turnovers and free throws, it’s reasonable to expect the game to be a stop-and-go affair.

PSU is once again a transfer-heavy team, bringing in a slew of D-I players — something a young Weber State squad is trying to move away from in bulk each offseason

The Vikings are led by Montana transfer point guard Cam Parker, who leads the team in scoring (14.7 points per game) and assists (5.9). UTEP transfer guard Jorell Saterfield averages 14.6 points and Elon transfer guard Hunter Woods averages 10.8 points. All three shoot 37% or 38% from 3.

In the cumulative, Weber State is favored by about four points against PSU.

Then at 7 p.m. Saturday come the improved Sacramento State Hornets (11-7, 4-1, 181 NET) under new head coach David Patrick. What’s the same for the Hornets, and drastically different from Portland State, is the pace with which they play: PSU is among the 12 slowest-tempo teams in the country.

What’s opposite for Sac State than from previous years, however, is they’re better offensively and somewhat struggling defensively. The Hornets shoot it well from 3 (37.9% as a team against DI opponents), distribute the ball well and are successful on the offensive glass.

Defensively, the Hornets have the seventh-fastest defensive possessions in the country and don’t cause turnovers. That means opponents usually find a shot they like quickly against them. And, Sac State puts opponents at the free-throw line at a rate that’s the 13th-highest in the country.

And though guard Zach Chappell is back and leading Sac State in scoring (15.4 points per game, 40% from 3), they’re a formidable post team. UC Riverside senior transfer and 7-footer Callum McRae (12.2 points, 10 rebounds per game) and Oklahoma 6-foot-8 forward transfer Akol Mawien (9.9 points, 6.9 rebounds) cause matchup problems for most opponents.

Add fifth-year wing Cameron Wilbon (8.6 points) and fifth-year Hartford forward transfer Hunter Marks (4.8 points, 36.8% from 3) and the Hornets are an experienced group.

They’re also 4-1 in league play, so their swing through Idaho State and Weber State may have a big impact on who can reasonably reach the coveted top-two spots come season’s end.

WSU is favored by two points.

WOMEN ON THE ROAD

Carrying a nine-game losing streak and an 0-8 record in true road games, the Weber State women’s basketball team heads to Portland to play PSU at 7 p.m. MST Thursday.

PSU (7-8, 2-3, NET 245) is somewhat improved and could position itself to push for a spot in the top-six (the second tier of the tournament bracket seeding) if it can grab a home win over WSU (4-13, 0-5, NET 300).

The Vikings are led by sharpshooter Esmerelda Morales, leading the team at 17 points per game and shooting 48.9% from the 3-point line — the latter representing the fifth-best such percentage in the country. Guard Jada Lewis adds 11.5 points per game.

Then at Sacramento State, a game scheduled for 2 p.m. MST Saturday, the Wildcats face a team that went from constant struggles to emerging league juggernaut. The Hornets are 13-3 overall, including a first-place 4-1 in Big Sky play, and rate No. 97 in the NCAA NET ranking.

The Hornets are led by efficient senior guard Kahlaijah Dean, who averages 20.4 points per game on 48.0/36.3/80.8 shooting splits from the field/3-point line/free-throw line. Formidable center Isnelle Natabou is still inside, averaging 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

The Hornets are 27th nationally in team 3-point percentage (36.1%) led by Katie Peneueta who shoots 43.6% (24th nationally) from behind the arc, as well as Madison Butcher’s 40.5% off the bench.

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