Preview: Merced Blue Devils at Porterville Pirates

PORTERVILLE, Calif. (Interstat) — Two teams seeking momentum to turn around identical slow starts will meet Wednesday night when the Merced College Blue Devils visit the Porterville College Pirates in a California community college men’s basketball matchup.

Both teams enter with 3-11 overall records. The game is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2026.

Merced arrives having last played on Dec. 23, 2025, an 84-70 home victory over De Anza. That win snapped a three-game skid for the Blue Devils, who had previously lost close contests to Siskiyous (49-48) and Yuba (81-74).

Porterville last took the court on Dec. 20, falling 77-54 to Pasadena City. That loss followed a narrow 71-70 overtime road win against Butte. The Pirates’ season has been marked by offensive struggles, scoring 60 points or fewer in six of their 11 losses.

Despite the teams’ parallel records, recent performance diverges. Merced’s offense showed potency in its last outing, while Porterville has found points hard to come by. The Pirates will lean on the production of key players like Jermarcus Brown, who posted a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) against Pasadena City, and backcourt scorers Marcus Watts Jr. (18 points) and Quentin Thomas (15 points, 5 assists).

The Interstat game simulator projects an even contest, forecasting a 100-100 tie. This suggests a potentially high-scoring affair between two defenses that have each allowed an average of over 75 points per game this season.

Wednesday’s contest opens a critical stretch of conference play for both squads. It is the first of two regular-season meetings, with the rematch scheduled for Jan. 31 in Merced.

Following this game, Merced will travel to face Columbia on Jan. 10. Porterville will remain at home to host Lemoore on Jan. 10.

Tip-off is set for Wednesday night at Porterville College.