Game Day Preview – Oregon State
By Mark Knight
Oregon State University (Public)
Mascot: Beavers
Location: Corvallis, OR
Enrollment: 23,700+
Current Record: 10-2 (0-0 in Pac-12)
RPI: 156 SOS: 321
Coach: Craig Robinson (4th Season)
First Thought: This Oregon State team is one of the hottest teams in the Pac-12 right now. The Beavers are one of the only Pac-12 teams with a decent Non-Conference win on their record (Texas). They are on the rise mainly behind their team chemistry, which is electric and the team plays together better than any other team in the conference.
Best Win: 100-95 win over Texas (RPI 83)
Worst Loss: 74-60 at home versus Idaho (RPI 247)
Last Game: 92-66 win over Chicago State (RPI 296)
Synopsis: The Oregon State Beavers and the Washington Huskies are almost polar opposites. One team (UW) is just full of NBA players the other team (OSU) has maybe 1 or 2 on the roster. One team (UW) is just struggling with team chemistry while the other team (OSU) is playing like they have played together since 6th grade. One team (OSU) is off to a hot start on the season and is looking to have that carry over into Pac-12 play, the other team (UW) is struggling to start the season and looking to turn the season around in Pac-12 play.
My analysis: The talent on the UW roster should allow them to run over almost any team in the nation. However, with the lack of leadership and team chemistry they have had such extreme swings in terms of production. However, if they can stay focused on playing together, locking down on defense, they will be hard to handle. The UW team is a Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde problem, and often fans are worried about which team will show up.
Oregon State has one of the hottest teams in the Pac-12 right now. They have been called the “surprise team” in the Pac-12, the “team to beat” in the Pac-12, and other schools in the nation are taking notice of this team.
It also helps that the Beavers have high-flying, athletic, and very impressive Jared Cunningham. Who looks to be the Pac-12 player of the year (as of now). He has been averaging almost 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals a game. UW is going to need to find a way to silence him in this game.
Besides Cunningham, the rest of the team is very productive as a team. They have Devon Collier who averages about 14 points a game, and a couple others in Ahmad Starks and Roberto Nelson who also averages over 10 points a game. But as a team they all can be productive. This is what happens on a team with good chemistry.
This game will probably come down to the wire. The talent on UW’s roster will keep them in it and maybe even help them go on big runs. However, the team chemistry from the Beavers will keep them productive through the whole game. My prediction will have UW winning it by a slight margin but I could easily see the score being flipped.
My Prediction: UW 81 Oregon State 77