Game Day Preview: Oregon State
By Mark Knight
Oregon State University (Public– Research Institution)
Mascot: Beavers
Location: Corvallis, OR
Enrollment: 23,700
Current Record: 15-9 (5-7 in Pac-12 Conference)
RPI: 141 SOS: 180
Coach: Craig Robinson (4th season)
First Thought: The Oregon State Beavers have nothing short of a roller-coaster of a season. They have had plenty of highs but plenty of lows. They came into the Pac-12 regular season as one of the hottest Pac-12 teams. Many were even starting to pick them as the Pac-12 favorite. But things fell apart for them once they started to play other conference teams. They still haven’t been able to find a consistent rhythm during the season.
They have one of the top candidates for player of year in the Pac-12 conference in Jared Cunningham, a high flyer with a ton of athleticism.
Best Win: 100-95 over Texas (RPI 48)
Worst Loss: 66-76 at Arizona State (RPI 230)
Last Game: 73-83 loss to Washington State (RPI 149)
Synopsis: Both the Washington Huskies and the Oregon State Beavers are looking to rebound from a loss. While the Beavers only lost by 10, the loss wasn’t a pretty one to have at home.
The Huskies were swept last year on their road-trip to Oregon and they are hoping to prevent that from happening again this year.
These two teams have already met once this season and the Huskies walked away with the 95-80 victory on their home court. If there is anything to learn from this matchup is that the Huskies are more talented as a unit but they can also be sporadic and have terrible games. Look at the last game against Oregon for the evidence.
My analysis: The Beavers have a few guys that can score but one is the go-to-guy, Jared Cunningham. He is a legitimate NBA prospect that can create his own shot and find ways to get to the rim. He averages 18.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.8 steals a game.
Devon Collier is another player on the Beavers roster that can make a lot of noise in this game. He finds his production inside the key. He averages 13 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks a game. He is someone to watch out for on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball if you are a Husky.
Eric Moreland is the Beavers leading rebounder at 6.3 rebounds a game but is not much of a contributor in the offensive attack as he only scores about 4 points a game.
Ahmad Starks can light it up for three as he is 35% from beyond the arch and has the most three pointers made on the Beavers team at 55. He averages a little more than 12 points a game.
Roberto Nelson, Angus Brandt, and Joe Burton are all guys to also keep an eye on. Any of those guys can light it up and score a good amount of points. However, the main player to focus in on for the Huskies is Cunningham.
My Prediction: UW 84 OSU 83
This game could be very close or it could be a ten point swing to either team in my opinion. It’s hard to predict any of these games lately with the inconsistency on the Husky Basketball team but I try to always fall back on which team is better on paper and it once again is the Huskies. Will they prove it?