Oregon State Beavers
Pac-12 (19-12, 9-9)
The expectations heading into this season were pretty high for Oregon State. In 2014-2015 they went 8-10 in Pac-12 play despite major struggles on the road. But most of the team returned and Coach Wayne Tinkle added a great freshmen class. Those road struggles continued as the Beavers went over a year between road conference victories before finally winning at Maples Pavilion in the middle of February, but the freshmen played a bigger role than most expected and the result was pretty good for the Beavers.
Big Wins: 1/3 Oregon (70-57), 1/9 California (77-7), 2/4 Utah (71-69)
Bad Losses: 11/24 Valparaiso (57-63), 1/20 UCLA (73-82), 1/28 at Arizona State (68-86)
Coach: Wayne Tinkle
Why They Can Surprise:
Gary Payton II is the unquestioned leader of this team. The senior point guard leads the team with 15.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game. The Beavers need his offense, but his ability to single handedly win the turnover battle is huge for this team. Tres Tinkle, the son of head coach Wayne Tinkle, is one of the four freshmen who have had great years and are getting better by the day. Tinkle is second on the team in scoring and rebounding and the 6-8 forward can stretch out the defense with his outside shooting ability. Gligorije Rakocevic is a big 6-11, 250 pound center who has had some quality outings and at least provides depth up front. Drew Eubanks is another big freshman and the team’s top shot blocker. The freshman in the backcourt is Stephen Thompson. He provides a great spark off of the bench when his shot is falling.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Oregon State is going to get outrebounded on a regular basis so creating those turnovers and taking care of the ball is extra important if the Beavers want to make a postseason run. With the size this team has with the freshmen and senior center Olaf Schaftenaar, they should not have to rely so heavily on Payton to hit the glass, but that is what has happened. This offense is better than they were a year ago, but they are still stagnant at times. Payton and Tinkle can make things happen and at least get to the free-throw line, but if the Beavers are not knocking down shots, they are not scoring many points and this is a group that has not proven that they can shoot consistently, especially outside of Corvallis.
Probable Starters:
Gary Payton II, Senior, Guard, 15.9 ppg, 5.0 apg, 7.9 rpg, 2.4 spg
Malcolm Duvivier, Junior, Guard, 6.2 ppg, 2.2 apg
Tres Tinkle, Freshman, Forward, 13.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Drew Eubanks, Freshman, Forward, 7.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Olaf Schaftenaar, Senior, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.6 apg
Key Roleplayers:
Langston Morris-Walker, Senior, Guard, 5.3 ppg
Gligorije Rakocevic, Freshman, Center, 1.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Stephen Thompson, Freshman, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.1 (200th in nation, 10th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.9 (127, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.2 (174, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.9 (144, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.7 (200, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.7 (77, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.3 (296, 11)
Rebound Margin: -2.2 (261, 11)
Assists Per Game: 13.7 (149, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.4 (56, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 CBI First Round loss to Radford
2012 CBI First Round win over Western Illinois
2012 CBI Quarterfinal win over TCU
2012 CBI Semifinal loss to Washington State
2010 CBI First Round loss to Boston University
2009 CBI First Round win over Houston
2009 CBI Second Round win over Vermont
2009 CBI Semifinal win over Stanford
2009 CBI Finals win over UTEP
2005 NIT Opening round loss to Cal State Fullerton
*all team stats through 3/6
