Oregon State Beavers
Overall Rank: #33
Conference Rank: #5 Pac-12
The Oregon State Beavers had a groundbreaking 2013-14 season as they made it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996. Oregon State, under veteran head coach Scott Rueck, was one of the best defensive teams in the nation. The Beavers gave many teams fits including South Carolina in a 78-69 loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The key moving forward for Oregon State is going to be stringing together back to back 20 plus win seasons to solidify its place among the elite of the Pac-12 Conference.
2013-14 Record: 24-11, 13-5
2013-14 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Scott Rueck
Coach Record: 63-66 at Oregon State, 351-154 overall
Strengths:
The Beavers are a very well balanced team at both ends of the floor. They can beat you without question at the defensive end of the floor. They also can beat teams with an excellent inside-outside balanced offensive attack. The backcourt sets the tone for Oregon State led by sophomore guard Sydney Wiese. Wiese had an outstanding freshman season as she led the Beavers in scoring at 14.3 points per game and set the Pac-12 conference record for most three-point shots made in a season with 112. Junior guard Jamie Wiesner joins Wiese in the backcourt once again this season. Wiesner was lethal from three-point range last season as she made almost 40 percent of her shots from behind the arc. The inside game for Oregon State will be anchored by junior center Ruth Hamblin and junior forward Deven Hunter. Hamblin is a tremendous shot blocker and she set the single-season record in the Pac-12 last season for blocked shots. Offensively, Hamblin is very efficient as she scored just under ten points per game last season. Hunter is a force on the boards as she averaged 7.4 rebounds per game last season.
Weaknesses:
The Beavers don't have a ton of weaknesses as a whole as most of their team returns from last year's 24 win squad. However, they do need to get better at the foul line and take care of the basketball. Last year Oregon State shot just 65.4 percent from the foul line. This is problematic because with the style that the Beavers play where points are at a premium, they can't give away points at the foul line. Also, if they can reduce their turnovers by about three per game that will help greatly this season as you don't want to give away too many extra possessions if you are Oregon State.
Final Projection:
The schedule for the Beavers is a good balanced one in the non-conference portion. There are three prime games that will test Oregon State greatly. First, on November 29th on a neutral floor in Hawaii, there is a fun contest against BYU who went to the Sweet 16 last year. Then there are two treacherous road tests on December 16th at North Carolina and December 28th at Tennessee. The Pac-12 schedule is highlighted by an early tough road trip to the LA schools starting on January 3rd and a home weekend against Stanford and California on the final weekend in two games that could have serious conference title implications. Overall, with the experience that is returning and the ability of the Beavers to play outstanding defense, they should be an NCAA Tournament team once again.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA Tournament
Projected Starting Five:
Sydney Wiese, Sophomore, Guard, 14.3 points per game
Jamie Weisner, Junior, Guard, 12.5 points per game
Deven Hunter, Junior, Forward, 8.8 points per game
Samantha Siegner, Junior, Forward, 3.0 points per game
Ruth Hamblin, Junior, Center, 9.5 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.5 (100th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.0 (48,2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.5 (44, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 34.6 (4, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (19, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.9(13, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 65.4 (282, 12)DS
Rebound Margin: 6.7 (30, 2)
Assists Per Game: 14.5 (94, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.2 (201, 10)
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