Season Starts Anew With Beavers Facing Cougars at Pac-12 Tournament
March 5, 2012
THE GAME: Oregon State (17-13, 7-11 Pac-12) takes a two-game winning streak to Los Angeles where it will face Washington State (15-15, 7-11) in the opening game of the Pac-12 Tournament at noon on Wednesday at the Staples Center. TELEVISION: The game will be televised nationally on FSN with Kevin Calabro and Don MacLean calling the action and Rebecca Haarlow reporting from the sideline. RADIO: The game will air live on Beaver Sports Radio Network with Mike Parker calling the action. SOCIAL MEDIA: Live updates will be available on Twitter and Facebook. vs. WASHINGTON STATE: Oregon State lost both games to Washington State this season as the Cougars won 81-76 on Dec. 31 in Spokane, Wash., and 83-73 on Feb. 9 at Gill Coliseum. The Beavers hold a 163-121 advantage in the series and a 4-3 edge in neutral-site games, but Washington State has won the last four meetings between the two teams. Oregon State and Washington State have played one time previously in the Pac-12 Tournament with the Beavers winning 74-68 in double-overtime in the semifinals on March 12, 1988. Oregon State was the No. 2 seed and the Cougars were the No. 6 seed that year. The winner of this year's first round game will play the No. 1 seed Washington Huskies on Thursday at noon on FSN. PAC-12 TOURNAMENT NOTES:
QUICKLY: Oregon State has clinched a winning season for just the second time since 1990 ... Craig Robinson (60) has more wins in his fourth season than Hall of Famers Ralph Miller (58) and Slats Gill (57) had in their first four years at Oregon State ... The Beavers lead the Pac-12 in scoring (79.6), steals (9.3, fifth in the nation) and blocked shots (4.6) ... Jared Cunningham has scored in double figures in 22 consecutive games and continues to lead the Pac-12 in scoring (18.2) and steals (2.6) ... Ahmad Starks has made 10-of-16 three-pointers in the last three games and is third on Oregon State's single-season three-pointers made (67) and attempted (185) lists... Devon Collier leads the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (.605) and is fifth in blocked shots (1.33) ... Angus Brandt is seventh in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (.550) and leads the Beavers in three-point field goal percentage (.480) ... Eric Moreland tied Oregon State's single-season record with 37 blocked shots in conference games (tied with Nick DeWitz and Scott Haskin who did it twice). OFFENSIVELY: Oregon State is first in the Pac-12 and ninth in the nation in scoring at 79.6 points per game. The Beavers have never led the conference in scoring (team statistics began in 1959-60). Oregon State's highest scoring average in a full season was 78.4 points per game in 1989-90. MORE OFFENSIVE RANKINGS: Oregon State is second in the Pac-12 in assists (15.9) and field goal percentage (.471) and fourth in scoring margin (+6.8). The 15.9 assists per game are tied for 16th in the nation and the Beavers' best average since 1991-92 (17.7). Oregon State leads the conference in free throws made (539, 20th in the nation) and free throws attempted (788, seventh in the nation). DEFENSIVELY: Oregon State leads the Pac-12 and is fifth in the nation in steals at 9.30 per game. The Beavers led the conference in steals last season (9.5, fifth in the nation) and in 2009-10 (8.2). Individually, an Oregon State player led the conference in steals the past two seasons with Jared Cunningham (2.8) in 2010-11 and Seth Tarver (2.2) in 2009-10. DEFENSIVELY II: Oregon State has forced a Pac-12 best 516 turnovers (17.2 per game) this season, including 20 or more turnovers in nine games. The Beavers have fewer turnovers than their opponent in 22 of their 30 games this season and are second in the Pac-12 with a +3.2 turnover margin. DEFENSIVELY III: Oregon State leads the Pac-12 in blocked shots at 4.6 per game after getting 10 against Colorado and a single-game team record 11 against Stanford in the quadruple-overtime game. The last time the Beavers led the conference in blocked shots was 2005-06 when they finished with 4.7 per game. MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS: Oregon State is outscoring their opponents in several specialty statistics, including points off turnovers (613-433), second chance points (401-380), points in the paint (1,076-888) and fast break points (292-166). STARTING FIVE: Oregon State has used five different starting lineups this season after Angus Brandt gave his starting spot to Kevin McShane on Senior Day against Colorado. The Beavers had started Jared Cunningham, Ahmad Starks, Eric Moreland, Devon Collier and Brandt for four straight games before the regular season finale against the Buffaloes. Starting Lineup (Record)
LOOKING TO JOIN AN ELITE LIST: Jared Cunningham leads the Pac-12 in scoring (18.2) and steals (2.57) and could become just the sixth player to lead the conference in both categories since they started keeping steals statistics in 1978. Players to Lead the Pac-12 in Scoring and Steals
CUNNINGHAM SCORING WATCH: Jared Cunningham moved into 21st on Oregon State's career scoring list with 1,173 points after passing Marcel Jones with 15 points against Colorado, and into the top-five on the Beavers' junior scoring list. He has scored in double figures in 22 consecutive games, by far the longest streak of his career (previous high was nine games last season). Oregon State Career Scoring List
Oregon State Junior Scoring List
JARED MOVING UP THE LIST: Jared Cunningham is seventh in the nation at 2.57 steals per game. He has 205 in his career and is tied with Ray Blume for second on Oregon State's career steals list. He has 77 this season and moved into the top-five on the Beavers' single-season steals list and holds down two of the five spots after coming away with 85 swipes last season. Oregon State Career Steals List
Oregon State Single-Season Steals List
Consecutive Games With A Steal By An Oregon State Player
JARED FROM THE STRIPE: Jared Cunningham is tied for eighth in the nation in free throws made (179) and fifth in free throws attempted (237) to lead the Pac-12 in both categories by a wide margin. The 179 free throws are second on Oregon State's single-season list, trailing only Mel Counts who made 237 in 1963-64. Cunningham has already moved into the top-five on the school's career lists in makes and attempts. Oregon State Career Free Throws Made List
Oregon State Single-Season Free Throws Made List
STARKS STEALING: Ahmad Starks has 51 steals this season, after coming away with 18 all of last season, and is seventh in the Pac-12 at 1.70 per game. The 51 steals is the fourth most by a sophomore in Oregon State history, trailing only Ray Blume (63), Gary Payton (72) and Jared Cunningham (85). STARKS FROM DEEP: Ahmad Starks leads the team in three-pointers made (67) and attempted (185) after doing the same last season as a freshman (42-for-130). He has knocked down a triple in 26 of the 30 games, including two or more in 20 games, and is third on both Oregon State's single-season three-pointers made and attempted lists. Oregon State Single-Season Three-Pointers Made List
Oregon State Single Season Three-Pointers Attempted List
COLLIER SHOOTING: Devon Collier leads the Pac-12 in field goal percentage at 60.5 percent (141-of-233) and has made 50 percent of his shots or better in 25 of the 30 games. The last Oregon State player to lead the conference in field goal percentage was Scott Haskin in 1991-92 (.612). COLLIER SCORING: Devon Collier is 16th in the Pac-12 in scoring at 12.8 points per game and has scored in double figures in 23 games this season, the second-most on the team, including a streak of 12 consecutive games. He led the Beavers in scoring in consecutive games against Vanderbilt and Towson and scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games against Arizona State and UCLA, accomplishing both for the first time in his career. FRESHMAN IMPACT: Eric Moreland is making an impact during his redshirt freshman campaign as he leads the team in rebounding (6.4) and blocked shots (1.8) to rank seventh and second, respectively, in the Pac-12. He is second on Oregon State's freshman rebounding list and moved into third on the Beavers' single-season blocked shots list after shattering the school's freshman record with 55 swats. Oregon State Freshman Rebounding List
Oregon State Single-Season Blocked Shots List
DOING EVERYTHING ON THE COURT: The versatile Joe Burton is 11th in the Pac-12 in rebounding (5.9), 16th in assists (2.8) and 11th in steals (1.2) -- and is the only player in the conference in the top-16 in all three categories. He's also ninth in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage at 54.6 percent (100-of-183). He has led the Beavers in scoring twice, rebounding seven times, assists 10 times (with a career-high 11 dimes), steals six times and blocked shots four times. EVERY SHOT IN THE BAG: Angus Brandt is seventh in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage at 55 percent (104-of-189) and makes shots in a variety of ways, including right-handed and left-handed, inside and out. He has scored in double-figures in four consecutive games twice this season and is shooting a team-best 48 percent (24-of-50) from three-point land. 100+ SCORING GAMES: Oregon State has scored 100 or more points three times this season, matching a team record for 100-point games in a season that had previously been accomplished in 1978-79, 1979-80 and 1988-89. 90+ SCORING GAMES: Oregon State has scored 90 or more points in a school-record eight games this season (1979-80 and 1988-89 teams did it six times). The Beavers scored at least 90 points in four consecutive games for just the second time in school history to equal the 1980-81 team and scored 90 or more points in consecutive conference games (92 vs. California, 101 vs. Stanford) for the first time since 1978-79. 80+ SCORING GAMES: Oregon State has scored 80 or more points in 14 games this season, including streaks of four consecutive games on two occasions (OSU hadn't scored 80 or more points in four consecutive games since 1989-90). The Beavers scored 80+ points 10 times in Robinson's first three years and are now 20-4 under his watch when it happens, including an 11-3 record this season. LARGE MARGIN VICTORIES: Oregon State has notched eight wins by at least 20 points, the most in a season since the 1981-82 team did it 10 times en route to a 25-5 record and Pac-10 title. "FIRST TIME SINCE" AND "MOST SINCE" NOTES: Oregon State has several "first time since" and "most since" notes this season that are included in the above copy. Here are some others: PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Jared Cunningham (Nov. 14-20 games and Jan. 23-29 games) and Ahmad Starks (Dec. 12-18 games) have been honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Week this season. It's the first time since 1991-92 that Oregon State had two players named the conference's player of the week in the same season and Cunningham became the first Beaver since David Lucas in 2005 to win it twice in the same season. 2012-13 RECRUITING CLASS: Langston Morris-Walker, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound small forward from Berkeley, Calif., Jarmal Reid, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound small forward from Decatur, Ga., and Maika Ostling, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound center from Dayton, Ore., all signed a National Letter of Intent on Nov. 9 to play for the Beavers next season. Morris-Walker is ranked the 29th best small forward and 146th best player in the nation by Rivals.com. Reid is ranked 73rd on the ESPNU Classic of 2012 with an 88 rating and the 52nd best small forward in the nation by ESPN.com. Ostling is rated the 30th best center in the nation by ESPN.com. BEAVERS ALL-ACCESS: ROOT SPORTS will again air the popular magazine show tentatively on Wednesday nights during the season. The show will also be replayed several times each week on FSN's ROOT SPORTS, a part of the DIRECTV Sports Networks that comprises three regional sports networks that reach more than 8.5 million viewers across 17 states. Through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in the United States, Brazil, Mexico and other countries in Latin America, DIRECTV, the world's most popular television service, serves more than 18.4 million households. BEAVER NATION ONLINE: The subspan style=visibility:hiddenion-based site within osubeavers.com offers exclusive interviews, highlights, webcasts and special features from Oregon State coaches and players during the year. More than 500 videos are added to Beaver Nation Online during the year, including more than 40 live baseball games, game replays, weekly and postgame press conferences, special features, highlights, classic games and much more. Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund. For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. Former Student-Athletes are invited to join the Varsity O Facebook Page for upcoming Alumni events. Follow Oregon State Athletics On YouTube.
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