Beavers Ready For Familiar Foe In Saturday Matinee At Gill
Jan. 25, 2013
THE GAME: After facing each other four times last season, Oregon State (11-8, 1-5 Pac-12) and Washington State (10-9, 1-5) will renew a familiar rivalry for the first time in the 2012-13 campaign when the Cougars invade Gill Coliseum at 2 p.m. on Saturday. TELEVISION: The game will be televised nationally on the Pac-12 Networks with JB Long and Lamar Hurd calling the action. RADIO: The game will air live on Beaver Sports Radio Network with Mike Parker calling the action. It can also be heard online at this link for a fee or on satellite radio on Sirius Channel 93 and XM Channel 195. ONLINE: Live updates are available by visiting osubeavers.com and clicking on Gametracker. SOCIAL MEDIA: Live updates will be available on Twitter and Facebook. QUICKLY: Oregon State will go for its first sweep of the Washington schools since 2005 ... Eric Moreland is second in the Pac-12 in rebounding (10.8), blocked shots (2.6) and field goal percentage (.619) ... Moreland is tied for the lead in the conference with eight double-doubles ... Joe Burton moved into seventh all time at Oregon State with 639 career rebounds ... Burton is on pace to lead the Beavers in assists for the third consecutive year ... Ahmad Starks is second in the Pac-12 with 2.4 three-pointers per game ... Starks had his first career blocked shot against Washington ... Devon Collier has scored in double figures in 16 of 19 games this season and needs 43 points to become the 37th player in Oregon State history to reach the 1,000-point mark ... Roberto Nelson is sixth in the Pac-12 in scoring (16.1), third in three-point percentage (.429) and seventh in three-pointers made per game (1.7) ... Oregon State is 29-2 the past two seasons when leading with five minutes to play. vs. WASHINGTON STATE: Oregon State and Washington State meet for the 287th time in history with the Beavers holding a 164-122 advantage in the series. The 286 meetings are the fourth-most in NCAA history, trailing only Oregon State-Oregon (338), Oregon-Washington (292) and Oregon State-Washington (292). The 164 wins by Oregon State are the eighth-most by one school over another in NCAA history. The Beavers also have a commanding 98-42 mark in games played in Corvallis, including a 53-19 advantage in contests at Gill Coliseum. The Beavers and Cougars saw plenty of each other last season as they met four teams, including two games during the regular season, one in the Pac-12 Tournament and one in the College Basketball Invitational. Washington State won three of those four with the Beavers' lone win coming in the first round of the Pac-12 Tourney, 69-64, on March 7. The Cougars got revenge later that month with a 72-55 win at Gill Coliseum in the semifinals of the CBI on March 21. Washington State took the two regular season games, winning 81-76 on New Year's Eve at Spokane Arena in Spokane and 83-73 on Feb. 9 in Corvallis. Ahmad Starks averaged 13 points against the Cougars in the four games last season, while Devon Collier averaged 9.3, Joe Burton added 8.8 and Eric Moreland chipped in 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. Roberto Nelson added 6.8 points off the bench. LOOKING FOR THE SWEEP: Oregon State looks for its first sweep of the Washington schools since 2005 when the Beavers defeated Washington State, 58-51, on Feb. 10 and No. 11 Washington, 90-73, on Feb. 13 that year with both games at Gill Coliseum. David Lucas averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Nick DeWitz added 17.5 points and Lamar Hurd had a total of eight points and four turnovers in the two games. The Beavers had two home sweeps last season, taking down UCLA, 87-84, on Jan. 19 and USC, 78-59, on Jan. 21, and Utah, 77-67, on March 1 and Colorado, 83-69, on March 3. WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE: Oregon State is 1-5 to start conference play for the third time in Craig Robinson's five years. If this season turns out like the other two, you can expect the team to get better. Both times previously, Oregon State went 6-6 over the final 12 conference games to finish 7-11 overall and then did very well in postseason play. In 2008-09, the Beavers won five of six games in the College Basketball Invitational to claim the title, while last season they won two games in the Pac-12 Tournament to advance to the semifinals and then won two games in the CBI. FABULOUS FRONTLINE: By now everyone knows Angus Brandt is out for the season, so we'll leave him out of the conversation for sake of this note. The frontline of Eric Moreland (.619), Joe Burton (.545) and Devon Collier (.538) are second, seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage. No other school in the conference has three players in the top 15, and only Arizona State and Oregon have two players among the 15 best shooters in regards to percentage. Oregon State's three players are shooting a combined 55.9 percent (253-for-452) from the field this season. MORE ON THE FRONTLINE: Eric Moreland is second in the Pac-12 in rebounding (10.8), while Devon Collier is 15th (6.8) and Joe Burton is 19th (6.1). Only Oregon State and Arizona State have three players among the top 20 in the conference in rebounding. As a team, the Beavers are averaging 38.6 boards per game, which is third in the Pac-12 and nearly four more rebounds per game than last season (34.8). SPREADING THE WEALTH: Oregon State is one of only two teams in the Pac-12 with five players averaging double-figure scoring (Angus Brandt is the sixth, but we aren't counting him since he's injured). Those five players have each led the team in scoring in games this season: Ahmad Starks 5, Roberto Nelson 5, Devon Collier 5, Joe Burton 1, Eric Moreland 1 (Nelson and Moreland shared scoring honors in two games) and have all scored 20-plus points in a game with Nelson doing it five times, Collier and Starks each with four, Burton with two and Moreland once. UTILIZING THE ARC - OFFENSIVELY: Oregon State is second in the Pac-12 in three-point percentage at 36.4 percent (108-of-297), trailing only Arizona at 37.1 percent (140-for-377). The Beavers finished eighth in the conference in three-point percentage last season at 35.9 percent and have NEVER led the conference in that category since the statistic began in 1986-87. UTILIZING THE ARC - DEFENSIVELY: Oregon State is third in the Pac-12 in three-point percentage defense at 32.0 percent (107-of-334), trailing only Oregon (.315) and California (.320). The Beavers allowed opponents to shoot 38.8 percent from deep last season, which was 11th in the conference. BOMBS AWAY FROM THE BACKCOURT: The starting backcourt of Roberto Nelson and Ahmad Starks have combined to make 72 percent of Oregon State's three-pointers (78 of 108) and have attempted 62 percent of the team's shots from beyond the arc (185 of 297). Nelson is third in the Pac-12 in three point percentage at 42.9 percent (33-for-77), while Starks is sixth at 41.7 percent (45-for-108). The only Oregon State player to lead the conference in three-point percentage was Sasa Cuic in 2005-06. BLOCK PARTY: Oregon State is averaging 4.84 blocked shots per game this season, which is third in the Pac-12 (it was up to 5.29 before the three-game suspension to Eric Moreland). The Beavers averaged 4.61 blocks per game last season to finish second in the Pac-12 and trail only UCLA by 0.03 (4.64). The Oregon State school record for blocked shots in a season is 4.74 in 2005-06. THE FIVE-MINUTE MARK: Having the lead at the five-minute mark has been very important during the Craig Robinson era as the Beavers are 63-6 when leading with five minutes to play, including a 11-1 mark this season after going 18-1 last season. On the flip side, Oregon State is 8-73 when trailing with five minutes to play in the same timeframe, with an 0-7 record this season. THE CHASE FOR 1,000: Devon Collier has 957 points at Oregon State and needs 43 more to become the 37th player in school history to score 1,000 in his career. The lefty leads the Beavers in double-figure scoring games this season (16) and is tied for second with four 20-point games, which is one more than he had in his first two seasons combined. Other players on the pursuit for 1,000 career points are Ahmad Starks (884), Joe Burton (870) and Roberto Nelson (818). MR. DOUBLE-DOUBLE IS BACK: Eric Moreland sat out three straight games for a violation of team rules, but returned against USC and came off the bench to finish with three points and eight rebounds. He was back to his usual self against Washington as he posted his eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds to tie for the lead in the Pac-12 with Colorado's Andre Roberson. Moreland needs four more double-doubles to move into Oregon State's single-season top-10 list with 12. MORELAND BOARDING: Eric Moreland is averaging 10.8 rebounds per game (173 total), the second-best total in the Pac-12. Only one Oregon State player has led the conference in rebounding since 1985 (Philip Ricci in 2002-03 at 8.2 per game). Nine Oregon State players have averaged double-figure rebounds in a season, but the last time it happened was 1963-64 when Mel Counts had a double-double in all 29 games and averaged 16.9 boards. Moreland crushed the freshman rebounding record last season that was held for 38 years by Lonnie Shelton and is close to moving into the sophomore top-10 list. Players To Average Double-Figure Rebounding In A Season Sophomore Rebounding List Freshman Rebounding List MORELAND'S OWN BLOCK PARTY: Eric Moreland has at least one blocked shot in 14 of his 16 games this season, including a block in 11 consecutive games, which equals the fifth-longest streak in Oregon State history with Scott Haskin and Jose Ortiz (Nick DeWitz holds the record with 20). Moreland already owns the school freshman mark when he had 69 last season and has moved into a tie for second on both the sophomore and career lists. Career Blocked Shots List Sophomore Blocked Shots List Freshman Blocked Shots List ROBERTO HEATING UP AGAIN: After scoring eight points against Arizona State to snap a streak of nine consecutive games in double figures, Roberto Nelson has averaged 18.3 points over the past four games, including a game-high 26 at USC. He is sixth in the Pac-12 in scoring at 16.1 points per game and has a team-best five 20-plus point games this season, which is already two more than his first two seasons combined. ROBERTO LOOKING TO JOIN ELITE COMPANY: Roberto Nelson is leading the team in scoring (16.1) and is second in assists (51 total - Joe Burton is first with 59) and has a chance to become the first Oregon State player to lead the team in both categories in a season since Deaundra Tanner in 1999-00. Other Beavers to lead the team in scoring and assists in a season are Freddie Boyd, Lester Conner, Gary Payton, Brent Barry and Carson Cunningham. ROBERTO FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE: Roberto Nelson went 10-for-10 from the free throw line against USC to join nine players in Oregon State history to shoot a perfect percentage from the stripe in a game with a minimum of 10 attempts. Jared Cunningham vs. George Washington, 12/18/2010 (15-for-15) BURTON MOVING UP CAREER LISTS: Joe Burton moved into sole seventh at Oregon State in career rebounding with 639 and is on pace for 724 in a guaranteed 32 games, which would put him in fifth all time. Burton has only missed one game in his Oregon State career and has a chance to play in more games than any player in school history. With the Beavers guaranteed 32 games this season, Burton would tie Josh Tarver (2006-10) for the all-time record with 130 career games and could pass him depending on postseason play. Career Rebounds List Career Games Played List BURTON LOOKING TO MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW: Joe Burton leads the team in assists with 59 (Roberto Nelson is second with 51) and has a chance to lead the team in that category for the third straight year. Other Oregon State players to lead the team in assists three years include George Tucker (1975-77), Dwayne Allen (1978-80), Gary Payton (1987-90), Charles McKinney (1991-93) and Deaundra Tanner (1999-01). Payton is the only player to lead the team four times. Burton would be the only non-guard to make the list. STARKS CLIMBING THE CHARTS: When all is said and done, Ahmad Starks will be the most prolific three-point shooter in Oregon State history as he moved into fourth at Oregon State in three-pointers with 166. At his current pace of 2.4 per game, he will become the school's all-time leader in early February to pass Chris Stephens who made 180 in four years. Starks is also fourth all-time in school history in three-pointers attempted with 451. Career 3-Pointers Made List Career 3-Pointers Attempted List 1 IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER: Ahmad Starks has had a couple of 1's lately that have been relatively surprising. He took a career-low one shot attempt against USC (his previous low was two as a freshman) and had one blocked shot against Washington, the first of his career that came in his 84th game at Oregon State. CHALLE, OLAF, JARMAL & LANGSTON: Sophomore Challe Barton and freshmen Olaf Schaftenaar, Jarmal Reid and Langston Morris-Walker have gotten more minutes, and more comfortable, as the season has progressed. Barton has provided valuable consistency as the backup point guard by shooting 45.7 percent from the field with 35 assists and 14 steals. Schaftenaar is third on the team with 19 three-pointers and has taken 63 of his 77 shots from beyond the arc as a player who has proven not to be shy. Reid was put in the starting lineup when Angus Brandt was injured and has shown flashes of brilliance on offense and as a stopper on the defensive end. Morris-Walker has been the energizer bunny off the bench as an active player on defense and at the top of the 1-3-1. RECORDS UPDATE: Four Oregon State records have been equaled this season, including single-game team blocked shots (11 vs. Montana State), single-game individual blocked shots (6 by Eric Moreland vs. Towson), single-game individual three-pointers made (7 by Ahmad Starks at Kansas) and a perfect percentage from the free throw line in a game with a minimum of 10 attempts (10-for-10 by Roberto Nelson at USC). MISSING ANGUS & GOMIS: Senior center Angus Brandt and sophomore forward Daniel Gomis both had surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. Brandt suffered an isolated tear of the ACL in his right knee against Purdue. He was averaging 11.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game before the injury. Brandt will have to apply for a medical hardship from the Pac-12 office, which should be approved since he played in nine games or less during the first half of the season. Gomis had surgery on the left leg he broke two summers ago in his native Senegal and will redshirt this season. BEAVERS SIGN TWO STUDENT-ATHLETES FOR 2013-14 SEASON: Hallice Cooke, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard from Union City, N.J., and Cheikh N'diaye, a 7-foot, 230-pound center from Carlsbad, Calif., signed National Letters of Intent to join the Oregon State men's basketball program for the 2013-14 season. Cooke attends St. Anthony High School where he averaged 7.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists last season when St. Anthony won the second of back-to-back New Jersey Tournament of Champions titles. He is ranked the 45th best guard in the nation by Rivals.com. N'diaye attends Army-Navy Academy where he averaged 11.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.3 blocked shots per game during his junior season. He is ranked the 36th best center in the nation by ESPN.com. Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to Our Beaver Nation. 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. Follow this link to find out more about the Pac-12 Networks.
|
|
||||||||||||||||
