Oregon State men's basketball took big a big step forward over the weekend as the Beavers accomplished several feats. They earned their first road sweep in conference play in ten years, swept Colorado and Utah on the road for the first time, and started off 6-3 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 1992-93. BeaversEdge.com senior writer Brenden Slaughter gives his three takeaways from the Beavers' big weekend.

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It seems like every week Tres Tinkle finds a new way to dazzle and impress and this weekend was no different as Tinkle led the Beavers (14-7, 6-3 Pac-12) to its first ever sweep of the mountain schools on the road. Tinkle notched 19 points, eight rebounds, and three assists against Colorado before cranking up those totals to 31 points, six rebounds, and four assists against Utah.

Tinkle's voice stood out during media availability earlier in the week, noting that the Beavers needed a sweep following the home loss to Washington and he delivered in big fashion. Tinkle is already a bonafide Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate, but in order to really put yourself into the discussion, your team has to be playing at a high level. For the first time in his career, he's playing his best basketball and the Beavers are turning that production into wins.

Whether it's hitting NBA range three-pointers, taking the tough shots and making them look routine, or holding his teammates accountable on the floor, Tinkle has done it all for the Beavers this season and it's a big reason why the Beavers find themselves tied for second place in the Pac-12 conference. OSU hasn't been this relevant in the conference standings this late in the season in some time and that's a testament to just how special of a player Tinkle is.

What's even more impressive is that Tinkle is continuing to play at this high of a level despite still laboring through a left ankle injury suffered in the conference opener against Oregon that has kept him well below 100 percent for the past month.

If the Beavers are going to take advantage of the relatively weak Pac-12 and make a charge for the NCAA Tournament in the final nine games of Pac-12 play, they're going to continue to need performances like Tinkle had against the Buffs and Utes on a regular basis.

When Tinkle is playing the way he is, it allows players like Stephen Thompson Jr., Ethan Thompson, and Kylor Kelley to get more open looks as opposing defenses are having to focus a lot of their attention to Tinkle. Toss in solid production from Big G off the bench and the Beavers have a lineup that can be dangerous when everything is clicking.

We saw a glimpse of what the Beavers are capable of this weekend, and with Tinkle continuing to play at a high level, OSU has the pieces around him to make things interesting come March.

After taking a collective step back in a 79-69 home loss to Washington, the Beavers made a huge statement by sweeping Colorado and Utah on the road. Not only did the Beavers sweep CU and Utah for the first time ever on the road, they also won their first Pac-12 road series for the first time in 10 years, and now as a result, have their best start to conference play (6-3) since the 1992-93 season.

There's still a long ways to go in the season, but it's still a huge step in the right direction for the program as a whole to knock off the ghosts of the past. It's almost like the Oregon State football team moving forward from their ill-fated past with a win in Boulder in terms of putting the past in the rearview mirror.

After the UW loss, a lot of questions arose about the Beavers' effort and tenacity as the Huskies classed them on their home floor. But it didn't seem to matter as the Beavers went into two of the more hostile environments in the conference, not to mention the toughest road trip in terms of travel, and came away with two wins. Any coach in the conference will tell you that winning on the road takes a lot in the Pac-12, and Wayne Tinkle and Co. have certainly given themselves a lot to be proud of heading into the the latter half of conference play.

In years' past, the Beavers simply wouldn't have had the mental toughness and discipline to go beat two solid programs on the road, but this isn't the Oregon State team of old.

They're talented, mentally tough, and appear to be getting more consistent with every passing contest. Granted, it's just two games, but with the very winnable stretch that the Beavers have coming up, getting these two wins on the road kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive and showed that they are a team that could be playing it's best basketball of the season come March.

Raise your hand if you'd have thought that Oregon State would be sitting tied for second in the Pac-12 halfway through the conference season... Despite having an up and down season in terms of consistency, the Beavers still find themselves in a position that they haven't been in for a very very long time.

Granted, the Pac-12 is quite weak this season compared to years past as no team currently sits in the top-25, but in terms of the bigger picture, the Beavers are defying expectations. Coming into the season, the media picked Tinkle's squad to finish 10th in the conference and here they are sitting at second halfway through.

The Colorado and Utah wins were great for the Beavers in a lot of ways as they showed how well they can play on the road when things are clicking

The Beavers were able to accomplish a lot this past weekend, but most importantly, it's how they handle the next two weeks that is going to be a big indicator as to whether or not this team has the ability to firmly put themselves on the bubble heading into Selection Sunday.

OSU's next three opponents, Stanford (10-10, 3-5), Cal (5-15, 0-8), and Oregon (13-9, 4-5) all have to come to Gill Coliseum and there's a real opportunity for the Beavers to make a splash and build some real momentum heading into the stretch run of conference play.

Stanford and Cal are certainly winnable games at home and OSU has already bested Oregon once this season. These are the type of home games that you need to win if you want to make a push for a postseason spot and I expect the Beavers to do very well in this stretch. They had a very tough start to Pac-12 play given the opponents, the location, and the timing, but the schedule eases up slightly over the next two weeks and it's going to be crucial for the Beavers to take advantage of the lower-tier Pac-12 teams in their building.