Oregon State Basketball Notebook

With the Oregon State men's basketball team set to take on Oregon on Saturday and the women's basketball team gearing up to face Washington State on Sunday, BeaversEdge.com gives you the latest on Wayne Tinkle and Scott Rueck's squads.

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MBB: Beavers Looking To Prove Progress vs Oregon

On the heels of a two-game win streak buoyed by wins over Arizona State & USC, the Oregon State men's basketball team will be looking to continue their momentum on the road Saturday night against Oregon.

The Beavers (7-5, 3-3 Pac-12) have had an up and down 2020-21 campaign, but appear to be playing their best basketball of the season as head coach Wayne Tinkle said following the USC win that the team was really starting to come together.

OSU's newfound confidence and maturity will be put to the test on Saturday night against the Ducks (9-2, 4-1 Pac-12). The Beavers and Ducks have had some great battles during the tenures of Tinkle and UO head coach Dana Altman as the last 10 matchups have been split equally at five apiece.

Matthew Knight Arena hasn't been the easiest place for the Beavers to play as they've won there just once under Tinkle (2019), but with no fans in the arena, that'll certainly improve the odds of being able to pull the upset.

Oregon will also be down two starters due to COVID-19 protocols as Chris Duarte and LJ Figueroa will not be available. On Oregon State's side, Tinkle said he expects everyone will be good to go in that regard.

"(Preparation) is difficult, but those are the times," Tinkle said of preparing for some unknowns with Oregon. "We'll prep for their style and personnel and try and deal with it as the game progresses. Anytime you see a team miss a player or two, it's amazing how often guys step up. We'll get our stuff dialed in and adjust throughout."

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Quick Hits

- Oregon State and Oregon are meeting for the 355th time, making it the most contested rivalry in college basketball. The Beavers have defeated the Ducks 190 times, tied for the second-most wins against a single team in NCAA history.

- Oregon State leads the Pac-12 and is 14th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.58) ... Ethan Thompson (1,389/419) needs 11 points to join Gary Payton (2,172/938) as the only Oregon State players in history with 1,400-plus points and 400-plus assists.

- Zach Reichle went 5-for-10 from beyond the arc in the last two games.

- Warith Alatishe is third in the Pac-12 in rebounding (7.75) and fourth in blocked shots (1.75).

- Jarod Lucas leads the team in scoring in Pac-12 games (13.5); he has scored in double figures in a career-long eight consecutive games.

- Roman Silva went 10-for-11 from the field the last two games; he scored a career-high 12 points against USC.

- Rodrigue Andela went 9-for-10 from the free-throw line and averaged 7.5 points the last two games.

Oregon State is shooting 40.9% from beyond the arc in the seven wins; 31.2% from deep in the five losses.

vs. OREGON: Oregon State and Oregon have played an NCAA-record 354 games with the Beavers holding a 190-164 advantage. The Ducks have a 93-72 edge in games played in Eugene.

The teams split the series last season with each winning on their home court. The Beavers won the first meeting, 63-53, on Feb. 8 at Gill Coliseum. The Ducks won, 69-54 on Feb. 27 at Matthew Knight Arena.

WBB: Beavers Excited To Play More Basketball

Following a nearly-month-long COVID-19 pause and a road game against Arizona, the Oregon State women's basketball team is very much looking forward to playing back in the friendly confines of Gill Coliseum.

Sunday's game against Washington State will be the first home game in 42 days for the Beavers (3-4, 1-4 Pac-12), and with no time to waste as far as making the most of the season, they'll be looking to hit the ground running.

With teams having to play a minimum of 13 games to be considered for the NCAA Tournament this season and the Beavers having only played seven, they'll need to make the most of their 11 scheduled games and look for more opportunities to play.

Head coach Scott Rueck said that the threshold for games is something they're well aware of and are trying to get more added to the schedule so they'll have the opportunity to give themselves a chance to make the postseason.

"We need to win games first before we're considered for such a thing," Rueck said. "We need to play better when we get the opportunity to. Second, we want to play as many games as we can because we love basketball. We're trying to get other games on the schedule just so we can meet that quota and provide opportunities for us to compete. We're gonna do the best we can with the situation and I'm confident we'll find enough to qualify."

The march toward more wins and more games begins with the Cougars (7-3, 5-3 Pac-12) on Sunday and there's no doubt the Beavers will have their hands full. WSU will face off against Oregon on Friday and is coming off being swept by UCLA and USC, but boast a top-10 win over Arizona.

It's been a rollercoaster journey for the Beavers this season, with disruption being the name of the game, but through it all, the positivity and togetherness that the culture of the program breeds has kept everyone in good spirits.

"This year has been a year of unknown and hardships but we all love each other and have each other's backs and are constantly just there for one another," forward Taya Corosdale said. "Our staff is amazing at keeping us positive and healthy and doing what they can to keep our minds right. The fact that we're all a family makes it so much easier to go through all this hard stuff together."

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Quick Hits

- The Beavers returned to action last Sunday at Arizona after missing six-straight contests due to postponement. It was OSU's first game in 29 days.

- The Beavers have scored first in all seven games this season.

- Rueck said that "everything is going great" as far as forward Kennedy Brown's recovery process from a torn ACL last year goes. He said he doesn't expect her on the floor anytime soon, but said that she's in great spirits bringing great energy to the program, and is attacking rehab with a great mindset, and well on her way to being back to 100 percent.

- Oregon State was picked to finish fifth in both of the Pac-12 preseason polls.

- The Beavers are 21st in the nation and second in the Pac-12 in blocked shots per game this season.

- Oregon State is also 28th nationally in defensive rebounds per game, and 18th nationally in fewest fouls committed.

- On Jan. 15, Oregon State announced that freshman Talia von Oelhoffen had graduated high school early and would join the team for a portion of the 2020-21 season.