Oregon State Beavers Basketball Weekend Preview

Pac-12 conference play is upon the Oregon State men's and women's basketball teams as the Beavers prepare for their opening week of conference play. Wayne Tinkle and Co. are set up for a Civil War matchup with the Ducks in Eugene while the Lady Beavs host the Washington schools in Corvallis. BeaversEdge.com senior writer Brenden Slaughter breaks it down in our weekend preview.

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The Oregon State men's basketball team is set to start Pac-12 play on the road as the Beavers are set to head south to Eugene and Matthew Knight Arena for the 351st Civil War on Saturday. OSU (8-4) has had its up and down moments during the non-conference slate, but the Beavers will be looking to start off conference play strong against one of the preseason favorites to win the conference.

The Ducks (9-4) have certainly had their ups and downs too to start the 2018-19 season as well as they haven't looked like the team that many outside pundits and the Pac-12 projected to win the conference. In large part due to injuries, the Ducks have struggled to maintain traction with the loss of some of the highest rated recruits in school history. Center Bol Bol, who is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, is on the shelf for the foreseeable future with a leg injury. Same goes for second year forward Kenny Wooten, who is expected to miss at least the next month with a broken jaw. Combine those two front court losses with injuries to Louis King and Abu Kigab throughout the non-conference schedule, and the Ducks just simply haven't been healthy enough to be the team that many expected them to be.

With Bol, Wooten, and possibly Kigab out against the Beavers on Saturday, this might be the best chance for Oregon State to win in Eugene in quite some time. OSU hasn't won in Matthew Knight arena since Jan. of 2012 and a lot of those losses have been quite one sided. Dana Altman and Co. always seem to be ready for the Beavers in Eugene and despite the injuries to several star players, I don't expect that narrative to change this Saturday.

If the Beavers hope to break the six year road losing streak to the Ducks, they'll need to get production from their star players. Forward Tres Tinkle, guards Stephen Jr. and Ethan Thompson and center Kylor Kelley will all need to have consistent and solid production on both ends of the floor in order for the Beavers to come out on top.

If the Beavers can manage to have strong defense (a key in last season's home win over Oregon) and scoring from the Big 3 of Tinkle, Thompson Jr. and Thompson, I could see the Beavers coming out on top. If one or multiple of those players struggle from the field, it could be a long night in Eugene. Consistency has alluded the Beavers this season and while it's been a thorn in their side, they could vanquish some of the frustrations of the non-conference slate with a strong showing against the Ducks in Eugene by starting off Pac-12 play with a 1-0 record.

- The Beavers and Ducks have played an NCAA-record 350 games with OSU holding a 187-163 advantage.

- Kelley leads the NCAA in blocked shots per game (4.1). Earlier this season, Kelley broke Scott Haskin's record of 10 straight games with multiple blocked shots, as Kelley now has 12.

- Ethan Thompson is shooting 48.3 percent (14-for-29) from beyond the arc over his last eight games.

-The Beavers haven't won a Pac-12 opener on the road since the 1993 season, but even with their inconsistent play this season, the opportunity is there for them to start the conference season on a high note.

The No. 11 Oregon State women's basketball team will be looking to start the Pac-12 season on a high-note as they begin the conference slate at home in the friendly confines of Gill Coliseum against the Washington schools.

The Beavers (10-2) start the weekend of action with a Friday night matchup with the Washington State Cougars (6-6, 1-0) and a Sunday matinee against the Washington Huskies (7-6, 0-1). The Washington schools opened Pac-12 play against each other this past weekend with the Cougars squeaking by the Huskies 79-76 in Seattle.

While the Cougars and Huskies have certainly offered the Beavers competitive matchups in the previous seasons, it's hard to envision a scenario where OSU doesn't come out on top in both of these contests. Rueck and Co. have been marvelous at Gill Coliseum over the past few seasons, boasting a home record of 67-7 since the start of the 2014-15 season. Combine that home-court advantage with stellar play in their own building - OSU's average scoring margin in home games this season is plus-39 - and the Beavers should have a strong chance to start off Pac-12 play with a 2-0 record.

OSU's two losses this season have come at the hands of then No. 1 Notre Dame (91-81) back in November and in mid-December against Texas A&M (76-70) in the Maui Jim Maui Classic. Since the Beavers' most recent loss to the Aggies, OSU has racked up a convincing win over a quality Duke team (71-57) and a lopsided victory over Cal State Bakersfield (92-52). While it's hard to put stock into a team this early in the season, the Beavers appear primed to be one of the better teams in the Pac-12 this season thanks to stellar defense and superb three-point shooting.

-Oregon State is 126-25 since the start of the 2014-15 season, the seventh-best record in the nation over that span, trailing only UConn, Notre Dame, Baylor, Maryland, South Carolina and Louisville.

- OSU has led the Pac-12 in defensive field goal percentage for five-straight seasons, and is second the conference this season.

-Junior guard Mikayla Pivec is the only guard in the Pac-12 to rank in the top-five in rebounds per game (9.2).

-The Beavers lead the nation in 3-point percentage (43.7).

-Point guard Destiny Slocum ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in steals per game (5.4).

-Oregon State has won the past nine meetings against Washington State.