Following a weekend that saw both Oregon State basketball teams get the brooms out in sweeping fashion, BeaversEdge.com examines the top storylines surrounding Wayne Tinkle and Scott Rueck’s squads as they both stand undefeated in Pac-12 play.

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The Oregon State men’s basketball team continued it’s sizzling start to Pac-12 play with a pair of hard-fought victories over two previously unbeaten teams in conference as the Beavers (11-5, 3-0) knocked off USC in overtime (79-74) and UCLA (79-66) to move to 3-0 in conference for the first time since the 1992-93 season.

The Beavers pushed past the USC Trojans on Thursday night without the services of junior forward Tres Tinkle, who missed the game with an ankle injury, by a superb performance from Stephen Thompson Jr. who scored a career high 34 points to lead the Beavers past a dominant performance from USC’s Bennie Boatwright (37 points, eight rebounds).

With Tinkle back in the fold for Sunday’s contest, the Beavers feasted on the Bruins in front of nearly 6,000 at Gill Coliseum. Whether it was Kylor Kelley notching 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting and five blocks, Ethan Thompson throwing down #SCTop10 dunks, Thompson Jr. and Tinkle doing a little bit of everything or Alfred Hollins chipping in 11 off the bench, nearly everything was working for OSU against UCLA.

The Oregon State women’s basketball team took care of business in L.A. for the first time since the 2014-15 season as the Beavers (14-2, 4-0 Pac-12) defeated UCLA (83-73) and USC (76-52). Beavers’ head coach Scott Rueck earned just his second career win in Pauley Pavilion in nine tries on Friday and OSU was able to get a measure of payback against the Trojans, as they fell in the Galen Center last season.

The Beavers proved to be up to the task of filling the void left by the season-ending injury to junior guard Kat Tudor on the road in hostile territory as OSU got a combined 40 bench points in the two games. Senior center Jo Grymek and sophomore guard Aleah Goodman proved to be up to the challenge of replacing Tudor’s consistent bench production as Grymek scored a career high 12 points against the Bruins and Goodman added 17 against USC, including five three-pointers.

It wasn’t just the Beaver bench that has increased their production with Tudor on the shelf as junior forward Madison Washington notched a career high of 19 points against USC and the Beavers saw three starters reach double figure scoring against UCLA with sophomore point guard Destiny Slocum (22), junior guard Mikayla Pivec (21) and sophomore forward Taya Corosdale (13) all increased their scoring averages.

1. Beaver MBB shows they're up to the task in the Pac-12… Not to get to far ahead of ourselves, but there’s some reason for optimism and excitement after two weeks of conference play. Not only do the Beavers find themselves in uncharted waters in terms of their record through three games, they appear to be getting more comfortable playing with one another and more dynamic each and every game. Granted, the Pac-12 is quite soft this season, but starting out 3-0 with wins over your rival on their home floor and a sweep of the previously unbeaten L.A. schools in front of a raucous Gill Coliseum crowd shows the Beavers are starting to find their stride. Defensively, the Beavers have been top-notch in PAC-12 play, holding Oregon, USC, and UCLA below their scoring averages while making life of offense difficult. I think back to mid-December when the Beavers lost to Texas A&M at Moda Center when Wayne Tinkle, in the face of a disappointing loss to the Aggies, hinted that he thought his team would be much better by the time Pac-12 play rolled around… Looks like he might have been onto something.

2. Losing Tudor is a blow, but OSU can overcome it with consistent, varied production… The Beavers showed a lot of versatility and depth in their two wins in L.A. this weekend, following the devastating news that they wouldn’t have Tudor for the rest of the season. Even going back to their first home game without Tudor against Washington, the Beavers have now shown on three different occasions that they have multiple players who can step up when needed. Whether it was Slocum scoring 30 against the Huskies, multiple Beavers reaching double-figures against UCLA, or Washington scoring a career high against USC, OSU has shown they are still a deadly team with a bevy of options that can go off on a nightly basis.

3. OSU gained valuable experience and maturity with a limited Tres Tinkle… Perhaps the biggest takeaway that I had from this week of action from the Beavers was their ability to compete, and most importantly win without Tinkle. In the past, when Tinkle has been sidelined, it’s usually been trouble for the Beavers. However, OSU showed a lot of mental toughness in defeating USC in O.T. without him and getting solid production up and down the roster against UCLA with him back in the fold. In his return to action, Tinkle tallied 14 points, six rebounds, and six assists. I came away impressed with the Beavers having four other players reach double-figure scoring as OSU is at their best when they have multiple threats on offense. The best teams have multiple players who can hurt you on a given night and if the Thompson’s can keep up their scoring touch, Kelley continues to grow game-by-game, and the bench add a double-digit scorer every now and again with Tinkle’s usual production, the Beavers will be a very difficult out on a nightly basis.

4. Is the sky still the limit for the Lady Beavers this season? Yes… If there’s one thing that this weekend proved for the lady Beavs, it’s that even without one of their best players, they’re still a force to be reckoned with in the Pac-12. I’ll admit, I was skeptical about how the Beavers would fare post-Tudor, but I have to say, what the Beavers did in L.A. was impressive. We’ve talked for quite some time about how Rueck and Co. reload each and every year, and even with Tudor on the shelf, they’ve had other players step up. Whether it’s Pivec cranking up her scoring, Washington becoming more and more of a threat each game, Goodman filling the shoes of Tudor from beyond the three-point arc, Grymek using her size to bully opposing players in the post, Corosdale providing timely scoring, or Slocum being the engine that drives it all, there’s still a lot to like and plenty of good times on the horizon for the Beavers in the coming weeks. Granted, it’s only been three games and that’s a small sample size, but if the Beavers continue to operate at this high of a level, there’s no reason to think Tudor’s injury will limit their postseason aspirations.

5. Biggest test for Tinkle and Co. starts Thursday… Well, if there was ever a measuring stick to gauge just how good this Beaver basketball team is, it’s this weekend in Arizona. After starting off conference play with a solid and unprecedented mark, the Beavers will face two of the toughest opponents the Pac-12 has to offer in Arizona State and Arizona. Both teams have played top competition in non-conference and appear to be the Pac-12’s strongest chances at an NCAA postseason berth. If the Beavers could manage a split in the desert, it would be monumental not only for their confidence, but to also firmly put themselves in the discussion to be a top team in the conference. It’s certainly attainable, as the Beavers have proven they can go on the road and win in a difficult environment and boast some of the most experienced players in the Pac-12. Stealing one or possibly even two wins on the road would be a big coup for the Beavers.

Following the programs’ hottest start to conference play in over 25 years, Tinkle’s Beavers will hit the road this weekend for perhaps their toughest two games this season, as OSU faces Arizona State (11-5, 2-2) and Arizona (13-4, 4-0) on Thursday and Sunday, respectively.

Facing these two dynamic squads in the desert will certainly test the mettle of the upstart Beavers as both the Sun Devils and the Wildcats boast some of the best all-around talent and playmaking in the conference. While Arizona isn’t quite at the level they’ve been in the past years, head coach Sean Miller has his team leading the Pac-12 conference amid a very difficult non-conference schedule. Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils have had a rocky start to conference play, but still sport the Pac-12’s most impressive non-conference victory as they defeated then No. 1 Kansas in Tempe on Dec. 22nd.

Thursday’s 7:00 p.m. start against ASU will be televised on Fox Sports 1 and Saturday’s 4:00 p.m. matchup will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

The Lady Beavs return to Gill Coliseum sporting a 4-0 Pac-12 record as they’re set to host Arizona (13-2, 3-2 Pac-12) and No. 19 Arizona State (12-4, 3-2) on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Both the Wildcats and Sun Devils have had solid starts to conference play, including both defeating No. 24 California this past weekend. The two teams opened Pac-12 play against each other, with the Wildcats earning a 51-39 victory. The Beavers haven’t lost to either of Arizona schools at home since the 2011-12 season, when they fell to the Wildcats.

Friday’s 7:00 p.m. game against Arizona won’t be televised but Sunday’s 2:00 p.m. matchup with Arizona State will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.

Stay tuned to BeaversEdge.com as senior writer Brenden Slaughter will have interviews with Tinkle, Rueck, and players from both squads in our weekly practice coverage of Oregon State men’s and women’s basketball.