5/5/2023 basketball Edit

Oregon State MBB: Beavers Set to Face Nebraska at the Sanford Pentagon

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State men’s basketball team will play a neutral site game on Nov. 18 against Nebraska at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., Sanford Sports announced Thursday.

Since opening in 2013, the Sanford Pentagon has hosted more than 80 Division I men’s and women’s college basketball games. Last December, the Pentagon hosted a rematch of the 2021 men’s national championship game between No. 6 Baylor and No. 14 Gonzaga. Two weeks later, defending women’s national champions and No. 1 ranked South Carolina defeated South Dakota State on Heritage Court.

“We’re honored to have the opportunity to play in the tradition-rich Sanford Pentagon,” said Oregon State Head Coach Wayne Tinkle. “Games at the Pentagon have become key single-game pre-season events over the past 10 years. Sanford is an incredible partner and the Pentagon is an unbelievable facility bred for hoops. Throw in the total support of the Sioux Falls community and this will prove to be a valuable experience for our program.”

This year’s contest will mark the 11th all-time meeting between Oregon State and Nebraska, and the first since the 2009-10 campaign. The Beavers hold a 6-4 edge in the series.

“There is nothing quite like the atmosphere in the Sanford Pentagon when two teams from major conferences face off on Heritage Court,” said Jesse Smith, vice president of Sanford Sports. “We are thrilled to welcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers back to Sioux Falls and are equally as excited to showcase our venue to Oregon State and its fans for the first time.”

Oregon State was one of the youngest teams in the nation during the 2022-23 campaign, and features the return of Pac-12 All-Freshman selection Jordan Pope, who led conference freshmen in scoring with 12.6 points per game. Pope will be joined by fellow sophomores-to-be Tyler Bilodeau, Michael Rataj, KC Ibekwe, Jayden Stevens and Justin Rochelin. Veterans Dexter Akanno, Christian Wright and Chol Marial will also look to continue their roles in the Beaver rotation.

Overall, Oregon State was one of seven teams in the nation to have three freshmen average six or more points per game in 2022-23, and was one of five teams to have over 50 percent of its scoring come from its freshman class. Eight Oregon State freshmen played in at least one game last season, making it one of two programs in the nation to reach that mark.