Following a sweep of the L.A. schools to remain perfect in Pac-12 play, the Oregon State men's basketball team returned to practice on Tuesday. Head coach Wayne Tinkle and the Beavers talked about the challenges Arizona State and Arizona present while reflecting on the programs' first 3-0 start in conference play since 1992-93. BeaversEdge.com senior writer Brenden Slaughter was in Corvallis and has all the details.

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Armed with a 3-0 start to Pac-12 play, the Oregon State men's basketball team is headed south for their toughest two-game stretch of the season as they'll face Arizona State (11-5, 2-2, Pac-12) and Arizona (13-4, 4-0) on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Both the Sun Devils and the Wildcats have been two of the Pac-12's best this season, and it will take a great effort on the part of the Beavers to earn one or even two wins on the road in hostile territory.

Wells Fargo Arena (ASU) and the McKale Center (UA) are some of the toughest places to play not only in the Pac-12 conference, but in college basketball. Tinkle notes that the Beavers' non-conference schedule that featured road contests against Saint Louis and Long Beach State and a road-conference opener at Oregon will prepare the team well for the environments they'll experience this weekend.

"Hopefully that experience against Oregon adds to our mental toughness," Tinkle said. "We said after that Oregon game that the way it happened really taught us a lot. Our guys have a confidence."

"Oregon was a very tough environment, and that gives us good experience knowing what it's like to play and win on the road," senior guard Stephen Thompson Jr. said. "We have to bottle up what we've done well on the road and take to the Arizona schools."

Added junior center Kylor Kelley: "The first conference game was away at Oregon and we got the win, so that means that if we stay true to who we are, we can get wins on the road."

That confidence will be tested by the Sun Devils, who are coached by Bobby Hurley. ASU sits at just 2-2 in conference play after wins over Cal and Colorado and losses to Utah and Stanford. Despite the up and down start to Pac-12 play, ASU still boasts the conferences' best non-conference win as they defeated than No. 1 Kansas in Tempe on Dec. 22nd.

"They're a very physical team on both sides of the ball and have a lot of talent and athleticism," Tinkle said. "They've had some struggles defensively where they've ebbed and flowed but their a dangerous team that plays really well at home. After their loss to Stanford, they're going to have their hair on fire for us. It's going to be a real challenge."

The road post-Tempe doesn't get any easier for the Beavers as they'll travel to Tucson for a matchup with Sean Miller's Wildcats. While Arizona doesn't boast some of the best talent in college basketball this season like they have had in previous years, they're undefeated in conference play and are playing very well together.

"Arizona has gotten off to a great start," Tinkle said. "The coaching staff has their guys playing at an optimal level and that's going to be a challenge as well."

Added Kelley: "This weekend is big for us. Two tough teams on their home floor and knocking them off would be big for us."

Overall, Tinkle likes the Beavers' chances this weekend as they were on the cusp of beating both Arizona (62-53) and Arizona State (77-75) last season.

"We played well last year in Tempe and Tucson," Tinkle said. "Our guys are hungry because we feel that we let that one against ASU slip away. We're going to be confident heading in because you look at how we played at Oregon with a great crowd. Saint Louis was a good test. Not a lot of Pac-12 schools go to Long Beach State for a reason. We've had some success on the road and that's why we scheduled the way we did, so that nothing would intimidate us."

It's been quite some time since the Oregon State basketball team has been able to sit back and enjoy some of the fruits of their labor. There have been plenty of ups and downs during the tenure of Tinkle, but he feels that there's a balance between enjoying the moment and staying grounded.

"You've got to keep grinding and moving on to what's next, but we've been through so much," Tinkle said. "You do have to show the guys that you're enjoying the fruits of their labor and they need to see we're having fun with them. Yet, the balance is making sure they stay humble, and they will because that's the team we are, but focused on what's next. We haven't spent a lot of time on the failures of the past, so we can't spend too much time on the successes of the past. We have to stay in the moment."

Thompson Jr., who led the way for the Beavers against USC and UCLA, feels that the sweep was big for the teams' confidence, and now they have to translate it to road wins.

"We try and take it game-by-game," Thompson Jr. said. "Enjoy the highs and the lows. After each game we assess what we did well and what we need to improve on and try to get better moving forward."

Following his return to the floor against UCLA on Sunday, Tres Tinkle is still feeling some ill effects of his rolled ankle that he suffered against Oregon. Wayne Tinkle noted that he's been feeling sore after Sunday's matchup and that he wouldn't practice on Tuesday. He seemed optimistic about his status for the upcoming weekend of play, but it appears that Tres may have extended his recovery timeline by returning to action against the Bruins.

"He's feeling pretty beat up as far as the injury," Tinkle said. "He has a lot of soreness and it's starting to get sore in other areas as it heals. We'll treat it appropriately and he won't do anything on the court on (Tuesday). We'll reevaluate day-by-day and see where he's at by Thursday."