Oregon State Men's Basketball: Tuesday Report

Following a weekend split that saw the Oregon State basketball team defeat lowly Washington State and fall flat against Washington, the Beavers (12-7, 4-3 Pac-12) will look to build momentum in the mountains, traveling to Colorado and Utah this week. OSU head coach Wayne Tinkle and the players spoke at practice on Tuesday to discuss what went wrong against the Huskies and what they need to do to earn a road sweep.

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The Oregon State men's basketball team is still searching for consistency 19 games into the 2018-18 college basketball season. Following a 3-0 start to Pac-12 play with wins against Oregon, USC, and UCLA, the Beavers (12-7, 4-3 Pac-12) have struggled to maintain their momentum in the past two weeks, notching just one win against three losses.

Perhaps the most disappointing loss in the past two weeks came last Saturday as the Beavers dropped one of their biggest home games of the season, a 79-69 defeat to Pac-12 leader Washington.

The Huskies entered Pac-12 play with a perfect 6-0 record in conference the Beavers had a golden opportunity to shake up the standings and earn their most marquee win of the season behind a crowd of 6,000 plus at Gill Coliseum.

Instead of rising to the occasion and making a statement against the class of the Pac-12, the Beavers came out flat and couldn't overcome a torrid start by the Huskies.

"It was certainly disappointing that we didn't come out and deliver the first blow," Wayne Tinkle said. "It hasn't been a common theme, so I expect our guys to shake it off and bounce back."

Whether it was Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year candidate Matisse Thybulle causing turnovers and throwing the Beavers out of rhythm, Jaylen Nowell knocking down three-pointers and getting to the free-throw line at will, or David Crisp hitting clutch shots, the Beavers weren't playing their brand of basketball in what was their biggest game of the season.

"We didn't come out aggressive enough and we allowed ourselves to get knocked back on our heels with our lackadaisical turnovers," Wayne Tinkle said. "Fundamentally we weren't strong and we dropped our chins on the defensive end. We have to learn from the mistakes and stick to our plan."

Junior forward Tres Tinkle, who continues to lead the Beavers in points (20.3, 2nd in Pac-12), rebounds (8.2, 5th in Pac-12) and assists (4.2) per game, was forthright in terms of what needs to happen moving forward.

"We need more focus, effort, and aggression," Tinkle said. "We have to deliver the first punch and keep 'em coming."

Added sophomore guard Ethan Thompson: "Coach has emphasized that we have to come out and throw the first punch. The games we've lost, we didn't come out as the aggressor and that's where we have to improve moving forward."

Even though the Beaver defense picked up after the quick 11-0 start by Washington, OSU wasn't able to get anything going against the Huskies' pesky 2-3 zone defense. Tinkle is optimistic that the Beavers will respond against Colorado and Utah this weekend.

"We weren't running our offense," Wayne Tinkle said. "We weren't getting to our spots and the timing and spacing weren't in sync. If we clean that stuff up this week, we'll be fine."

Looking ahead to this weeks' action, the Beavers are set to hit the road for one of the more difficult road trips that the Pac-12 offers. Colorado and Utah is the one road swing that requires extensive travel between different states and when you combine that with the home-court advantage that the Buffs (11-8, 2-5) and the Utes (11-8, 5-2) have, it makes for a long and grueling couple of days.

Despite the tough nature of the trip, the Beavers know that this is an important make or break stretch. The Beavers currently sit sixth in the Pac-12 standings and the opportunity to move up with multiple wins this week would certainly push them back into the upper-echelon of the standings.

"Our guys are tough and we've been through it," Wayne Tinkle said. "They know after this past weekend that we have to go and makeup for a home loss on the road. The challenge is there and we're going to put the plan in and it's up to them to take it to the court and execute it."

Outside of the Huskies, who are starting to pull away in the conference race, the rest of the league is very tightly packed, as the difference between second place and seventh is just two games.

"It's a big week... We're not in a bad spot right now, but we have to get some on the road to make up for the home loss," Tres Tinkle said. "We have to be more locked in on the road and we know it's a must-win situation this weekend."

While the season is still relatively young and OSU is 2-3 on the road this season, they need more production away from Corvallis in order to put themselves in position for any sort of postseason berth.

Senior guard Stephen Thompson Jr., who carried the Beavers against the Huskies with 30 points, including six made three-pointers, echoed Tinkle's comments about the road trip and added that it's all about execution.

"This trip is huge for us, in terms of being able to flip things around," Thompson Jr. said. "We're focused on taking things game by game, executing and playing to the best of our abilities and we know that will give us great success if we can do that every game."