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With the Oregon State men's basketball team (8-5, 4-3 Pac-12) coming off an upset of No. 21 Oregon this past weekend, BeaversEdge.com gives you three things we learned, poses two questions, and gives one prediction in this edition of the 3-2-1.
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Three Things We Learned
1. The Beavers are putting all the pieces in place
-> Head coach Wayne Tinkle had been saying for weeks that he thought this group had a ton of potential if they were able to do a little "growing up" and were able to gain maturity, chemistry, and experience on the fly.
It's a small sample size, but given that we've seen the Beavers string together three-straight wins since Jan. 16th it's safe to assume that we're starting to see that prediction come to fruition.
I've been saying for a while that despite how much roster attrition the Beavers had this past offseason that the pieces were in place for Tinkle and Co. to field a very intriguing roster and now that group is beginning to scratch the surface of their potential.
There's a long way yet to go in this season and by no means have the Beavers figured everything out, but you've got to tip your hand for their efforts in the past few weeks. After the Arizona loss, there were a lot of questions about this team, but the Beavers remained steadfast and kept building their confidence bit by bit.
2. Oregon State is capable of putting together wins in the Pac-12
-> From what I've been able to gather, the Beavers can potentially beat everyone in the conference, but can also lose to anyone in the conference. Save for a lopsided blowout against Arizona, this team has been right there in every game this season and it's starting to look more and more like Arizona was just a perfect storm of factors.
With that being said, the response in the wake of the Arizona loss is what has to be noted because it's been impressive. After getting shellacked by the Wildcats by 34 points, the Beavers have knocked off two-teams in the upper echelon of the conference in USC and Oregon and that could go a long way in building this teams' confidence.
3. Balanced production has been the key
-> The great thing about Oregon State's three-game win streak is that different players have been getting it done offensively. Instead of relying on one or two guys consistently for the scoring punch, we've seen a nice variance during this stretch.
Ethan Thompson is always going to get his numbers and looks, but the Beavers are a much better squad when he's able to get solid support around him.
Whether it was Jarod Lucas leading the Beavers in scoring (18) against ASU, Roman Silva chipping in 12 points off the bench against USC, or Warith Alatishe adding in 14 in the win over Oregon, the Beavers have had other guys step up when needed during this win streak.
Two Questions
1. Will the Beavers be able to win enough games to make things interesting?
-> With 13 games played and an 8-5 record, nothing is out of the question for the Beavers at the moment. Despite some frustrating losses, the Tinkle's group still finds itself with a winning record in the conference (4-3) which is currently good for seventh in the Pac-12.
That being said, I'm anxious to see how the standings come together over the next few weeks. Right now, the Beavers are right in the thick of things as they're one of six teams with either two or three conference losses.
Simply put, the Beavers need to get more wins to really fire up this conversation, but with a solid amount of games left to be played, it'll be interesting to see if they can stack up enough to make things interesting late in the season.
2. Can the Beavers continue the momentum on the road against two very fundamentally-sound teams?
-> There's no question that this will be a very difficult road trip for the Beavers, so I'm curious to see how the team responds. USC will be out for revenge after getting knocked off in Corvallis and the Bruins have only lost one game in Pac-12 play all season long.
That's a recipe for a tough weekend of basketball, but yet it presents another opportunity for the Beavers to showcase their newly-minted confidence.
One Prediction
Oregon State splits the L.A. road trip:
-> Armed with a three-game win streak and the most confidence they've had all season, I see the Beavers getting one of the two L.A. schools on the road.
It won't come easy, but Tinkle has this ship going in the right direction and the California-native players are usually quite motivated against the Trojans and Bruins on the road. Look for Thompson to be very aggressive in both games...
The best chance at a victory probably comes against the Trojans, but with the Bruins recently falling to Stanford, they've shown a little mortality, so there's ample opportunity for the Beavers if they're able to play to their abilities...
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