Beavs picked to finish fifth in Pac-10 hoops

CRAIG ROBINSON AND the Beavers will have a much harder time surprising anyone this season. Oregon State, coming off a monster turnaround this past year and a CBI Tournament title, were picked today to finish fifth in the Pac-10 by the West Coast media who regularly follow the conference.   Full Story

THE PAC-10 WILL BE down a bit this year compared with recent campaigns. How much so depends on how quickly the young guns develop. In my assessment of each team, I know you'll probably want a projection for the final standings. I don’t want to lose credibility this early in my writing career so I’m a little sheepish about going out on a limb like that. Okay fine, here you go:   Full Story

OREGON STATE's Academic Progress Rate report was released on Wednesday by the NCAA, and the Beavers surpassed the NCAA target score in every sport.   Full Story

CRAIG ROBINSON SAID often this season he wanted to see Rickey Claitt be less unselfish. In the senior's final game at OSU, he got his wish. Claitt went off, scorching the nylon chord for 28 points in El Paso and nailing 5-of-6 from three point land. Roeland Schaftenaar, named the MVP of the tournament, poured in 12 points and dished seven assists as OSU finished a remarkable one season turnaround.   Full Story

OREGON STATE CERTAINLY enjoyed a home court advantage for the first three games of the College Basketball Invitational. That was just as certainly not the case in Game 2 of the tournament finals as the Beavs lost 70-63 to UTEP on Wednesday. With the series now tied 1-1, all eyes will be on Friday's tilt in El Paso -- one game to decide it all.   Full Story

WHAT WOULD AN Oregon State hoops game be without a little drama. The Beavs built a 21-point lead in the second half and then watched as it all but disappeared. But in the end, OSU did just enough to hold off UTEP 75-69 in the first game of the CBI Finals. And now they're one win away from the title.   Full Story

YOU JUST KNEW this one was headed that way, that the Beavs would face adversity time and time again and tightrope along the brink of the abyss before making their stand. The fourth meeting of the year between Oregon State and Stanford went back and forth and into overtime and when the dust settled, the Beavs came away with a 65-62 victory and a berth in the best-of-three CBI Tournament Finals.   Full Story

Men's Hoops Editor Ray Salloom provides the Bootleg faithful a look at the game flow, stats, and facts after Oregon State ended Stanford's season, beating the Cardinal, 65-62, in overtime in their CBI Semifinals matchup. Find out how the game played out as Stanford got a clutch last-second shot from Lawrence Hill in regulation, but couldn't put away the Beavers in the extra period.   Full Story

Whichever team loses tonight, Stanford or 3.5-point underdog Oregon State, will have no shortage of possible explanations -- bad luck, bad officiating, poor shooting, you name it. One reason they won't be able to cite, however, is inexperience. With the squads colliding for a fourth time this season, The Bootleg thinks it has its finger right on the pulse of both teams. Read on for our analysis...   Full Story

CALVIN HAYNES SAW an opening and he took it. But as he drove towards the basket, with Oregon State down by one in the waning seconds of overtime, a wall of Vermont players converged on his path. He said later he was just trying to draw a foul and go to the line. But Haynes' hanging bank shot found chord, and OSU extended their season. They also earned a return engagement against Stanford.   Full Story

Men's Hoops Editor Ray Salloom provides the Bootleg faithful a look at the game flow, stats, quotes, and facts after Stanford defeated Wichita State by a final score of 70-56 in their CBI Quarterfinals matchup. Find out how the game played out as Stanford moves along to face the very familiar Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis on Wednesday night at 7:00pm in the CBI Semifinals.   Full Story

BY ALL RIGHTS, the Beavers shouldn't have been in it at halftime of their first round game in the CBI against Houston. Oregon State couldn't buy a bucket, and the only thing that kept them close after 20 minutes was that Houston was actually shooting the ball worse. But a block by Omari Johnson led to a Beaver resurgence and Oregon State advanced to the quarterfinals with a 49-45 win.   Full Story

THE HOOPS SEASON isn't over yet. For the first time since the 2004-05 campaign, the Beavs have qualified for postseason play and were selected as one of eight hosts for the first round of the College Basketball Invitational. And the first game of the tourney is just a few days away.   Full Story

Men's Hoops Editor Ray Salloom provides the Bootleg faithful a look at the game flow, stats, quotes, and facts after Stanford delivered a gritty 62-54 win versus the Oregon State Beavers in the Opening Round of the Pac-10 Tournament. See how the Cardinal rallied after the half to score the victory and set themselves up for a quarterfinal matchup with the Washington Huskies.   Full Story

OREGON STATE HAD just played a solid first half in their opening round Pac-10 Tournament game. They had energy on defense, were moving well on both ends of the court and took a seven point lead into the locker room. But it all came unraveled in the opening minutes of the second half.   Full Story

Men's Hoops Editor Ray Salloom provides the Bootleg faithful a look at tonight's Pacific-10 Tournament game versus the Oregon State Beavers. Find out the key stats and thoughts leading into this game which could start the Cardinal on a run never seen in the league's postseason history.   Full Story

THERE WAS NO great mystery to Oregon State's 68-52 loss to USC on Saturday in the Beavs' regular season finale. Careless passing and poor execution on both ends of the court turned a close game at halftime into a rout as the Beavers wrapped up an exciting, turnaround regular season with a disappointing loss.   Full Story

WHEN THE Pac-10 Media Poll for football comes out in late July, the Beavers are expected to be picked in the lower half of the ten. Again. One columnist says the prognosticators will, as they have in recent years, get it wrong. He also says to watch for a fast start this year. Plus, OSU basketball and baseball..   Full Story

CRAIG ROBINSON WAS succinct following the Beavs' 79-54 loss to UCLA -- great first 10 minutes, followed by some horrible play. Oregon State lost their defensive focus after their first round of substitutions and by the time they got it back, the Beavs had dug a 24-point hole.   Full Story

OREGON STATE dominated the first half in Round 2 of the Civil War on the hardcourt -- crisp passes, torrid shooting, tight defense, the Beavers looked to be in control. But the final 20 minutes was a much, much different story. The Beavs surrendered a monstrous 51 points over the final 20 minutes, dropping a 79-69 decision in Eugene.   Full Story

IT'S BEEN MORE than a week since Oregon State (13-13) last took the floor and motivation is sure to be at a fever pitch when the Beavers meet the Ducks tonight in a nationally televised game on the hardcourt. And then there's this -- Oregon State would climb into a fifth place tie in the Pac-10 with a victory.   Full Story

IT DIDN'T LOOK good. Oregon State trailed by 12 in the second half and Cal was physically pushing them around. But the Beavs pushed back. And they did it with defense. That keyed some pinpoint passing and inside points. It also opened up some long range buckets. The end result was a rim rattling, defense swarming 65-54 beat down of Cal -- and something last seen in Corvallis 20 years ago.   Full Story

OREGON STATE BROKE out the defensive clamps Thursday night against Stanford, building a 21-point lead and then grinding their way to a 66-54 wire-to-wire victory over the Cardinal. In the process, the Beavers completed their first season sweep of Stanford in 16 years and logged the most conference wins by an Oregon State squad since 2004-05.   Full Story

Men's Hoops Editor Ray Salloom provides the Bootleg faithful a look back at the stats and facts after Thursday night's 65-54 loss to the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis. See the flow of the contest, key numbers, and brief commentary after the Cardinal failed to dig itself out of too deep of a hole in this road Pac-10 Conference contest.   Full Story

Even though the economy is up in flames, Daniel Novinson knows of one stock that’s a buy as the Cardinal head into Thursday night's road game in Corvallis against the Oregon State Beavers. Check out the stats and facts before this matchup where Stanford looks to get a measure of revenge after last month's loss at Maples.   Full Story