Oregon State Beavers
Pac-12 (28-4, 16-2)
Oregon State has been a team on a mission all season long as they have gone toe to toe with Arizona State in the Pac-12 and are in a great position to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Scott Rueck has built one of the top defensive teams in the country on an annual basis and this season has not been any different. The Beavers have limited teams to around 50 points per game.
Big Wins: 1/17 Stanford (58-50), 2/1 Arizona State (67-44), 2/21 UCLA (64-54)
Bad Losses: 12/19 Tennessee (50-53), 1/4 at UCLA (51-71), 2/26 at Stanford (54-76)
Coach: Scott Rueck
Why They Can Surprise:
Oregon State has been very efficient offensively and they have the ability to control the game from the backcourt with Sydney Wiese and Jamie Weisner, which is critical in the NCAA Tournament. They also can dominate down in the post with one of the top centers in the country in Ruth Hamblin. She shoots the basketball at well over 50 percent and is one of the top shot blockers in all of college basketball as well. They also play very well at home as Gil Coliseum can be a snake pit for visiting teams as Beaver fans have done a nice job of creating a loud, hostile environment. The best example this season was the Arizona State when over 4,400 fans helped boost Oregon State to a 67-44 victory in front of a national television audience.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Turnovers have plagued the Beavers in losses to Tennessee, Notre Dame and UCLA as they had a turnover differential of minus 32 in those three games. Thus, if Oregon State plays anyone that can pressure the basketball effectively, it is going to be very important for them to value the basketball as possessions will be at a premium in the NCAA Tournament. They also could disappoint if they let what happened last year in the second round against Gonzaga affect them. The Bulldogs scored the final 12 points of the game and upset the Beavers. It is going to be important for Oregon State to be right mentally and look at the 2016 NCAA Tournament as an opportunity for a fresh start in the postseason as they are more than capable of getting to the Elite Eight or Final Four.
Probable Starters:
Sydney Wiese, Junior, Guard, 12.8 ppg, 4.9 apg, 5.8 rpg
Jamie Weisner, Senior, Guard, 17.3 ppg, 2.2 apg, 5.5 rpg
Gabriella Hanson, Junior, Guard, 7.9 ppg, 2.9 apg
Devin Hunter, Senior, Forward, 6.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Ruth Hamblin, Senior, Center, 11.9 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.4 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Katie McWilliams, Freshman, Guard, 3.3 ppg, 1.8 apg
Samantha Siegner, Senior, Forward, 2.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Marie Gulich, Sophomore, Center, 4.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 67.2 (144th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 51.0 (7, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.8 (35, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 31.7 (1, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.3 (95, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.4 (32, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.1 (40, 2)
Rebound Margin: 11.1 (8, 1)
Assists Per Game: 15.3 (50, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.3 (115, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA First Round win over South Dakota State
2015 NCAA Second Round loss to Gonzaga
2014 NCAA First Round win over Middle Tennessee State
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to South Carolina
2012 NIT First Round win over UC Davis
2012 NIT Second Round win over Saint Mary's
2012 NIT Third Round loss to Washington
2009 NIT Second Round win over Portland State
2009 NIT Third Round loss to New Mexico
2006 NIT Opening Round win over Santa Clara
2006 NIT First Round loss to Wyoming
2004 NIT First Round win over Gonzaga
2004 NIT Second Round win over Nebraska
2004 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Creighton
*all team stats through 3/3
