Oregon State Beavers
Overall Rank: #6
Conference Rank: #3 Pac-12
Oregon State went to the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive season under the direction of head coach Scott Rueck. The Beavers bounced back from a shocking loss to Washington in the Quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament to get to the Sweet 16 of the Albany Regional where they lost to Louisville 61-44. Looking to ahead to 2019, Oregon State brings back an experienced backcourt that should set them for a long run in the NCAA Tournament once again
2018-19 Record: 26-8, 14-4
2018-19 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Scott Rueck
Coach Record: 205-96 at Oregon State, 493-184 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Katie McWilliams, Guard, 7.4 ppg
Joanna Grymek, Center, 7.1 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Destiny Slocum, Redshirt Junior, Guard, 15.4 ppg
Mikayla Pivec, Senior, Guard, 15.2 ppg
Taya Corosdale, Junior, Forward, 6.9 ppg
Kat Tudor, Senior, Guard, 12.3 ppg
Aleah Goodman, Junior, Guard, 10.7 ppg
Madison Washington, Guard/Forward, 4.7 ppg
Janessa Thropay, Senior, Forward, 2.2 ppg
Key New Players
Jelena Mitrovic, Freshman, Forward/Center
Kennedy Brown, Freshman, Forward
Taylor Jones, Freshman, Forward
Nicole Mannen, Redshirt Freshman, Guard
Projection:
Destiny Slocum and Mikayla Pivec will set the tone for the Beavers in the backcourt. Slocum is the leading returning scorer for Oregon State as she averaged 15.4 points per game last season. Pivec can do a little of everything as she averaged 15.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and made 41.7 percent of her three-point shots. Kat Tudor’s return to full strength will make the Beavers even more difficult to stop offensively this season. Tudor made 46.5 percent of her three-point shots in 13 games as she averaged 12.3 points per game last season. Oregon State will play a good non-conference schedule starting with the Preseason WNIT. At the end of November they will play at Miami (FL), which will be a great road test. The conference schedule will be loaded as the Pac-12 will be a gauntlet all year long. A three-game stretch starting on January 19 against Stanford followed by a home and home with Oregon will be a key factor in deciding the conference championship. There is also a four-game road swing in mid-February against USC, UCLA, Stanford, and California that will test this veteran Oregon State team. Overall, the Beavers should be dynamic enough offensively to win 25 plus games and be in the conversation for a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.1 (33rd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.2 (101, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.1 (11, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.0 (18, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (33, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.6 (11, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.0 (80, 4)
Rebound Margin: 9.2 (8, 1)
Assists Per Game: 16.0 (35, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 (21,3)
Madness 2020 WNBA Draft Rankings:
#8 Destiny Slocum
#9 Mikayla Pivec
Madness 2019 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#25 Taylor Jones
#65 Kennedy Brown
