ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 10 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
4. Oregon State Beavers (9-4, 1-0 Pac-12) LW: 6
After a successful rout of the Central Connecticut Blue Devils, the Oregon State Beavers continued their winning ways in dramatic fashion against their in-state rival, the Oregon Ducks.
An emphatic second half from Tres Tinkle, who scored 16 of his 28 in the game’s final 20 minutes, led the Beavers to a 77-72 ‘Civil War’ rivalry victory.
This victory improves the Beavers to an impressive 9-4 on the season, sporting a 1-0 conference record. The Beavs have shown a lot of grit and have proven to be a formidable Pac-12 player in the 2019 season.
A rivalry victory is always something positive for a team to build off of, and with the return of 6-11 Gligorije Rakocevic this week, the Beavers are actually in prime position to compete heading forward.
Being able to field one of the conference top-10 players is nothing to scoff at. Tinkle provides a big advantage for the team from Corvallis. He has shined as the program’s premiere player, averaging an impressive 20.5 points, 8.6 boards and 4.2 assists on an efficient 49 percent from the field.
Tinkle has been the go-to guy for a few years now, but this season he’s turned that individual production into team success. With good wins against Old Dominion, Oregon, Long Beach State, and Missouri State, OSU could be in position to surprise some people in conference play.
The formidable offense-defense duo from Ethan and Stephen Thompson offer versatility in the backcourt for the Beavers. But it’s the larger-than-life front line of Rakocevic and Kylor Kelley (7-0) that gives the Beavers a menacing five diving into the depths of the conference season.
Their next bout comes at home against USC, who is making its way up the west coast as winners of their last four games. Tip off is at 9:00 PM MT this Thursday.
– Geraffo