ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 12 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
4. Oregon State Beavers (11-6, 3-2 Pac-12) LW: 3
Coming into last week, Oregon State was among the Pac-12’s hottest teams. The Beavers were riding a four-game winning streak, and tied for first in the conference.
Their recent trip to the Grand Canyon State was a step in the wrong direction.
First, Oregon State entered Wells Fargo Arena for a test against Arizona State. For most of the game, it was all Sun Devils. Tres Tinkle struggled early, and the Sun Devils led by as much as 18 in the second half.
Not much later, the Beavers began to claw back. Tinkle found his footing and Oregon State closed the gap to just one point.
A pair of Rob Edwards free throws and a missed OSU three-pointer as time expired helped ASU escape with a 70-67 victory. Tinkle, who is averaging over 20 points per game, finished with 21 points, leading the Beavers in scoring.
In the next game, Oregon State fell to Arizona in spite of a prolific shooting night. A 51.0 field-goal percentage kept the Beavers in the game, but 3-point shooting and rebounding evaporated their chances of winning.
From long range, Oregon State shot 23.5 percent on 17 three-point attempts. The starting lineup was just 3-of-16 from three. On the glass, the Wildcats outrebounded the Beavers 41 to 29, and the offensive rebounding differential was +11 in favor of Arizona.
Tinkle was once again strong, scoring 25 points, but team inconsistencies helped Arizona win 82-71 at the McKale Center.
Up next for the Beavers are contests against Washington State and Washington. Oregon State sits tied for fourth in the conference, while Washington is on top. This could be a crucial weekend if the Beavers want to soar back atop the Pac-12 standings.
– Field