Don’t count out Oregon State just yet; it is making a run for it– a run for the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament, that is.
Oregon State (11-13 overall, 5-9 Pac-10) has won three of its past four games after having lost six straight.
The Beavers are currently tied with Washington State for eighth place in the conference. Only eight teams advance to compete in the Pac-10 Tournament.
Oregon State head coach Jay John has done a credible job in reviving this program in his second year, mostly by beating his former bosses.
John served as an assistant coach under Oregon head coach Ernie Kent from 1997-98 and Arizona head coach Lute Olson from 1998-2002 before taking the position at Oregon State.
John has led the Beavers to wins over Oregon, 90-81 on Jan. 10, and Arizona, 90-84 on Feb. 21. Oregon State’s victory over then No. 14-ranked Arizona on Saturday was its first victory over a ranked opponent since 2000.
“Yeah, I’ve got to say this was a big one,” John told The Daily Barometer after the game. “We beat Oregon and that is also big for our program, so those two home wins have shown that we’re making progress and starting to head in the right direction.”
David Lucas and Chris Stephens led the Beavers with 22 points each. Oregon State will have the opportunity to again pull another upset when it visits No. 1 Stanford on Thursday.

Pac-8 tournament?
For a team such as Arizona State (10-14, 4-11), which sits in last place in the Pac-10, the season very well may end in two weeks. The Sun Devils will likely have no postseason opportunities and are on the brink of not earning the chance to compete in the Pac-10 Tournament.
Only eight of the 10 Pac-10 teams compete in the tournament. The two teams with the worst records are not invited.
Olson is disappointed that no solution has been made and said coaches are in agreement that all 10 teams should have a shot in the tournament.
“And that’s been discussed more than probably the league office wants to hear,” he said. “A huge mistake is being made with that. It’s been 10 to nothing by the coaches — the solutions for this — but we get no support from eight of the (athletic directors) on this.”

Lucas receives honor
Lucas was named the Pacific-10 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for February 16-22 on Monday.
Lucas helped lead the Beavers to a home sweep of Arizona and Arizona State for the first time since 1999. He recorded his third double-double of the season when he put up 20 points and 12 rebounds against Arizona State on Thursday.
Lucas had 22 points against Arizona. It is the first weekly honor for Lucas.

Still the best
No. 1 Stanford remains the best team in the country and has improved to 23-0 overall and 14-0 in conference play while maintaining its undefeated record.
Stanford has already clinched a share of the Pac-10 title, its fourth in six years.