With the pressure off the Ducks to win their first Pacific-10 Conference game, Oregon State would like to turn it back up.
The Beavers (13-13, 7-8 Pac-10) have proven that their trapping, zone-defense scheme led by the long-armed Seth Tarver is one that wins. The Beavers swept the Bay Area schools last weekend but have an even bigger prize ahead of them: Oregon.
Tipoff at McArthur Court is 7 p.m. on Sunday.
The Ducks (7-20, 1-14 Pac-10) lost 57-54 in Corvallis on Jan. 31, but have since won a Pac-10 game, last week against Stanford. Oregon won despite Tajuan Porter scoring only six points, and the team believes it can win without major contributions from its junior guard – a positive for everybody.
“The way he played he was a very heady point guard in the game, getting guys involved,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said of his performance against Stanford.
Porter said he always expects teams to try to shut him down first, and thinks OSU will be no different.
“That’s going to be every team’s philosophy,” Porter said.
Porter is happy to have the win, but doesn’t want his teammates to get complacent with the relative success.
“One win is nothing,” Porter said. “Everybody is congratulating us on one win. It’s a down season.”
In Corvallis, it’s a completely different story. OSU head coach Craig Robinson said Tuesday the Beavers’ success this season is beyond his expectations, and has repeatedly said his players are never the most talented in any Pac-10 game.
Kent disagreed with Robinson on his players abilities.
“If you’re a Division I player on a full-ride scholarship, there’s no such thing as untalented,” Kent said.
He should know, because the Beavers have been the surprise of the league this season and have their coach as the top choice for Pac-10 Coach of the Year. Tarver is the league’s best pickpocket, grabbing 1.8 steals per game.
With eight days to prepare for the Beavers’ aggressive defense and efficient offense, the Ducks feel good about their chance at win No. 2 and keeping OSU from reaching .500 in league play.
“We’ve had a whole week to prepare for them,” sophomore guard LeKendric Longmire said.
Kent said keeping their 15-game winning streak against OSU at home alive is as much about them as it is focusing on the opponents.
“We don’t so much worry about them, it’s us,” Kent said.
A major problem in Corvallis was the Ducks’ inability to make layups and close shots. Kent expects those mistakes to be changed now.
“We left a ton of scoring opportunities on the floor,” Kent said. “I think we’re a better basketball team than we were up there. I think our big guys are a lot better.”
The Beavers caused 20 Oregon turnovers in that game, and after allowing Porter 19 points in the first half, they held him to three points in the final 20 minutes.
On offense, Oregon State relies on 6-foot-11 point-center Roeland Schaftenaar, a Pac-10 Player of the Week winner this year and the man who usually runs the offense at the top of the key, causing matchup problems.
Calvin Haynes is the team’s top scorer with 15.5 points per game.
The game will also be a contrast in styles, with Oregon’s up-and-down fast play countering the Beavers’ slow-down, Princeton-hybrid offense that tries to limit its opponents’ possessions. The Beavers are ninth in the league in points scored per game with 59.8, but allow the third-fewest points, with just more than 61. Both teams, however, are the Pac-10’s only two teams that have a negative scoring margin this season, which seems logical for Oregon’s struggles but interesting considering Oregon State’s success.
A problem Oregon hopes to create is using its crowd to its advantage like against Stanford.
“The Pit Crew has been roaring all year and we’re ready to go,” Longmire said.
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