One of college sports’ most historic rivalries will be on full display Monday night when the Oregon State Beavers come to Eugene to take on the Oregon Ducks in a battle for the title of best team in Oregon — both teams enter the matchup undefeated. The Beavers have started off the season strong with three straight wins, built on size and defense, but their rebounding has struggled in their opening games.
Oregon State is coming off a close win against the North Texas Mean Green. North Texas received a technical foul with 1.4 seconds left, for calling a timeout they didn’t have. The Beavers hit both free throws to seal the win, 66-64. Beavers forward Johan Munch highlighted the box score in the game, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal on 3-5 shooting.
The Danish forward has been solid for Oregon State, averaging 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. His two blocks lead the team, tied with center Yaak Yaak. The Beavers frontcourt brings notable size, with Munch, Yaak, Jorge Diaz Graham and Noah Amenhauser all over 6 feet 11 inches.
“Oregon State will be physical,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said following the South Dakota State game. “We have to make a lot of progress between now and then.”
The Beavers’ rebounding has been weak so far this season — they’ve been out-rebounded in two of their three games and currently rank last in the West Coast Conference in total rebounds with 95 over three games. Their worst rebounding performance came against North Texas. After getting out-rebounded 35-24, their only saving grace was their second half defense.
Head coach Wayne Tinkle’s group, though, has done a good job at holding teams down to 43 percent or less from the field, which has kept them alive in all of their games. The Beavers have not beaten a team by more than three points this season and have trailed going into halftime in two of their three games.
Another of OSU’s biggest weaknesses is turnovers. The Beavers rank last in the WCC in assist-to-turnover ratio with 38 assists to 42 turnovers. Oregon is currently tied for fourth in the Big Ten in steals per game with 7.7 which could be a major factor in Monday’s game.
Historically, the Ducks and the Beavers have had some close games, with their most recent matchup in November of last year coming down to the wire in a 78-75 win for Oregon at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.
That game saw current stars for the Ducks shine — Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad dominated on the road. Bittle finished that game with 23 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks on 10-16 shooting. Shelstad led the team in assists with six on top of 15 points and a steal.
The last time Oregon State beat Oregon was in 2021 in the Pac-12 semifinals in Las Vegas. The Beavers dominated in a 75-64 win and would go on to win the Pac-12 Tournament after taking down Colorado 70-68 in the final.
Since 1995, the Ducks have led the rivalry 49-16 and have dominated in recent years, going 9-1 in their last 10 meetings. Their biggest win in that span came in 2017, when they beat the Beavers 85-43 at home.
That game featured numerous future NBA players on both sides, with Ducks players Dillon Brooks, Payton Pritchard, Jordan Bell and Chris Boucher all making it to the league. Oregon State player Drew Eubanks also made it to the NBA.
With Oregon joining the Big Ten and Oregon State staying in the Pac-12 and temporarily playing in the WCC, it’s up to the programs to keep the rivalry going.
“I think it’s good for the state,” Altman said at a press conference in November of 2024. “So as long as Wayne wants to play, and our administrations are good with it, we’re going to play.”
Tipoff for Monday’s rivalry game is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST at Matthew Knight Arena.
