Beavers, Buffs To Battle At Pac-12 Tourney - Oregon State University Athletics

THE GAME: Oregon State (17-13, 8-10 Pac-12) will face Colorado (14-16, 7-11) in the opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament at 6:10 p.m. on Wednesday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

TELEVISION: The game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks with Ted Robinson and Bill Walton calling the action and Lewis Johnson reporting from the sideline.

RADIO: The game will air live on Beaver Sports Radio Network with Mike Parker calling the action. It can also be heard on Sirius 92 and XM 197.

LIVE STATS: There will be live stats at this link.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Live updates will be available on Twitter and Facebook.

SEASON CENTRAL PAGE: Click on this link for information about the Oregon State men’s basketball team.

PAC-12 TOURNAMENT PAGE: Click on this link for information about the 2015 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament.

QUICKLY: Oregon State finished seventh in the Pac-12 after being picked to finish last in the preseason media poll ... With an 8-10 Pac-12 record, the Beavers equaled their best conference mark since the 1992-93 team went 9-9 (the 2004-05, 2009-10 and 2013-14 teams went 8-10) ... Gary Payton II was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, joining his father Gary Payton (1989-90) and Seth Tarver (2009-10) as Oregon State players to receive the honor ... Payton II was also named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team ... Malcolm Duvivier is averaging a team-best 14.6 points over the past five games ... Daniel Gomis finished third in the Pac-12 in conference games with 1.6 blocks per game ... Oregon State is 10th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.382) ... The Beavers are on pace to lead the Pac-12 in steals for the fourth time in the past six years ... Oregon State is second in the Pac-12 in turnover margin (+2.8) after finishing last a year ago.

Pac-12 Tournament Notes: Oregon State is the No. 7 seed and opens the tournament against No. 10-seed Colorado at 6:10 p.m. on Wednesday:

The Beavers are the No. 7 seed, their highest since being the No. 6 seed in 2010 when that tournament included nine teams.
Oregon State is 8-15 all-time in Pac-12 Tournament games. Colorado is 7-2.
As the No. 5-seed, Colorado defeated No. 12-seed Oregon State, 74-68, in the opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament on March 13, 2013.
The No. 7 seed is 9-3 all-time against the No. 10 seed.
Oregon State’s last five wins in the Pac-12 Tournament have come as the lower seed. The Beavers last win in the tournament came against No. 1-seed Washington in the quarterfinals in 2012.
The Beavers are 1-4 all-time (0-2 in the Pac-12 Tournament) in games played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The win came on Dec. 22, 2012 in the first-ever basketball game played at the Grand Garden Arena when they defeated San Diego, 86-79. The Beavers lost to Oklahoma State (66-53 on Nov. 24) and Auburn (71-69 on Nov. 25) in the MGM Grand Main Event earlier this season.
The Oregon State-Colorado winner will play No. 2-seed Oregon at 6:10 p.m. on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

vs. COLORADO: Oregon State and Colorado meet for the 16th time with the Buffaloes holding a 10-5 advantage. The Beavers won the lone meeting between the teams this season, 72-58, on Feb. 21 in Corvallis. Gary Payton II had 24 points and an Oregon State single-game record seven blocked shots. Oregon State also set a single-game team record with 13 blocked shots.

TEAM NOTES: Here are some quick-hitters about the Oregon State men’s basketball team through 30 games:

Oregon State set school records this season for best start at home (14-0) and most home victories (15). The 1979-80 team went 13-0 at home and two Beaver teams won 14 home games: 1954-55 (14-3) and 2011-12 (14-6).
Oregon State’s average attendance was 5,612 this season (6,988 in Pac-12 home games), after averaging 3,946 last season (4,728 in league games).
Oregon State has clinched its third winning season since 1990. The others: 2004-05 (17-15) and 2011-12 (21-15).
Oregon State has knocked off a top-10 team for the first time in 15 years, and defeated Arizona, UCLA and Washington in the same season for the first time since 1990.
Oregon State leads the Pac-12 in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.300), and is second in field goal percentage defense (.382) and scoring defense (58.5). The Beavers allowed 75.6 points per game last season.
The Beavers are on pace to set school records for scoring defense, field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense. Since the inception of the 3-point line in 1986, the current school records are: scoring defense (62.2 in 2009-10), field goal percentage defense (.398 in 1998-99), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.311 in 2009-10).
Oregon State leads the Pac-12 in steals (7.7). If the season ended today, it would be the fourth time in the last six years leading the conference in steals.
The Beavers are averaging 11.9 turnovers per game, their fewest since the 1989-90 team finished the season with an average of 11.1 per game.
Oregon State has held seven Pac-12 opponents to 20 or fewer first-half points: Arizona State 20, Washington 19, Washington State 16, UCLA 19, Washington 18, Utah 16 and Colorado 12.
Pac-12 opponents averaged 25.1 points in the first half and 34.8 points in the second half. The last three opponents averaged 41.8 second-half points.
In Pac-12 games, Oregon State averaged 58.7 points and shot 43.6 percent at home, 52.3 points and 37.0 percent in road and neutral site games.
Pac-12 opponents averaged 53.7 points and shot 36.1 percent at Gill Coliseum, 66.1 points and 43.8 percent on their home courts.
Oregon State is 16-2 (8-1 Pac-12) when holding its opponent below 40 percent shooting from the field; 1-11 (0-9 Pac-12) when the opponent shoots better than 40 percent.
The Beavers have been outrebounded in 13 consecutive games by an average of 37.8-27.6 (-10.2). Oregon State is 10-1 when outrebounding its opponent.
Oregon State is 6-9 since Victor Robbins was suspended. The Beavers were 11-4 with him in the lineup.
Oregon State is outscoring its opponents 826-606 in the paint, 457-392 off turnovers and 502-438 in bench scoring.

GARY PAYTON II STEALING:

He leads the Pac-12 and is second in the nation in steals (3.07). His father, Gary Payton, who played at Oregon State from 1987-90, led the conference in steals in 1988, 1989 and 1990 and is the Pac-12’s career leader (321).
His 92 steals are the second most in Oregon State single-season history and the fifth most in Pac-12 history.
He has multiple steals in 25 of the 30 games.
He’s the only player in the Pac-12 with a steal in every game. His streak of 30 consecutive games is the second longest in school history.

Pac-12 Single-Season Steals Records
110 -- Jason Kidd, California (1992-93)
100 -- Gary Payton, Oregon State (1989-90)
95 -- Jordan Adams, UCLA (2013-14)
94 -- Jeff Trepagnier, USC (1999-00)
92 -- Gary Payton II, Oregon State (2014-15)

Oregon State Record For Consecutive Games With A Steal
37 -- Gary Payton (February 1989 to March 1990)
30 -- Gary Payton II (November 2014 to Present)
29 -- Gary Payton (February 1988 to February 1989)
28 -- Jared Cunningham (March 2011 to February 2012)

GARY PAYTON II QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Gary Payton II, a junior transfer from Salt Lake Community College:

He leads the team in scoring (13.3), rebounding (7.5) and steals (3.07). The only Oregon State player to lead the team in all three categories was Lester Conner in 1981-82.
He has scored in double figures in a team-best 24 of the 30 games and has dropped 20-plus points in six contests.
He’s third in the Pac-12 in rebounding (7.5) and seventh in blocked shots (1.2), the highest in both categories among guards. He’s the only player in the top seven in the conference in steals, rebounds and blocks.
He’s fourth in the Pac-12 in minutes played (36.2).
He has seven double-doubles this season, the third most in the Pac-12.
He’s made seven 3-pointers in the last four games after making three from deep in the previous seven games.
He posted the second triple-double in Oregon State history with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Grambling State. His father recorded the only other triple-double on Nov. 26, 1988 when he had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists against Portland at Gill Coliseum.
He set the Oregon State single-game record with seven blocked shots against Colorado. The previous record was six by five players, including two-time All-American Steve Johnson and the school’s career blocks leader Eric Moreland.

MALCOLM DUVIVIER QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Malcolm Duvivier, a sophomore guard from Toronto, Canada:

He’s averaging a team-best 14.6 points over the past five games (Gary Payton II is second at 14.4 points per game).
He’s scored 18 points in each of the past two games.
He has scored in double figures 17 times, including seven of the past nine games, after reaching double digits just one time in 32 games last season.
He has played all 40 minutes four times.
He’s averaging 34.7 minutes per game, which is second on the team and eighth in the Pac-12. He averaged 11.4 minutes per game last season.
He leads the team in assists (104) and is second in steals (35).
He has made a 3-pointer in a career-best six consecutive games.
He’s ninth in the Pac-12 in assists (3.5) and tied for 12th in steals (1.2).
He’s averaging 12.2 points (second on the team) and shooting 40.2 percent from the field in games at Gill Coliseum, and averaging 8.2 points (fourth on the team) and shooting 31.1 percent on the road.

LANGSTON MORRIS-WALKER QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Langston Morris-Walker, a junior guard from Berkeley, California:

He’s shooting a team-best 34.3 percent (24-for-70) from beyond the arc in league games after shooting 26.1 percent (12-for-46) in non-conference play.
He has knocked down multiple 3-pointers in four of the past seven games.
He’s second on the team in rebounding (4.7) and 3-point field goals (36).
He’s 18-for-20 (90.0 percent) from the free throw line in the final two minutes of games.
He has two double-doubles and three double-figure rebounding games this season; he didn’t have any in his first 55 career games.
He played 20 minutes in the Pac-12 Tournament last season, the most of any current player on the roster, after getting DNP-CD against Colorado in 2013.

OLAF SCHAFTENAAR QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Olaf Schaftenaar, a junior forward from Utrecht, Netherlands:

He started the first 27 games of the season but has come off the bench in the last three contests.
He scored 11 points in the regular-season finale against Oregon, the first time in double figures in 11 games.
He went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc against Oregon after going 3-for-29 in the previous nine games.
Through the first 21 games he was 37-for-83 from beyond the arc and fifth in the Pac-12 at 44.6 percent.
In non-conference play, 47 of his 90 shots were from the 3-point line (52 percent). In Pac-12 play, 70 of his 104 shots have been from deep (67 percent).
He’s 12-for-14 (85.7 percent) from the free throw line in the final two minutes of games.

DANIEL GOMIS QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Daniel Gomis, a junior forward from Thies, Senegal:

He missed the first game of the season with an injured shoulder but has played in every game since, after playing all 32 games last season.
He missed his first two seasons at Oregon State with a broken leg. He has played 609 minutes this season after playing 344 last season.
He has scored in double figures in two of the past six games, after reaching double digits once in his first 55 career games.
In the last six games, he’s averaging 5.7 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting a team-best 50.0 percent (12-for-24) from the field.
He leads the team and is fifth in the Pac-12 in blocked shots (1.4).He finished third in conference games only at 1.6 blocks per game.

JARMAL REID QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Jarmal Reid, a junior forward from Decatur, Georgia:

In the last two games, he averaged 14.5 points (second on the team) and went 11-for-13 (84.6 percent) from the free throw line.
Since Victor Robbins was suspended 15 games ago, he’s third on the team in scoring (9.4). He was sixth on the team (7.0) in scoring before the suspension.
He’s shooting 73.3 percent (74-101) from the free throw line this season; he was 44.7 percent (17-for-38) from the stripe in his first two years.
He has scored in double figures 12 times this season, including a career-high 20 points against Washington State; he didn’t score in double digits in his first career 58 games. His career high entering this season was seven points.
He’s 11-for-11 from the free throw line in the final two minutes of games.

CHEIKH N’DIAYE QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Cheikh N’diaye, a sophomore center from Dakar, Senegal:

He is shooting a team-best 62.5 percent from the field (20-for-32).
He’s knocked down seven of his last 10 shots from the field.
He has played double-figure minutes in four of the last eight games after playing single-digit minutes in 19 straight contests.

THE ROSTER: Here are some quick-hitters about the 2014-15 Oregon State men’s basketball team:

The roster includes seven active scholarship players and seven walk-ons.
Victor Robbins has been suspended indefinitely.
Chai Baker suffered a cardiac arrest this past summer and isn’t cleared to play.
All seven walk-ons are from the State of Oregon.
AJ Hedgecock, Dylan Livesay, Matt Dahlen, Bryan Boswell and Tanner Sanders were all added to the official roster after the team held open tryouts on Oct. 4. A total of 22 Oregon State students participated in the open tryouts.
Last season Alex Roth was a walk-on and Justin Stangel was a practice player.
The roster doesn’t include a senior. Since 1950, the only other times Oregon State didn’t have a senior were 1978-79 and 2003-04.

RECRUITING CLASS: The 2015 class includes Derrick Bruce, a 6-foot-3, 165-pound guard from Orlando, Fla.; Drew Eubanks, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound forward from Troutdale, Ore.; Gligorije Rakocevic, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound center from Bijelo Polj, Montenegro; Stephen Thompson, Jr., a 6-foot-3, 165-pound guard from Torrance, Calif., and Tres Tinkle, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward from Missoula, Mont.

The class is ranked 15th in the nation by 247Sports.com and 18th in the nation by Rivals.com, the highest-ever recruiting class rankings in school history.
Bruce is a three-star guard and ranked 124th overall on Rivals 150.
Eubanks is a four-star forward and the top-ranked 2015 player in the State of Oregon by ESPN.
Rakocevic is a three-star center according to Rivals and 247Sports.
Thompson Jr., is a four-star guard and ranked 69th on the ESPN 100.
Tres Tinkle is a four-star forward and No. 77 on ESPN’s Top 100.

PAUL VALENTI TRIBUTE: Every home ticket this season will feature an image of Paul Valenti, an Oregon State athlete, coach, administrator and goodwill ambassador for more than 70 years, who passed away this past September. The team and coaching staff are wearing a PV patch on their jerseys and suits in honor of the Oregon State legend who played basketball at Oregon State from 1940-42, was an assistant coach for the Beavers for 19 years and the head coach for six seasons.