Beavers To Open Pac-12's Back Nine With Wednesday Visit From Utah
Feb. 4, 2013
THE GAME: The Oregon State men's basketball team (11-11, 1-8 Pac-12) makes the turn to the second half of the Pac-12 season with a visit from the Utah Utes (10-11, 2-7) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. TELEVISION: The game will be televised nationally on the Pac-12 Networks with JB Long and Lamar Hurd calling the action. RADIO: The game will air live on Beaver Sports Radio Network with Mike Parker calling the action. It can also be heard online at this link for a fee or on satellite radio on Sirius Channel 93 and XM Channel 191. ONLINE: Live updates are available by visiting osubeavers.com and clicking on Gametracker. SOCIAL MEDIA: Live updates will be available on Twitter and Facebook. QUICKLY: Oregon State leads the Pac-12 in three-point shooting at 37.3 percent (126-for-338) and is second in the conference in assists (15.5) ... Devon Collier needs nine points to become the 37th player in Oregon State history to reach the 1,000-point mark ... Joe Burton averaged 15.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists on the Bay Area swing ... Burton is on pace to become the first non-guard to lead the Beavers in assists in three consecutive seasons ... Langston Morris-Walker has made 5 of his last 6 three-pointers after opening the season 1-for-15 from beyond the arc ... Roberto Nelson has scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games for the second time in his career ... Nelson is third in the Pac-12 in scoring in conference games only at 17.6 ... Ahmad Starks moved into fifth on Oregon State's junior list with 51 three-pointers ... Eric Moreland broke the Oregon State sophomore blocked shots record with 47; he now holds the school's freshman, sophomore and single-season marks ... Challe Barton got his first start of the season against Stanford.
THE LAST MEETING
March 1, 2012
Corvallis, Ore.
vs. UTAH: Oregon State and Utah meet for the 22nd time in history with the Utes leading the series 12-9. The home team has dominated the series with the Beavers holding an 8-1 advantage in Corvallis, including a 5-0 mark at Gill Coliseum, and Utah owning a 9-1 clip in games played in Salt Lake City. The teams met last season for the first time with Utah as a member of the Pac-12, and the Beavers got the sweep with a 76-58 win on Feb. 4 in Salt Lake and a 77-67 victory on March 1 at Gill. It was Oregon State's first win in the series since 1983 when the Beavers won 62-49 on Dec. 16 at Gill Coliseum. Prior to last season, Utah had a two-game win streak in the series, after winning 87-77 on Dec. 26, 1999 at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake and 69-61 on Dec. 20, 1997 at the Rose Garden in Portland. Devon Collier averaged 12.0 points in the two games against Utah last season, while Joe Burton had one of his best all-around games as a Beaver with eight points, 11 rebounds, five assists and six steals in the win in Salt Lake City. THE CHASE FOR 1,000: Devon Collier has 991 points at Oregon State and needs nine more to become the 37th player in school history to score 1,000 in his career. The lefty leads the Beavers in double-figure scoring games this season (19) and is tied for second with four 20-point games, which is one more than he had in his first two seasons combined. Other players on the pursuit for 1,000 career points are Ahmad Starks (928), Joe Burton (905) and Roberto Nelson (877). RED HOT FROM BEYOND THE ARC: Oregon State is first in the Pac-12 in three-point percentage at 37.3 percent (126-of-338). The Beavers finished eighth in the conference in three-point percentage last season at 35.9 percent and have NEVER led the conference in that category since the statistic began in 1986-87. Of course, it helps when you have two players among the top five in the league in three-point shooting, which brings us to Roberto Nelson and Ahmad Starks..... NELSON, STARKS LIGHTING IT UP FROM DEEP: The starting backcourt of Roberto Nelson and Ahmad Starks have combined to make 70.6 percent of Oregon State's three-pointers (89 of 126) and have attempted 62.1 percent of the team's shots from beyond the arc (210 of 338). Nelson is second in the Pac-12 in three point percentage at 43.7 percent (38-for-87), while Starks is fifth at 41.5 percent (51-for-123). The only Oregon State player to lead the conference in three-point percentage was Sasa Cuic in 2005-06 (.493, 36-for-73). SPREADING THE SCORING AROUND: Oregon State has gone to more of a team concept offensively this season after Jared Cunningham led the team in scoring in 18 of the 36 games last season. Five different players have led the Beavers in scoring in games this season: Roberto Nelson 7, Ahmad Starks 6, Devon Collier 5, Joe Burton 1, Eric Moreland 1 (Nelson and Moreland shared scoring honors in two games) and have all scored 20-plus points in a game with Nelson doing it seven times, Collier and Starks doing it four times each, Burton reaching it two times and Moreland doing it once. SHARING THE ROCK: Oregon State is second in the Pac-12 in assists at 15.6 per game. The Beavers have 327 assists on their 561 field goals, which means they get an assist on 58.3 percent of their baskets. Last season, when Oregon State had its highest assist average in 20 years at 15.8 per game, the Beavers had 567 assists on 995 field goals for an average of 56.9 percent. Last season's assist total was the highest since 1991-92 when the Beavers finished with 17.7 per game. The 1992-93 team had the third-highest assist average in the past 20 years at 15.7. FABULOUS FRONTLINE: The frontline of Eric Moreland (.610), Joe Burton (.533) and Devon Collier (.528) are second, seventh and ninth, respectively, in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage. No other school in the conference has three players in the top 10, and only Arizona State and Oregon have two players among the 10 best shooters in regards to percentage. Oregon State's three frontline players are shooting a combined 54.8 percent (289-for-527) from the field this season. MORE ON THE FRONTLINE: Eric Moreland is second in the Pac-12 in rebounding (10.5), while Devon Collier is 18th (6.5) and Joe Burton is 19th (6.3). Only Oregon State, Arizona State and Washington State have three players among the top 20 in the conference in rebounding. As a team, the Beavers are averaging 37.9 boards per game, which are more than three rebounds per game than last season (34.8). BLOCK PARTY: Oregon State is averaging 4.77 blocked shots per game, which is third in the Pac-12 and would be a school record if the season ended today. The Beavers averaged 4.61 blocks per game last season to finish second in the Pac-12 (UCLA 4.64). The Oregon State school record for blocked shots in a season is 4.74 in 2005-06. FRESHMEN FORCED TO REPLACE BRANDT: When senior center Angus Brandt went down in the fourth game of the season with a torn ACL, freshmen Jarmal Reid and Olaf Schaftenaar were asked to replace the team captain on the court in a much expanded role than what was expected. Reid started 17 consecutive games and has averaged 17.3 minutes since Brandt's injury after averaging only 8.8 minutes in the four games prior. Schaftenaar played in only one game when Brandt was healthy but has played in all 18 since as the backup center to Joe Burton. The two freshmen have combined to average 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds, compared to the 11.3 points and 8.5 boards for Brandt. BIG WEEK FOR BIG JOE: Craig Robinson said Joe Burton is playing the best basketball of his four-year college career, and the stats from the trip to the Bay Area prove it's true. Burton averaged 15.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists against California and Stanford with only four turnovers in 70 minutes of action. He made 48.1 percent (13-for-27) of his shots from the field and 83.3 percent (5-for-6) of his free throws. LANGSTON GETTING HOT: After starting his freshman season going 1-for-15 from the three-point line, Langston Morris-Walker has heated up to knock down 5 of his last 6 to improve his percentage from 6.6 percent to 28.6 percent. BURTON AMONG ACTIVE LEADERS IN PAC-12: A look at the career active leaders in the Pac-12 shows how diverse Joe Burton's game has been. He's third in rebounds (662) and second in assists (279) and steals (121). Arizona's Solomon Hill is the only other player among the top five in all three categories. Andre Roberson of Colorado is the career leader among active players in rebounds and steals, while Washington's Abdul Gaddy leads in assists. BURTON LOOKING TO MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW: Joe Burton leads the team in assists with 73 (Roberto Nelson is second with 56) and has a chance to lead the team in that category for the third straight year. Other Oregon State players to lead the team in assists three years include George Tucker (1975-77), Dwayne Allen (1978-80), Gary Payton (1987-90), Charles McKinney (1991-93) and Deaundra Tanner (1999-01). Payton is the only player to lead the team four times. Burton would be the only non-guard to make the list. BURTON MOVING UP CAREER LISTS: Joe Burton moved into seventh at Oregon State in career rebounding with 662 and is on pace for 725 in a guaranteed 32 games, which would put him fifth all-time. Burton has only missed one game in his Oregon State career and has a chance to play in more games than any player in school history. With the Beavers guaranteed 32 games this season, Burton would tie Josh Tarver (2006-10) for the all-time record with 130 career games and could pass him depending on postseason play. Career Rebounds List Career Games Played List ROBERTO HEATING UP AGAIN: After scoring eight points against Arizona State to snap a streak of nine consecutive games in double figures, Roberto Nelson has averaged 18.9 points over the past seven games, including 26 at USC and 25 at California. He is sixth in the Pac-12 in scoring at 16.5 points per game and has a team-best seven 20-plus point games this season, which is already four more than his first two seasons combined. He is third in the Pac-12 in scoring in conference games only at 17.6 points per game, trailing only Jahii Carson of Arizona State (19.1) and Washington's C.J. Wilcox (17.9). BACK-TO-BACK 20-POINT GAMES FOR ROBERTO: Roberto Nelson scored 25 points at California and 20 at Stanford to hit the 20-point mark in back-to-back games for just the second time in his career, and the first time in Pac-12 games. The first time he scored 20-plus in consecutive games was last season when he had 21 against Illinois-Chicago on Dec. 13 and 20 against Howard on Dec. 15. STARKS CLIMBING THE CHARTS: When all is said and done, Ahmad Starks will be the most prolific three-point shooter in Oregon State history as he moved into fourth at Oregon State in three-pointers with 172. At his current pace of 2.3 per game (which is third in the Pac-12), he will become the school's all-time leader this month and pass Chris Stephens who made 180 in four years. Starks is also fourth all-time in school history in three-pointers attempted with 466. Career 3-Pointers Made List Career 3-Pointers Attempted List A CHANCE TO MAKE IT 3-FOR-3 FROM THREE: Ahmad Starks has 51 triples this season and has a chance to lead the team in three-pointers for the third consecutive year (Roberto Nelson is second with 38). Other Oregon State players to lead the team in three-pointers in three consecutive years are Gary Payton (1988-90), Charles McKinney (1991-93) and Chris Stephens (2004-06). Starks made 79 last season, which was the second most in Oregon State history, and is on pace for 74 this season in a guaranteed 32 games, which would put him in the top five once again. The 51 three-pointer moves Starks into fifth on Oregon State's junior list to pass Jared Cunningham who knocked down 50 from beyond the arc last season. Single-Season 3-FG Made List Junior 3-FG Made List MORELAND BREAKS SOPHOMORE BLOCK RECORD: Eric Moreland had three blocked shots against Stanford to give him 47 on the season and break the Oregon State record by a sophomore that was set last season by teammate Devon Collier. Moreland now holds the school's freshman, sophomore and single-season marks after swatting 69 last season during his freshman campaign. He has 119 in his career, which is the second most in school history, trailing only Scott Haskin who had 172 in his four-year career. Career Blocked Shots List Sophomore Blocked Shots List Freshman Blocked Shots List MORELAND BOARDING: Eric Moreland is second in the Pac-12 and 12th in the nation with 10.5 rebounds per game (through Jan. 31 games). He is on pace to become just the 10th player in Oregon State history to average double-figure rebounds in a season, and the first since 1963-64 when Mel Counts had a double-double in all 29 games and averaged 16.9 boards. Moreland crushed the freshman rebounding record last season that was held for 38 years by Lonnie Shelton and is close to moving into the sophomore top-10 list. Players To Average Double-Figure Rebounding In A Season Sophomore Rebounding List Freshman Rebounding List CHALLE GETS STARTING NOD: Sophomore Challe Barton got his first start of the season against Stanford. It's the third start of his career after getting two last season in his freshman campaign. His first career start came against Washington on Feb. 12 and his second was against Washington State in the CBI semifinals on March 21. A LOOK AT BOTH HALVES: Oregon State has been outscored by only seven points (309-302) in the first half and by 34 points (354-311) in the second half in its nine Pac-12 games, as opponents have shot 44.9 percent in the opening 20 minutes and 48.1 percent after the break. The Beavers had the halftime lead in four of their Pac-12 games, but were unable to hold it in losses to Oregon, Washington State and California. Oregon State is shooting 43.8 percent in the first half and 43.2 percent in the second half in Pac-12 play. RECORDS UPDATE: Four Oregon State records have been equaled this season, including single-game team blocked shots (11 vs. Montana State), single-game individual blocked shots (6 by Eric Moreland vs. Towson), single-game individual three-pointers made (7 by Ahmad Starks at Kansas) and a perfect percentage from the free throw line in a game with a minimum of 10 attempts (10-for-10 by Roberto Nelson at USC). MISSING ANGUS & GOMIS: Senior center Angus Brandt and sophomore forward Daniel Gomis both had surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. Brandt suffered an isolated tear of the ACL in his right knee against Purdue. He was averaging 11.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game before the injury. Brandt will have to apply for a medical hardship from the Pac-12 office, which should be approved since he played in nine games or less during the first half of the season. Gomis had surgery on the left leg he broke two summers ago in his native Senegal and will redshirt this season. BEAVERS SIGN TWO STUDENT-ATHLETES FOR 2013-14 SEASON: Hallice Cooke, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard from Union City, N.J., and Cheikh N'diaye, a 7-foot, 230-pound center from Carlsbad, Calif., signed National Letters of Intent to join the Oregon State men's basketball program for the 2013-14 season. Cooke attends St. Anthony High School where he averaged 7.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists last season when St. Anthony won the second of back-to-back New Jersey Tournament of Champions titles. He is ranked the 45th best guard in the nation by Rivals.com. N'diaye attends Army-Navy Academy where he averaged 11.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.3 blocked shots per game during his junior season. He is ranked the 36th best center in the nation by ESPN.com. Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to Our Beaver Nation. For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. Former Student-Athletes are invited to join the Varsity O Facebook Page for upcoming Alumni events. Follow Oregon State Athletics On YouTube. Follow this link to find out more about the Pac-12 Networks.
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Jared Cunningham led four players in double figures with 17 points as Oregon State (16-13, 6-11 in Pac-12) defeated Utah (6-23, 3-14) 77-67 in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicated. The Beavers led wire-to-wire to end a five-game skid.
