Beavers Beginning December Slate With Visit From Grambling State
Dec. 4, 2012
THE GAME: Another game and another first-time meeting with an opponent as Oregon State (4-2) will host the Grambling State Tigers (0-5) at 1 p.m. this Saturday at Gill Coliseum in the Beavers' first of five December home games. TELEVISION: The game will be televised nationally on 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. 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 rebounding with 42.2 boards per game; the Beavers have never led the conference in that category in school history ... Ahmad Starks (33), Devon Collier (27) and Joe Burton (21) have all set their career highs in scoring this season, while Eric Moreland (14) equaled his career best ... Starks nailed seven three-pointers against Kansas to tie the Oregon State single-game record ... Starks leads the Pac-12 with 3.2 three-pointers per game ... Moreland is second in the Pac-12 with 11.3 rebounds per game; the last Oregon State player to average double-figure rebounds in a season was Mel Counts in 1963-64 ... Burton (.560), Moreland (.543) and Collier (.542) are all shooting better than 50 percent from the field ... Angus Brandt will miss the remainder of the season with an isolated tear of the ACL in his right knee and Daniel Gomis will miss the season after having surgery on the leg he broke two summers ago in his native Senegal ... The Beavers logged 22,459 nautical miles during trips from August through November. vs. GRAMBLING STATE: Oregon State and Grambling State meet for the first time in history. The Tigers will be the fourth opponent the Beavers have played for the first time ever this season, joining Niagara, Purdue and Kansas. The football team is the only other Oregon State sport believed to play Grambling State with the Beavers losing, 19-12, on Oct. 4, 1975 in Portland, Ore., and falling, 23-6, on Sept. 28, 1985 in Grambling, La. Grambling State is a public school located in Grambling, La., that has an approximate enrollment of 4,994. The Tigers' athletics are best known for the late Eddie Robinson, who is the winningest coach in Division I college football history with 408 victories during his 57 years at the helm. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. IT'S BEEN A WHIRLWIND, BUT AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY: From August to November, the Oregon State men's basketball team traveled to Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, New York, Washington, D.C. and Kansas City, with several layovers in airports along the way. Some of the highlights on the journey included stops at the Eiffel Tower and Dali Museum, games at Madison Square Garden and the Sprint Center, and a Thanksgiving meal at the White House with President Obama, the First Lady and First Family. The Beavers logged an approximate 22,459 nautical miles and 62 hours in the air during their trips the past four months. That doesn't include the one-and-a-half hour drive from Corvallis to Portland and back for each trip. Or the time spent sitting at airports for layovers or delayed flights. The travel schedule in December is much easier as the Beavers will drive to Portland for a game against Portland State on Wednesday, Dec. 12 and fly to Las Vegas, Nev., for a game against San Diego on Saturday, Dec. 22. The Pac-12 season begins with three straight home games before a trip to Los Angeles, Calif., in mid-January. STARKS ADDS TO HIS RESUME: Ahmad Starks knocked down seven three-pointers against Kansas to tie the Oregon State single-game record that is also held by Gary Payton (1989), Josh Steinthal (1999) and Nick DeWitz (2005). The record-tying game also moved him into seventh on Oregon State's career three-point list with 140 and only 40 behind the all-time mark that is held by Chris Stephens. Single-Game 3-FG Made Records Career 3-FG Made List STARKS FROM DEEP: Ahmad Starks has knocked down a three-pointer in 42 of his past 46 games and is well on the way to leading the team in triples for the third consecutive year with 19 already (Roberto Nelson is second with seven). Starks leads the Pac-12 in three-pointers made per game (3.2) and is on pace for 102 in a guaranteed 32 games, which would shatter the Oregon State single-season and junior records that are held by Gary Payton (82). Starks is second on the single-season list after finishing with 79 during his sophomore campaign. Single-Season 3-FG Made List Junior 3-FG Made List MORELAND BOARDING: Eric Moreland is averaging 11.3 rebounds per game to trail only Andre Roberson of Colorado (11.5) in the Pac-12. The last Oregon State player to lead the conference in rebounding was Philip Ricci in 2002-03 (8.2 per game) and the last Beaver to average double-figure rebounds in a season was Mel Counts in 1963-64 (16.9 per game). Moreland, who had a career-high 16 rebounds against Kansas, could become just the 10th Oregon State player to average double-digit rebounds in a season. He crushed the freshman rebounding record that was held for 38 years by Lonnie Shelton last season and would need a monster year to break the sophomore record of 401 that's held by Counts. Players To Average Double-Figure Rebounding In A Season Freshman Rebounding List MORELAND'S OWN BLOCK PARTY: Eric Moreland has 14 blocked shots this season and is third in the Pac-12 with 2.3 per game after leading the conference in blocks last season (1.9). With three blocks during his freshman season when he was injured, a single-season school-record 69 last year and 14 this season, he has moved into fifth on Oregon State's career list with 86 and should be at least second by the end of his sophomore campaign. Career Blocked Shots List Single-Season Blocked Shots List PENCIL BURTON INTO THE LINEUP: Joe 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. BURTON DISHING DIMES: Joe Burton leads the Beavers in assists with 17 through six games and has a chance to lead the team in that category for the third consecutive 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. BIG GAME FOR BIG JOE: Joe Burton had a career-high 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Montana State in the Nike N7 Game for his fifth career double-double. The game has a special meaning for Burton, who is only the second Native American to receive a men's basketball scholarship to Oregon State. Nike N7 is committed to providing access to sport for Native Americans and Aboriginal populations in North America. It was the third annual game for the Beavers in which they wear turquoise uniforms to honor Native American Heritage Month. SIXTH MAN SPECIALIST: Devon Collier has taken over the role of Oregon State's sixth man after starting 57 of 66 games in his career entering this season. He has come off the bench in all six games and has thrived in the role by averaging 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Collier, a native of the Bronx, went crazy during his homecoming to New York for the 2K Sports Classic with 21 points against Alabama and a career-high 27 against Purdue. It was the fourth and fifth 20+ point games of his career and the second time he went for 20 or more in back-to-back games after scoring 21 at Arizona State (Jan. 14) and 20 against UCLA (Jan. 19) last season. It was also the second time he led the team in scoring in consecutive games after getting 19 against Vanderbilt (Nov. 21) and 15 at Towson (Nov. 26) last season. COLLIER SHOOTING: Devon Collier is shooting 54.2 percent (26-of-48) from the field after leading the Pac-12 and finishing fifth in the nation in field goal percentage at 61.5 percent (176-of-286) last season. It was the first time an Oregon State player led the conference in field goal percentage since Scott Haskin in 1991-92 (.612) and the second straight season Collier led the team in field goal percentage after making 57.8 percent of his shots two years ago. IT'S ROBERTO'S TIME: Roberto Nelson, who came off the bench in all 36 games last season, replaced Jared Cunningham in the starting lineup and responded with a game-high 22 points in the season opener against Niagara, the fourth time he has scored 20+ in a game in his career. He had a Jared-esque type game against Kansas by going 13-of-14 from the free throw line to finish with 17 points. FRESHMEN GETTING SOME RUN: The loss of Angus Brandt will provide more playing time for Oregon State's freshmen as Jarmal Reid has started the past two games for Brandt and Olaf Schaftenaar has scored 15 points in the two games, going 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. Langston Morris-Walker and Victor Robbins are also expected to play more in the final seven non-conference games. FOUR MORE STOPS PER GAME: Coach Robinson has talked often about how important it is for Oregon State's defense to get four more stops per game after the Beavers lost six games by five points or less last season. The Beavers are allowing 69.5 points per game with their opponents shooting just 39.8 percent from the field and 33 percent from the three-point line. Last season teams averaged 72.7 points per game and shot 45.5 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from deep. Oregon State has held four of its six opponents below 40 percent shooting and is 4-0 in those games. The Beavers held only seven of their 36 opponents below that clip last season and were 6-1 in those games. DEFENSIVELY II: Oregon State is averaging 5.0 blocked shots per game this season after finishing second in the Pac-12 in blocked shots at 4.61 per game last year, trailing only UCLA by 0.03 (4.64). The Beavers tied a school record with 11 blocked shots against Montana State, a year after setting the record in the 103-101 quadruple-overtime loss to Stanford. Eric Moreland, who led the conference in blocks last season at 1.9 per game, already has 14 in his sophomore campaign. DEFENSIVELY III: Oregon State is averaging 7.2 steals per game this season after leading the Pac-12 in that category the past three years with 9.1 (sixth in the nation) last season, 9.5 (fifth in the nation) in 2010-11 and 8.2 in 2009-10. Individually, an Oregon State player led the conference in steals the past three seasons with Jared Cunningham (2.5) in 2011-12 and (2.8) 2010-11 and Seth Tarver (2.2) in 2009-10. CRASHING THE BOARDS: Another point of emphasis during the offseason was rebounding, and Oregon State has seen the results by leading the Pac-12 with 42.2 boards per game. The Beavers have outrebounded four of the six teams they've played by a 188-139 advantage in those games, including 52 in the season opener against Niagara and 51 against Montana State. Oregon State had 50 or more boards in only one game last season, the quadruple-overtime thriller against Stanford. THE FIVE-MINUTE MARK: Having the lead at the five-minute mark has been very important for Oregon State during the Craig Robinson era as the Beavers are 56-5 when leading with five minutes to play, including a 4-0 mark this season. On the other side, Oregon State is 8-68 when trailing with five minutes to play in the same timeframe, with an 0-2 record this season. OFFENSIVELY: Oregon State's offense has continued to improve as Coach Robinson and his staff have gotten their own players into the program. The Beavers averaged 60.8 points in his first season, 60.3 his second year, 69.3 in year three, 78.9 last season and 76.2 thus far this season. Oregon State enjoyed it best offensive season in school history last season as it led the Pac-12 in scoring for the first time ever at 78.9 points per game. Despite losing last year's leading scorer Jared Cunningham (17.9 ppg) to the NBA, the Beavers are only averaging a little more than two points less per game this season. 100+ SCORING GAMES: Oregon State set a team record with four 100-point games last season and has now hit the century mark 31 times in school history after scoring 102 in the season opener against Niagara. The 1978-79, 1979-80 and 1988-89 teams all scored 100 or more points in a game three times. The Beavers also set a school record with 90-point (9) and 80-point (17) scoring games last season. 100-Point Games in 2011-12 Season MISSING ANGUS: The loss of Angus Brandt will hurt much more than the 11.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game he provided this season. Coach Robinson called him the "heart and soul" of the team as a two-time team captain and the first person in the gym for every practice and game. He started 50 of 51 games before the injury with the lone non-start against Colorado last season when he gave his starting nod to Kevin McShane on Senior Night. 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. The official word is expected in March during the Pac-12 Tournament. GOMIS OUT FOR THE YEAR: Sophomore forward Daniel Gomis will miss the season after having surgery on the left leg he broke two summers ago in his native Senegal. Gomis tried to work through the injury, but team doctors felt it was necessary to take the rod out that was placed in his leg after the injury and allow it to heal properly. ROBINSON'S RECORD: It's been noted often that Craig Robinson had more wins (64) in his first four years at Oregon State than Slats Gill (57) and Ralph Miller (58) in the same timeframe. It was the fifth year for both Hall of Fame coaches when they had their breakthrough seasons with Gill winning 21 and Miller claiming 19. With 16 victories this season, Robinson would become the fifth-winningest coach in Oregon State history and 28 would move him all the way to fourth, trailing only Gill (599), Miller (359) and Bob Hager (115). BREAKING DOWN THE SCHEDULE: Highlights of the non-conference schedule include the first-ever meetings against Kansas and Purdue. The Beavers will also play Portland State in Portland for the fourth time in history, but it will be the first time ever at the 1,500-seat Stott Center. Oregon State opens conference play with three home games for the first time since 2006-07 with Oregon (Jan. 6), Arizona State (Jan. 10) and Arizona (Jan. 12) all visiting Gill Coliseum. Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund. 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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