Filed under: Washington, Washington State, Pac-10, Oregon State
How did Oregon State, the only team in the Pac-10 with a losing record coming out of non-conference play, turn into the toast of the conference so quickly?
Beating Arizona and ending up on SportsCenter will do it.
The Beavers, who take to the road Thursday night against Washington State and then face league-favorite Washington Saturday, made a statement about their rapid improvement in beating the Wildcats 76-75 at Gil Coliseum.
Another big weekend and they’ll go from a statement to an exclamation. But a two-game set against the Cougars and the Huskies, two of the best teams in the conference, could also be a quick come-down.
Still, the team picked to finish eighth in the Pac-10 is 2-0 to open conference play for the first time since 2004-05 and for only the second time since 1992-93. The Beavers, who have won three in a row, were 4-6 before heading into their winning stretch.
“I think when you lose you start playing better because you get to the point where you don’t want to lose anymore,” said Oregon State coach Craig Robinson. “And that’s a testament to where these guys have come from. Because when I first got here, they were used to losing. And now they’ve gotten to the point where they don’t want any part of losing.”
The Pac-10 is a proud basketball conference. But powerful? That’s a different matter.
