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Oregon State Beavers vs Arizona State Sun Devils Basketball Recap

Oregon State 80, Arizona State 58

On a night when Washington’s football team stunned Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl, this breaking story in the realm of basketball might have counted as an even bigger Pac-10-flavored shocker.

Just how bad were the Oregon State Beavers entering this game at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis against the visiting Arizona State Sun Devils? Coach Craig Robinson – yes, the brother-in-law of President Barack Obama – had a year that was almost as difficult as his more famous relative. OSU lost to Seattle University and Texas Southern, two teams at the bottom of college basketball’s food chain in the Division I realm. The Beavers also dropped decisions to underwhelming clubs such as George Washington and Colorado. The Colorado loss was an 83-57 no-contest affair, an embarrassing setback when one realizes how awful the Buffaloes have been in their own right over the past few decades. Oregon State basketball seemed to have a glimmer of hope when Robinson lead the team to the 2009 CBI Tournament championship, sealed with a best-of-three series triumph over UTEP. However, a miserable 2010 campaign followed by a 5-6 start to the 2010-2011 season gave the locals in the Pacific Northwest little reason for optimism... much like Washington had little cause to believe it could beat Nebraska on the very same Thursday night.

Now, however, Oregon State’s season – in the span of 40 clock minutes spread out over the two hours it normally takes to complete one basketball game – has acquired a distinctly different quality. In the Pac-10 opener on Ralph Miller Court, the Beavers were a team transformed.

The story of this game was incredibly simple to identify: Oregon State simply hammered coach Herb Sendek’s Sun Devils on the glass. The overall rebounding numbers tilted 41-23 in favor of Oregon State, but the more specific difference-maker in this contest came on the offensive backboard. Oregon State snared 14 offensive rebounds. Since the Beavers missed 28 shots, that means they rebounded half of their own misses. A 50-percent offensive rebounding rate is phenomenal, and that’s why OSU scored on so many putbacks, thereby accumulating a 53-percent shooting rate for the game. Arizona State hit only 38 percent of its shots, an indication that the Devils – beaten on the boards – didn’t get as many easy follow-ups near the rim. Three OSU players snared at least seven rebounds in this game, and six players chipped in at least four boards. Reserve Joe Burton led the way for OSU with 17 points and 9 rebounds, while reserve guard Roberto Nelson ambushed Arizona State by throwing down 12 points and grabbing 7 boards.

If Oregon State can gang-rebound like this over the remainder of the Pac-10 season, the past six weeks of struggle will be quickly forgotten for the Beavers. It’s amazing how one game can change the feel in a team’s very happy locker room.

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By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer