Arizona State @ Oregon St. preview

Arizona State at Oregon St.

Last Meeting ( Mar 3, 2019 ) Arizona State 74, Oregon St. 71

Oregon State rallied late to earn a split on its first Pac-12 road trip. Now the Beavers are back in Corvallis, looking to build on a 7-0 home record Thursday night when they host Arizona State.

After dropping its Pac-12 opener last Thursday at Utah, Oregon State found itself trailing host Colorado 53-41 with a little more than 13 minutes remaining Sunday. But the Beavers got back in the game using a full-court trap and outscored the Buffaloes 24-5 down the stretch for a 76-68 road win. “It’s always a great feeling to get a road win in the Pac-12, just because it’s such an in-depth conference,” said guard Ethan Thompson, who scored a game-high 24 points in the win. “It’s a big lift for us.” Arizona State, meanwhile, is looking for such a victory after dropping three of its last four, including a conference-opening 75-47 loss at Arizona on Saturday.

TIME: 11 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (9-5, 0-1 Pac-12): The final numbers in Tucson were brutal for the Sun Devils as they shot 30.5 percent from the field, including 3-of-21 3-pointers, missed 11 of 19 free-throw attempts and were outscored 50-18 in the paint and 25-9 on fast-break points. Big man Romello White (10.7 points, 9.7 rebounds per game) went scoreless in 24 minutes due to limitations of an ankle injury, and he’ll need to mend quickly as the team’s most reliable interior presence. Guards Remy Martin (18.1) and Alonzo Verge Jr. (14.5) are the leading scorers for the Sun Devils, who rank 11th in the conference in field-goal percentage (42.5), 3-point accuracy (29.3 percent) and free-throw percentage (67.2).

ABOUT OREGON STATE (11-3, 1-1): Do-it-all forward Tres Tinkle (19.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists) is living up to his high senior-season expectations, and he’s been the most impressive in Corvallis, averaging 23.4 points and 8.6 rebounds and shooting 55.3 percent from 3-point range in the Beavers’ seven home games. Thompson (16.4 points, team-leading 4.6 assists) and 7-footer Kylor Kelley (11.1 points) also are averaging double figures, with Thompson having scored 23 or more in three of his last five games. Kelley is averaging 4.9 rebounds and ranks second nationally with 4.29 blocked shots per game.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Arizona State leads the series 47-43 after winning both games a season ago, including a 74-71 win March 3, which marks Oregon State’s last loss in Corvallis.

2. Aside from White, no ASU player is averaging more than 3.8 rebounds for the Sun Devils who rank last in the Pac-12 in rebound margin (minus-3.1).

3. Beavers G Zach Reichle averaged 17 points and shot 62.5 percent (10 of 16) from the field on the Utah-Colorado road swing.

PREDICTION: Oregon State 75, Arizona State 68