Oregon St. @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 6, 2019 ) Oregon St. 76, Washington 81

It’s not too early to be concerned about Washington, which has lost four of its last five games and sits tied for last place in the Pac-12 with a 1-3 record. The Huskies have struggled without starting point guard Quade Green but hope to regroup in time for Thursday’s matchup against visiting Oregon State.

Washington averaged 56.5 points while shooting 34 percent from the field and 21.3 percent from 3-point range in last week's losses to Stanford and California minus Green, who has been ruled academically ineligible and is out through at least the Pac-12 tournament. The Huskies boast a pair of star freshmen in Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart, but coach Mike Hopkins knows he’ll need his veterans to step up in order to climb back into the Pac-12 race. “I’m challenging our upperclassmen,” Hopkins told reporters. “They’ve got to play better. Our upperclassmen have a great opportunity and they’ve got to play better. Bottom line, if we want to win, they’ve got to step up. Bottom line.” The Huskies face a tough matchup against Oregon State, which is off to its best start since 1989-90 and recorded an impressive 82-65 win over Arizona last Sunday.

TV: 11 p.m. ET. TV: Fox Sports 1

ABOUT OREGON STATE (12-4, 2-2 Pac-12): The Beavers are 11th in the nation in field goal percentage (48.4) with senior forward Tres Tinkle leading a balanced attack. Tinkle recorded 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists against Arizona and is the only Pac-12 player in the top 10 in the league in scoring (second, 19.9), rebounding (ninth, 6.8), assists (ninth, 3.9) and steals (first, 2.1). Ethan Thompson added 18 points against the Wildcats while Kylor Kelley, Alfred Hollins and Zach Reichle scored a combined 36 points as the Beavers had all five starters in double-figure scoring for the first time this season.

ABOUT WASHINGTON (11-6, 1-3): Stewart (18.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game) and McDaniels (13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds) have been as good as advertised, but Hopkins has been disappointed in the play of juniors Nahziah Carter and Hameir Wright, who scored a combined 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting in last Saturday’s 61-58 loss to Cal. The third-year coach tinkered with his lineup on Saturday and started Jamal Bey at point guard in place of Elijah Hardy, who struggled in last Thursday’s 61-55 loss to Stanford. Freshman Marcus Tsohonis could also see more time at the point as the Huskies look to replace Green.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Oregon State has lost 15 straight games to the Huskies in Seattle.

2. Washington is 39-7 at home under Hopkins.

3. Thompson is averaging 20.8 points on 63.5 percent shooting over the last five games.

PREDICTION: Oregon State 72, Washington 69