Oregon St. @ Washington St. preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 9, 2019 ) Oregon St. 85, Washington St. 77

Washington State got a head start on what was already expected to be a special weekend in the Palouse when they upset eighth-ranked Oregon, 72-61, on Thursday night. The Cougars will retire the No. 1 jersey of NBA star Klay Thompson at halftime on Saturday when they face Oregon State.

As big as retiring Thompson's jersey is for the program, it will be tough to top the upset of the Ducks. It was Washington State's first win over a top-10 team since the 2007 squad knocked off No. 7 Arizona, 77-73, in overtime. "It was a party in the locker room," senior forward Jeff Pollard told the Spokane Spokesman-Review. "We're all back there, we're jumping. Because it is, it's a big moment. It's definitely a big-time win for this team, for this program and for the new coaching staff. First year, to get a top-10 win like this, that's big." A victory over the Beavers, who come in off a 64-56 loss at Washington on Thursday, would be the 12th of the season for Cougars, or one more than they had last season when they finished a woeful 11-21.

TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: Pac-12 Network.

ABOUT OREGON STATE (12-5, 2-3 Pac-12): The Beavers struggled to solve Washington's zone defense, connecting on just four of their first 20 shots while falling behind 24-12 and trailing by as many as 17 points early in the second half in losing for the 16th straight time in Seattle. All-Pac-12 forward Tres Tinkle, who leads the team in scoring (19.6 points per game), rebounding (6.9) and steals (2.1), finished with 15 points and was just 2-of-12 from the floor but was a perfect 11-for-11 at the free throw line. Kylor Kelley, a 7-foot senior center who is averaging 11.5 points and 4.0 blocks per game, led the Beavers with 16 points, but senior guard Ethan Thompson, who is second on the team in scoring (16.2), finished with just six points.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (11-7, 2-3): Sophomore forward CJ Elleby, held to a season-low six points in a 88-62 loss at Stanford last Saturday, bounced back to score 25 points, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds in the upset of Oregon. "I think I'm like a cousin of the Splash Brothers or something," Elleby joked in reference to Golden State star Thompson. "I fit right in." The 6-6 Elleby leads the team in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (7.1), while guard Issac Bonton, a transfer from Montana State, is second in scoring (13.4) and averages a team-best 3.4 assists.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Tinkle needs six points to become the 16th player in Pac-12 history to score 2,000 career points.

2. The game pits the two teams who average the fewest turnovers per game in the Pac-12 in the Beavers (11.2) and Cougars (11.3).

3. Oregon State leads the series, 174-124, and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings with the lone loss coming on Jan. 4, 2017, 75-62, in a game played in Spokane.

PREDICTION: Oregon State 73, Washington State 67