Colorado @ Oregon St. preview
Gill Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Feb 8, 2021 ) Oregon St. 49, Colorado 78
Two weeks ago the Oregon State Beavers headed out on a three-game road trip with some optimism. The first stop, at Colorado, was a big hit to that attitude after the Buffaloes steamrolled the Beavers by 29 points.
That Feb. 8 game is fresh in the minds of both teams, and Oregon State has a chance at revenge when it hosts Colorado on Saturday in Corvallis, Ore.
The Beavers (11-10, 7-8 Pac-12 Conference) are coming off a rout of Utah that extended their home winning streak to five games. They had big games from Ethan Thompson (25 points, eight assists) and Warith Alatishe (career-high 19 points to go with nine rebounds and four blocks). Oregon State will need more of that against the Buffaloes.
In the first meeting, Thompson was the only player to score in double figures with 10 points for OSU, but things are different for the Beavers when they play in Corvallis, where they are 6-2 in Pac-12 games. Their home streak includes a victory over league-leading and No. 17 Southern California, so it's fair to say the Beavers have reason for confidence at Gill Coliseum.
"They are a resilient group. A lot has been thrown at us in the last 11, 12 months and we stay together," Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said Thursday. "We are very consistent and fair with the way we go about our business."
Colorado (16-7, 10-6) is 1-2 on its four-game road trip that wraps up Saturday night. After beating Stanford, the Buffaloes had a flat performance at Cal and then faltered down the stretch at Oregon.
Before the trip, first place in the conference was within reach for Colorado, but the Buffs have dropped into a tie for fourth place with Stanford, a team they swept this season. They had a better effort against the Ducks, but 11 turnovers and missing open shots in the second half doomed them.
Colorado coach Tad Boyle knows his team doesn't have time to dwell on letting two winnable games slip away with the way the Beavers are playing at home.
"We're going to get Oregon State's best shot, there's no question in my mind," Boyle said. "They're going to be loaded for bear and we better get our hard hats on."
--Field Level Media