Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Oregon St. preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 13, 2013 ) Arkansas-Pine Bluff 63, Oregon St. 77

Oregon State eyes its fourth straight victory while trying to exceed its win total from last season when it hosts struggling Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday. The Beavers are coming off a 74-62 victory over Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday as junior guard Stephen Thompson Jr. and sophomore forward Tres Tinkle stepped up with junior forward Drew Eubanks limited with foul trouble.

"We're making good progress right now. The wins haven't been pretty, but we'll take them," Thompson told reporters Tuesday after recording season highs of 26 points and six assists. Tinkle leads Oregon State in scoring (18.5 points), rebounding (7.9) and assists (4.3) after registering 21, eight and five while adding three steals against Eastern Kentucky. The Golden Lions are 0-9 after a 72-57 setback at Santa Clara on Dec. 2 with all their losses by nine or more points, and they are averaging the second-fewest points among the 351 Division I schools in the nation through Wednesday's games at 57.8. Pine Bluff has lost 15 consecutive games since a 68-61 victory over Southern on Feb. 11 as it prepares for its first contest against a Power 5 school since a 102-66 loss at Oklahoma State on Dec. 14, 2016.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF (0-9): Junior guard Martaveous McKnight averages a team-best 17.9 points after scoring 38 points and shooting 15-for-26 from the floor in his last two games, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range. The Hawks are last in the nation in rebounding at 26 per game with McKnight's 3.7 leading the way. McKnight's 1.7 assists per game also pace a team that averages 9.3, third-worst in the country.

ABOUT OREGON STATE (5-3): Thompson (16.6 points, 34.5 minutes) and Eubanks (15.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 30 minutes per game) join Tinkle (35.6 minutes) in forming the nucleus of the team along with Ethan Thompson, Stephen's brother. The freshman guard averages 10.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 30.3 minutes despite finishing with only two points and five assists in 32 minutes Tuesday. Sophomore guard Kendal Manuel (12.8) is the only other player averages more than 10.2 minutes after the departure of sophomore guard Jaquori McLaughlin, who was granted his release from the program after playing six games this season.

TIP-INS

1. Oregon State is 335th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at 27.6 while Pine Bluff is 329th at 28.6.

2. The Beavers have shot over 50 percent four times this season, matching their total from 32 games in 2016-17.

3. Tinkle is the only player ranked in the Pac-12 top 10 in scoring (eighth through Wednesday's games), rebounds (eighth) and assists (10th).

PREDICTION: Oregon State 80, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 58