Stanford @ Oregon St. preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 1, 2018 ) Oregon St. 71, Stanford 80

These are heady times for Oregon State, which has won three of its last four games to move into a tie for second place in the Pac-12. The Beavers look to carry that momentum into Thursday's matchup against visiting Stanford, which was nearly beaten by last-place California last Sunday before escaping with an 84-81 victory.

Oregon State junior forward Tres Tinkle was named Pac-12 player of the week after averaging 25 points and seven rebounds in a road sweep of Utah and Colorado – including 31 points in the team’s 81-72 win over the Utes last Saturday. Tinkle is second in the Pac-12 in scoring (20.8), fifth in rebounding (8.1), eighth in assists (4.1) and third in steals (1.6) while leading the Beavers to their best start in conference play since 1992-93. “We have a maturity and a toughness and a buy-in that we haven’t had in the past,” coach Wayne Tinkle told reporters. “This group is united with one goal in mind -- winning.” The Beavers have lost their last three meetings against Stanford and will need to slow down sophomore forward KZ Okpala, who ranks third in the league in scoring (18.1) while shooting 41 percent from 3-point range.

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

ABOUT STANFORD (11-10, 4-5 Pac-12): Okpala recorded a career-high 30 points with eight rebounds and four assists in the win over Cal while freshman guard Bryce Wills continued to impress with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Fellow freshman Cormac Ryan returned after missing four games with a right ankle injury and had seven points in 21 minutes off the bench, but the team’s other five reserves contributed a total of eight points and four rebounds. Forward Oscar da Silva averages 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds and will be tested by Oregon State’s imposing frontcourt.

ABOUT OREGON STATE (14-7, 6-3): Senior guard Stephen Thompson Jr. is averaging 17.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in conference play while 7-foot junior Kylor Kelley has emerged as one of the nation’s top rim protectors. Kelly claimed the school’s single-season blocks record after finishing with 13 points and six blocks in the win over Utah, giving the junior college transfer 77 blocks in 21 games. The team’s nine-man rotation includes sophomore guard Ethan Thompson, who averages 13.5 points and has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 11 games.

TIP-INS

1. Oregon State holds a 73-71 edge in the all-time series – including 38-28 in Corvallis.

2. Stanford center Josh Sharma leads the Pac-12 in field goal percentage at 66.4 percent.

3. Oregon State is 11-0 when leading at halftime.

PREDICTION: Oregon State 79, Stanford 67