Much has been written this week about the Beavers and their three year run of greatness. That run might end this year, when the Beavers could become the first defending National Champion to miss the playoffs since Georgia in 1991. Basically, here's what the Beavers need to happen:
- First of all, we must sweep Pacific. That puts us at 28-24 overall.
- Second, conference tournaments around the country must favor the favorites. Any upset could hurt the Beavers' chances.
- Third, we need to rise in the Pac-10 rankings. Basically, we need USC and Washington State to lose games.
Since this topic has been written about so many times, here's some links from around the internet:
Paul Buker, The Oregonian: "It's Light a Candle and Pray Time"
As you know, OSU has gone from 'will we host a regional?" to "will we even get into the damn thing?' in nothing flat, after getting beaten over the headby USC and Long Beach State on that ill-fated trip to SoCal.
Around campus, the prevailing feeling is that Jimmy Hoffa will be found before this reeling team makes the post-season. But we were all sitting around the hot stove at this time last year, wringing our hands (sort of) and look how it turned out. ... if strength-of-schedule counts for anything, OSU still has a pulse. ... but as Boomer not-so-gently pointed out, there is a very real possibility that the Beavers could be the first defending NCAA champion to miss the playoffs since Georgia in 1991 ... and the first team to sit out the post-season the year after winning back-to-back titles since Stanford in 1989.
Kerry Eggers, The Portland Tribune: It's do or die for the Beavers
Pat Casey has had better weeks – in fact, few have been more gut-wrenching in his 14 years as Oregon State’s head coach. But even with four straight losses to Southern Cal and Long Beach State, all is not lost for the Beavers, who finish the regular season with a three-game series against Pacific beginning at 5 p.m. Friday at Gosss Stadium.
Oregon State (25-24 overall, 11-13 in Pac-10 play) is still in contention to make the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season. The two-time defending national champions have played the nation’s third-toughest schedule, own an iterative strength rating (ISR) of 24th and are 54th on the national RPI list.
"One of the things we have going for us is our schedule," Casey says. "One of the things the (NCAA Tournament) selection committee asks you to do is play a tough schedule. Hopefully, that will benefit us. But we have to take care of business now."
And while you're at it, you're going to want to read Jim Beseda's article on Daniel Robertson on the Beavers that appeared in Thursday's Oregonian.
The first pitch of tonight's game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
GO BEAVERS!
--JB--