Final Score: Texas A&M Corpus Christi 67, Oregon State 43
The good news is that you don't qualify for the NCAA Tournament on Day 1.
The Beavers got a wake-up call in Game 1 of the Duel in the Desert, losing to Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Badly.
Coach Robinson didn't get the leadership he wanted from his returning players, guys who have run the offense for a year and are expected to pick up where they left off last year.
Oregon State was tentative from the beginning, and the numbers reflect that. The Beavers shot 35-percent from the field in the first half, but were just 2-of-10 from the free throw line. They trailed by 12 at the break.
Seth Tarver led Oregon State with 12 points in the game, Omari Johnson pulled down seven boards, three of them offensive, but was just 1-of-5 from the field. Roeland Schaftenaar shot the same percentage and only grabbed two rebounds-- Calvin Haynes was 0-of-7. TAMUCC also dominated the Beavers in the paint, scoring 30 to OSU's 10.
The Beavers turned the ball over 25 times in the game, and there were just six assists on the final stat sheet.
In his post-game interview, Coach Robinson was quick to say that this team is playing with high expectations. There has been no hiding the fact that this team's goal is to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. But like I said, they can't do that in one night. They'll pull this together, and get used to playing with that pressure over their heads. An interesting story-line will be to watch the young players compete with the veterans-- hopefully, unlike Friday's game, it will push Schaftenaar, Haynes, Tarver(s), Johnson to get better and not just be content.
It's back to work today, as the Beavers play South Dakota at 6pm.
--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)