Oregon State vs. Washington / 7:00pm / TV on FSN, Radio on KPAM 860
In order to be the best, you have to beat the best, and that's the challenge Oregon State is facing tonight, on Day 1 of Pac-10 conference play.
The Beavers are at Bank of America Arena tonight in Seattle, where they will play the defending Pac-10 champions who advanced to the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament as a 4-seed. Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon (both in the 14ppg range) are gone off of last year's squad, but Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter are picking up right where they left off.
In both of Washington's wins over the Beavers last year, the Huskies shot a very high field goal percentage while Oregon State struggled. The Beavers shot right around 39-percent from the field in both games, while the Huskies were above 50-percent in both. Again, this is why the Beavers need to rebound, rebound, rebound-- especially on the defensive end. OSU can't afford for UW to get easy put-backs in the paint.
Tip-off is set for 7:00pm, and while I know that many of you will probably be off ringing in the New Year, this thread will be available all throughout the night if you want to talk Beaver basketball.
--Jake | (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)