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Basketball Season Tips Off With Oregon State vs. Niagara

It's Opening Night for the Beaver basketball team, coming off a 83-58 exhibition win over Lewis and Clark.

Junior guard Ahmad Starks wears the number 3 for good reason. Photo by Andy Wooldridge
Junior guard Ahmad Starks wears the number 3 for good reason. Photo by Andy Wooldridge

Oregon St. (0-0) vs. Niagara (0-0) at Gill Coliseum - 2K Sports Classic Regional Round - 6 PM PDT / Pac-12 Network / KEJO 1240 AM / KPAM 860 AM (Streamed)

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Get your minds out of the football gutter for a few hours, it's basketball time! The Beavs open the season as a host in the 2K Sports Classic tournament, where they are guaranteed 4 games, 2 at home, and 2 in New York.

The Niagara Purple Eagles are part of the MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), in which they finished 7th out of 10 teams last season.

This should be more of a tune-up game than anything else for the experienced Beaver team who are looking to improve on last year's 20+ win season, despite losing star Jared Cunningham to the NBA Draft. 5'9" junior Ahmad Starks has the task of replacing Cunningham for the most part, which isn't out of the question for Starks, whose 79 3-pointers last year put him at 2nd all time for a Beaver in a single season.

The Beavers have a ferocious frontline consists of Devon Collier, Angus Brandt, Eric Moreland, and Joe Burton. All 4 will get starts at some point during the season, as head coach Craig Robinson will have the luxury of playing the hot hand.

Junior guard Roberto Nelson rounds out the starting lineup this year, after being the 6th man in 2011. The California native averaged over 9 points per game last year, and like Ahmad Starks, he can knock down the 3-ball.

This game shouldn't be much of a challenge, and some non-regulars will see the court as a result. Promising sophomores Charlie Barton and Daniel Gomis should get some time, as well as freshmen Jarmal Reid and Victor Robbins.

Go Beavs!