:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60619965/Wayne_Tinkle_timeout.0.0.0.0.jpg)
California (12-4, 2-1) vs. Oregon State (10-3, 1-1) / Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, OR / 6:30 PM PST / Pac-12 Channel / KEJO 1240 AM / KEX 1190 AM
Oregon State will try to regroup, and get back on the winning track tonight when they take on California, after coming up on the short end of Wednesday's game against Stanford, when the Cardinal held off the Beavers for a 78-72 win.
The Bears are in the same boat, having had their Wednesday night game against Oregon get away late, with the Ducks pulling out a 68-65 win.
Oregon State struggled, and lost, mostly because they got beaten badly on the offensive boards, as Stanford snagged 20 of them. The Cardinal effectively shoved the Beavers around most of the game.
California struggled, and lost, mostly because the Bears couldn't sink a 3 pointer at any point, going 0 for 12 from beyond the arc at Oregon.
Both problems can reasonably be expected to be at least partially corrected tonight.
Cal came into the game at Oregon on a 3 game winning streak, and having won 8 of their last 9. Oregon State had won 4 in a row, and 6 of 7, with a loss at now #1 ranked Kansas the lone mis-step. So both teams can reasonably expect to play better in this one.
It's the 144th game in the series, with California holding an 82-61 all-time edge, bolstered by 5 straight wins over Oregon State.
The teams only met once in the regular season each of the last 2 years, due to the Pac-12 schedule rotation, and the Bears decisively won last year's game in Berkeley 73-56, after a comparatively competitive first half. Cal hasn't come to Corvallis since Jan. 11 2014, when they beat Oregon State 88-83.
Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com