Oregon State Men’s Basketball: Oregon State vs. Cal Game Analysis

Oregon State displayed tremendous effort Saturday night, but they fell short to the Cal Golden Bears 69-58. Oregon State trailed 34-29 at halftime and shot 50% during the first half. The Beavers finish the game shooting 40% from the field. Cal’s interior size wore down the Beavers in the second half. Cal Forward Ivan Rabb led Cal with 18 pts., and Freshman Guard Charlie Moore had a tremendous game for Cal scoring 15 pts. Beaver Forward Drew Eubanks led all scorers with 22 points, and Stephen Thompson Jr. added 19 pts. for the Beavs.

Here are the takeaways for the Beavs...

Thompson and Eubanks

The Beavers had tremendous efforts from Stephen Thompson Jr. and Drew Eubanks vs Cal. Eubanks had 22 pts and 10 rebounds. Thompson had 19 pts with 5 assists. The Sophomore duo will only get better despite the challenges facing them this season. Pac 12 Network’s Kevin O’Neill remarked that Eubanks is the most improved player in the Pac-12 this season. Eubanks, only a Sophomore, will continue to develop into a star in the Pac-12. He has faced constant double-teams all season and continues to put up great numbers.

Thompson had one of his best games of the season scoring 19 points. Thompson was 4-5 from the free throw line, which is an huge improvement as he has been struggling from the line this season. Although, his shooting percentage has slightly regressed this season, Thompson’s scoring average has improved from 10.6 pts. per game last season to 15.2 pts per game this season. Thompson continues to give it his all, as he fights to help the Beavers improve.

Depth and Experience

Barring a miracle, it will be difficult for the Beavers to turn their season around after starting 0-7 in Pac 12 and 4-16 overall. The Cal game displayed that most teams in the Pac-12 have more experience and depth than Oregon State. Oregon State is not getting production from the bench, which forces the Beaver starters to log tons of minutes. Teams have been attacking the Beavers forcing them into foul trouble. In addition, the Beavers are getting worn down late in games.

On the other hand, the extra minutes that the younger players are getting could pay off in the future. Barring an unforeseen transfer, the Beavers only lose Cheikh Ndiaye after this season. Everyone that played tonight will be coming back next season. In addition, they will be joined by a (hopefully) healthy Tres Tinkle. Also, Stephen Thompson’s younger brother Ethan (4 star recruit) and Zach Reichle, the top prospect in the state of Oregon for the class of 2017, will both join the team. Hopefully, the Beavers can grow this season in order to become better for next season.