OSU Wants Respect!
It is almost Pac-12 Tournament time and while the Washington Huskies and California Golden Bears will be the favorites entering the Staples Center.
There are five good reasons that Oregon State could end up busting an at-large bid elsewhere by taking home the Pacific Life Pac-12 Basketball Tournament on March 10 in Los Angeles.
Five Good reasons The Pac-12 Should Fear Benny
1. Winning has Become Expected
I know, I thought the same thing to when I read the following by John Hunt of Oregon Live. The Beavers are now disappointed to lose, a far cry from the days of a win-less Pac-10 season four short seasons ago.
Believing that a Pac-12 tournament title is within reach is a start.
The belief is cultivating at Gill Coliseum.
2. The Beavers Can Score
The Beavers lead the Pac-12 in scoring, at 80.4 per game and is second to Washington State (1.38) in points per possession at 1.37 . They give up a lot, ranking dead last in the conference in points surrendered, but at least they have the explosiveness to get them back.
3. Jared Cunningham Can Close
I am all for the team concept, but certain moments call for certain players, a guy that can hit a clutch shot. Enter Jared Cunningham.
Enter Oregon State guard Jared Cuningham. - (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
Even Hickory High School in the film Hoosiers had Jimmy Chitwood.
If Oregon State Coach Craig Robinson takes a page out of Coach Norman Dale’s playbook and runs the picket fence, everyone in the gym knows that junior guard Cunningham is more than capable of turning Staples into Hinkle Fieldhouse.
4. Homecooking in Corvallis
The Beavers’ last three conference games are all in Corvallis. Oregon St. has a great set-up to build momentum before heading to the Pac Life tourney with Oregon, Utah, and Colorado to wrap up the season.
All three games are within reach and all could be catalysts for March.
5. No Top Dawg and Not Much of a Pack Either
Lets face it, the West Coast Conference arguably has a better top 4 (Saint Marys, Gonzaga, BYU, and Loyola Marymount) than the Pac-12 (Washington, California, Oregon, and Arizona) .
That said, if Washington gets eliminated early, why can’t Benny spoil the fun for every other team?
I look forward to the debate below. So please hit me back with your comments. Especially all the OSU Beavers fans.
Proove me wrong naysayers.