The Oregon State Beavers aren't done yet.

Coach Craig Robinson went young down the stretch as OSU hung on to defeat the Stanford Cardinal, 69-67, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Wednesday night.  The Beavers' reward: a showdown with top-seeded Arizona at 2:30 PST on Thursday.

That's not all bad, though, because the Beavers know they can play with the Wildcats.

Notes

"Ironmen" Start, Youngsters Finish: Robinson started the same five he started in OSU's previous game, those he didn't suspend for curfew violations following the Beavers' loss to Arizona March 3: Roberto Nelson, Kevin McShane, Omari Johnson, Joe Burton, and Angus Brandt.  Robinson called them his "ironmen" last weekend; Nelson played all 40 minutes against Arizona State March 5.

But OSU fell behind 6-0 quickly, and after just two minutes of game time, Robinson brought in leading scorer Jared Cunningham and forward Devon Collier.  The Beavers promptly went on a 9-1 run.  They held a 26-18 lead over Stanford at the half.

Late in the game, Robinson went with his young guys, closing out with Cunningham, Nelson, Ahmad Starks, Collier, and Burton -- this is Robinson's fastest lineup, a small team that can defend and spread the floor.  Starks' three triples in the first half were a key to OSU's early lead, and Cunningham and Collier took over in the second half. no comments

The OSU Beavers may be facing end of their 2010-2011 season when they open the Pac-10 Tournament Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Stanford in Los Angeles.  Or, they could be embarking on one of the most improbable NCAA basketball runs imaginable.

Yes, the 9th-seeded Beavers must face the 8th-seeded Cardinal in a play-in game, and they'd need to beat four teams in four days to win the Pac-10 Tournament, but they've proven they can take down the first two teams on the schedule.  The Beavers defeated Stanford Feb. 24 and upset Arizona Jan. 2 in Corvallis, and OSU looked like a team that can play with the Wildcats on the road March 3, losing 70-59.  

A run through the Pac-10 Tournament by this young OSU team?  Stranger things have happened in March.  But, not many. 

The Oregon Ducks enter the Pac-10 tournament having lost their past four games, but Dana Altman and company start with a clean slate on Wednesday night as they take on Arizona State.

Over this deflating stretch, Oregon has allowed opponents to score an average of 85 points per game. Arizona State, in their second to last regular season game, scored the least amount of points of the four, 73, but crushed the Ducks nonetheless by a 19-point margin to sweep the season series. Aside from beating the Ducks twice the Sun Devils had just two conference victories. They will look to continue to be a thorn in Oregon's side, and, on an upswing after defeating Oregon State, the Sun Devils will have an excellent chance of ending the Ducks' season.

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Entering their matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers without Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic appeared at a significant disadvantage. It turned out they were not, but the Blazers managed to prevail 89-85 behind a clutch LaMarcus Aldridge to start their four-game road-trip on the right foot.

With the win, Portland has now won six straight road games for the first time since Feb. 18-March 2, 2002.

Magic frontline, albeit undersized, holds own against Blazers

The trio of Brandon Bass, Earl Clark, and Ryan Anderson picked up the slack, frustrating Portland enough to keep Orlando in contention.

The Portland Trail Blazers weren't at their best, but they stifled the Charlotte Bobcats in the second half to coast to an easy 93-69 win, spoling the returns of Joel Przybilla and Dante Cunningham.

Przybilla, Cunningham warmly welcomed, produce in return

Cunningham, acquired by Charlotte along with Przybilla in the deal that sent Gerald Wallace to Portland, entered at the 10:20 mark of the first quarter to a standing ovation, and it didn’t take him long to produce, hitting a jumper from the top of the key. He was quiet for the remainder of the game, but made the most of his minutes on the defensive end.

Przybilla, who saw his first action following a timeout late in the first quarter, drew a raucous cheer, and made much more of an impact on both ends. He scored inside, blocked shots, drew charges—being the player that made him a fan favorite with Portland.

On his reception, Przybilla said postgame, "I'll remember this until the day I die."