The Beavers completed their non-conference play with a much-needed 74-54 win over Illinois-Chicago on Wednesday night, and coach Craig Robinson and his guys now look to build on that victory as they approach a Pac-10 schedule that begins with a visit from Arizona State Dec. 30.  OSU enters conference play with a somewhat disappointing 5-6 record that includes losses to Texas Southern, Utah Valley, and Montana -- games the Beavers might, on a good night, win by double digits.

As the Beavers begin focusing exclusively on Pac-10 opponents, it feels like the right time to take a player-by-player look at the OSU roster.  Who's peaking?  What seniors might be losing minutes?  Which of the highly-regarded underclassmen are likely to influence Pac-10 play early in their careers?

Seniors

• Omari Johnson: Is there such a thing as a senior wall?  If so, Johnson may have hit it three games ago.  After looking like a player who found his niche in the first 8 games, averaging 13.5 points per game, Johnson has put up three consecutive 2-point efforts, and OSU coach Craig Robinson has expressed concern that Johnson was being stretched thin by defensive duties at the top of the 1-3-1. He'll need to find his outside shot again and continue to contribute on the boards for the Beavers to compete in the Pac-10 this year.

This isn't a story about LaMarcus Aldridge being overlooked in the All-Star debate.

But it is about Aldridge earning some respect around the league by working on parts of his game that could one day make that whole All-Star discussion a no-brainer.

There's no doubt Aldridge has been an All-Star for Portland, even if the All-Star ballots say otherwise and he gets lost in the mix with guys like Paul Millsap and Kevin Love also having impressive seasons. From stringing together four-straight double-double games, to playing with more aggression, it would be hard to imagine where the Blazers would be without Aldridge though.

They certainly wouldn't be a game over .500 and playing some of their best basketball of the season. Not even close. As the All-Star talk surrounding Aldridge continues, he is still trying to earn some respect by handling the double-teams that come his way this season.

With his scoring of late, chances are Aldridge is going to only see more and more.

"He has to be a threat. People have to be afraid of that pass, and that is something you do over time. Until you do that, teams will continue to mix up their defenses on you," said McMillan when asked how Aldridge has handled double-team pressure this season.

"Do they respect his passing? No. His passing? No. Because when you respect the passing, then you don't double-team. You couldn't double-team (Karl) Malone. You can't double-team (Tim) Duncan. Because you know they'd break you apart."

Expectations were low entering the season for the Oregon Ducks, but they have exceeded them thus far. Standing at 7-4, Oregon has defeated some teams handily and has also remained in contention with teams they weren’t expected to play tough.

But will that carry over to Pac-10 play? 

Undersized with more wing players than post players, they won their first three games—defeating North Dakota State in overtime, pulling away from Denver, and escaping against UC Santa Barbara. That competition isn’t exactly stiff, so it was uplifting to see the Ducks battle back against ninth-ranked Missouri earlier this month, only to lose by three.

Portland may have been missing some key pieces, but their performance against the Milwaukee Bucks was their best of the season.

No Brandon Roy, no Marcus Camby, no Joel Przybilla, and, due to a early injury, no Dante Cunningham. But the Blazers didn't miss a beat. Aside from a cold stretch late in the third, everything clicked. Their passing was superb, their spacing was tremendous, their scoring was balanced, and LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Fernandez continued their transformation from role players into go-to guys for Nate McMillan.

The Bucks lacked a go-to guy, largely due to the absence of point guard Brandon Jennings. As a result their offense was flat from the onset, while the Blazers had plenty of options early and often.

In the first quarter it was Wesley Matthews, who drained three three-pointers and scored a total of 13 points in the frame.

In the second, everyone else picked up where he left off. Aldridge was particularly active and aggressive, almost notching a double-double before intermission. Fernandez set up many of the power forward’s looks, dishing five of Portland’s 14 assists as the leader of a revitalized bench. In the opening two quarters the substitutes scored 17 points, a total they have struggled to reach over the entirety at times this season. The ball didn’t go through a specific player. The wealth was spread. They were having fun. And that couldn’t be said before Portland decided to give Brandon Roy time to rest his knees.

The Blazers weren’t battling the shot clock. In the half-court, passing was quick, and when shots were taken they were of the high-percentage variety and due to aggressive and intelligent play. They constantly looked to push in the open floor, but when they had to hold up and run set plays they were patiently waiting for lanes to open. Safe to say, their offense was a thing of beauty.

It was a sure sign Rudy Fernandez had found his comfort zone.

About an hour before tip-off, Fernandez sat at his locker wearing earphones and bumping some beat that kept the shooting-guard's hands drumming rapidly right along to the rhythm. He glanced at the scouting report real quick, tossed it to the side, and then it was right back to the music and more drumming.

Fernandez never missed a beat.

It's as if Fernandez carried that flow over to the game.

He has now strung together his third-straight double-figure game that has seen him sport everything from the "Three Goggles" to alley-oops to LaMarcus Aldridge in the open court during Portland's home stand against Minnesota, Golden State and Milwaukee.

"Right now, I think it's my moment and I take the minutes and I'm shooting the ball well on the court," said Fernandez after finishing with 17 points and 7 rebounds against the Bucks, who were without Brandon Jennings.

"I have confidence in my play and the shots, and this is a big year for me."