| 09 March 2011
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.
Notes
Benched Players, Lineup Changes: The Beavers lost to Arizona State, 80-66, last weekend in Tempe following a mass curfew violation following the loss to Arizona in Tucson on March 3. Craig Robinson played only six players against the Sun Devils, sitting seniors Calvin Haynes, Lathen Wallace, and Daniel Deane, sophomores Jared Cunningham and Joe Burton, and freshmen Ahmad Starks, Devon Collier, and Chris Brown.
On Wednesday, all players are eligible to play, according to Robinson, but he wouldn't comment on a starting lineup. Here's one likely change: look for freshman Roberto Nelson, who put up a career-high 34 points against the Sun Devils, to take the place of Starks in the starting lineup. Leading scorer Jared Cunningham will be back in the starting lineup, as will Collier, along with some combination of Haynes, Burton, Brandt, and Johnson. OSU can afford to go small against the smaller Cardinal, which may mean Burton will return to the bench following a 1-9, 4-point game as a starter in the loss to ASU.
Defense and Responsibility: Robinson has heard the grumbling: everyone wants to see OSU play more man-to-man defense, the same defense that helped shut down Stanford to seal the OSU win Feb. 24.
On Tuesday, Robinson felt it was time to elaborate about that man-to-man defense. And, in one motion, he gave his thoughts on those curfew violations:
"When we're capable of playing a full game of man-to-man, we'll play a full game of man-to-man," Robinson said. "With playing man-to-man comes a sense of responsibility, which, given what happened on Friday night (violation night), we aren't ready to play, because there's accountability, there's responsibility, there's helping each other out, there's preventing guys from getting into trouble by doing something different."
This is some kind of lesson Robinson is executing with his young team, a team that has lobbied at times for man-to-man this season. As much as I want to see the Beavers play a full game of man-to-man defense -- immediately, against Stanford -- I'm even more certain that OSU will be the best defensive team in the Pac-10 in two years, a team that plays a viscous man-to-man with an occasional trapping press (the 1-3-1, or a variation).
Of course, it's not just about trust and responsibility; players absolutely must believe that teammates will communicate playing man defense, and, even more importantly, trust that they'll cover on rotations properly. Fouls are a concern, too. Robinson explained that "you have to be able to withstand some foul trouble" to play man defense. "We're deeper than we have been when I first got here, but we're not deep enough to withstand that kind of foul trouble I don't think."
Jared Cunningham, All Pac-10: Sophomore Jared Cunningham was named to the All Pac-10 Second Team and the Pac-10 All Defensive Team this week.
The 6-foot-4 slashing point guard is the Beavers' scoring leader at 13.6 points per game and the No. 8 leader in steals in the nation at 2.75 per game. Cunningham increased his scoring from 6 points per game as a freshman, and his jump shot and three point range have improved markedly.
OSU fans have watched Cunningham grow from a lanky, high school Youtube sensation who switched to OSU after verbally committing to Arizona State, into an NBA prospect in just two seasons. His putback slam against Arizona -- labeled his "Kiss the Sky" slam thanks to FSN's Kevin Calabro -- is up for CBS Sports' NCAA Dunk of the Year. Dunk of the Year voting is open at the CBS Facebook page, and competition is stiff.
Tournament Run Possible?: Despite OSU's troubles away from Gill Coliseum this year, the Beavers have had success against each of the first three potential tournament opponents: Stanford, Arizona, USC, and even California, sporadically. But, this has been a trying, transitional season for the Beavers. A good showing against Stanford away from Gill Coliseum should be expected. A win -- or two -- beyond Stanford would surprise everyone.
photo: ethan erickson
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