Cal-Oregon State Basketball Preview: Bears Seek First Pac-12 Win

Oregon State's game on Thursday was postponed because of virus-reltated issues on the Beavers' team

As of Saturday morning, Cal’s Saturday afternoon game at Oregon State is still on as scheduled, even though the Beavers’ home game against Stanford on Thursday was postponed because of virus-related issues on the Oregon State team. The Oregon State-Stanford game has been rescheduled for Monday.

CAL (5-5, 0-3 Pac-12) at OREGON STATE (4-3, 0-1 Pac-12)

WHERE: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Ore.

WHEN: Saturday, 3 p.m.

TV/RADIO: Pac-12 Network/810-AM

CAL-OREGON HISTORY: Cal leads the series 89-64, but Oregon State beat the Bears earlier this season, 71-63, in the season opener for both teams on Nov. 25. That game did not count in the Pac-12 standings, however. Cal and Oregon State split the season series last season, with both teams winning at home. Cal has lost its last three games at Gill Coliseum, and the Bears' most recent win in Corvallis came in the 2016-17 season. Cal is 14-5 against Oregon State since the start of the 2010-11 season, but the Beavers have won three of the past four meetings.

CAL STORYLINES: The Bears’ three-game win streak ended with an 82-69 loss at Oregon on Thursday, but the game was closer than the score suggests. Cal had a four-point lead early in the second half and trailed by just two with 6:30 remaining. . . . Matt Bradley scored 21 points in that game and was 4-for-7 on three-pointers after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury. He continues to lead the Pac-12 in scoring, averaging 19.4 points per game . . . He scored 23 points in last year’s win over Oregon State at Haas Pavilion, but was limited to eight points in the loss to the Beavers in Corvallis. Bradley had 21 points in this season’s loss to the Beavers . . . Thursday’s loss dropped Cal to 0-4 in road games this season and to 2-24 on its opponents' home floor since the start of the 2018-19 season . . . . Cal still is without senior forward Grant Anticevich (10.3 points, 5.9 rebounds), who underwent an emergency appendectomy on Dec. 17. His return date is uncertain. With Anticevich out, the Bears went with a big starting lineup against the Ducks, with 7-foot Lars Thiemann and 6-foot-8 center Andre Kelly both in the starting five. . . . Graduate senior guard Ryan Betley (Penn) went 1-for-7 on three-pointers against Oregon after going 8-for-11 from long range in the two previous games.

OREGON STATE STORYLINES: The Beavers have had two of their past three games postponed, including Thursday’s scheduled home game against Stanford and a Dec. 20 game against USC. . . . Oregon State has won its past two games, but its only game since Dec. 16 was a 67-62 victory over Portland State on Dec. 22 . . . Oregon State has played six of its seven games at home, and the Beavers are 4-2 at Gill Coliseum this season after going 12-4 at home last season . . . Guard Ethan Thompson is the Beavers’ leading scorer, averaging 17.3 points per game, and he has a better shooting percentage on three-point attempts (43.8) than he does on two-pointers (37.3). He had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Beavers’ 71-63 victory over the Bears ealier this season. . . Oregon State 6-foot-7 forward Warith Alatishe was the Beavers’ top scorer in the earlier game against Cal with 16 points, and he leads the Pac-12 in rebounds, averaging 9.14 boards per contest. . . . Oregon State leads the Pac-12 in assists per game (17.1). . . The Beavers’ Maurice Calloo leads the Pac-12 in three-point percentage (56.3) but has attempted only 16.

CAL BASKETBALL NOTES: Click here

OREGON STATE BASKETBALL NOTES: Click here

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Cover photo of Ethan Thompson by Neville E Guard, USA TODAY Sports

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