Oregon State MBB Carries 3-Game Win Streak Into Tuesday Bout With Sacramento State

Oregon State forward Michael Rataj goes up for a shot under coverage from Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad as the Oregon State Beavers host the Oregon Ducks Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore.
Oregon State forward Michael Rataj goes up for a shot under coverage from Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad as the Oregon State Beavers host the Oregon Ducks Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Oregon State Beavers (7-2, 0-0 WCC) vs. Sacramento State Hornets (2-8, 0-0 Big Sky Conference)

Date: Tuesday, December 17

Time: 7 PM PT // 10 PM ET

Location: Gill Coliseum - Corvallis, Oregon

TV: ESPN+


Following three losing seasons in a row, the Oregon State Beavers' men's basketball team is off to a very promising start. Wayne Tinkle's group are up to 7-2 on the season, with wins in each of their last three contests. OSU's two losses (Oregon and North Texas) came by a total of just six points.

Most recently, Oregon State took down UC Irvine this past Saturday in a 67-55 result.

"I'm proud that we're able to learn some lessons but but still still get a double-figure win at home," Tinkle said of their most recent result. Obviously, we've scheduled a lot of home games and we've had a lot of success at home. And so this new team with so many new guys have gotten off to a great start here and it's nice that we're building confidence moving forward. You know we're hearing a lot of great things from people in the community, you know how well they share it, how hard they play, how we defend...We got an exciting group and we're looking forward to moving forward with them here in this early season." 

Forward Michael Rataj is leading the way in points per game (16), rebounds per game (8.7), and blocks per game (1.1). Meanwhile, guard DaMarco Minor leads the team in assists (53) and steals (22).

The Beavers face a Sacramento State squad on Tuesday night that has managed only two wins this season. The Hornets have only one win over a Division I opponent this year and have lost each of their last four contests. That contest will be OSU's last before heading to the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii, where they will open the tournament against the College of Charleston.

OSU's schedule will get more difficult with the beginning of WCC play later this month, but being able to stack non-conference wins now helps get them closer to the 20-win mark - something they have achieved just once under Tinkle.


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Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.