Oregon State MBB Hosts Cal State-Fullerton (7PM PST, ESPN+)
Tonight, November 15, the Oregon State Beavers will seek their first 4-0 start to the season since 2015-2016 as they take on the Cal State-Fullerton Titans, who lost its first three games of the season to Grand Canyon, Colorado, and Stanford. The game will tip at 7 P.M. Pacific Time and will stream on ESPN+. It will be the fourth straight home game for Oregon State, a team that has won its three games over Utah Tech, Weber State, and Western Oregon by an average score of 83-54.
Leading the way for the Beavers this season are guard Nate Kingz (15.0 points) and forward Michael Rataj (14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals, 1.7 blocks), two returners on a team full of newcomers. Rataj's defense has stood out especially, as he leads the team in stocks (steals + blocks) with 4.4 per game. He is Oregon State's best all-around player as he has been crashing the glass as well, providing impact on both sides of the floor in multiple facets.
The Beavers have yet to be truly tested this season, and tonight, on paper, looks to be no different. Fullerton has lost its three combined games by an average score of 84-61.7 and is losing the rebounding battle by an average of about 10 per game. They've struggled to shoot the ball in their three games as well, averaging just 37.1% from the field overall and 26.1% from three. Even the Titans' leading scorer, Jonathan Oday, is putting up just 10.7 points and hitting 29.4% of his field goals this year. Though he is technically shooting 42.9% from deep, he is only taking 2.3 of these attempts per game.
Wayne Tinkle's squad will have its best start in nearly a decade if they can handle business at home tonight at Gill Coliseum against an inferior opponent. It should be a game where they can physically overpower a Fullerton squad who has had its fair share of struggles on the glass. Look for Michael Rataj to have a big game on the boards as the Beavers roll to another victory to start 2024.
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Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.