Basketball season has begun, and Oregon State’s Craig Robinson might be on a short leash as head coach of the Beavers. In Robinson’s five complete seasons in Corvallis, his squads have posted a combined record of 77-88. The ineptitude becomes even more apparent when conference games are isolated, as the Beavers have a 31-59 record under Robinson’s leadership. In fact, Oregon State has only finished higher than eighth in the PAC-12 one time in the last five years, and even the fifth place finish in the 2009-10 season carried with it a 14-18 record overall. Two years ago, the team tore through their non-conference schedule, winning ten of twelve games, only to see their early success wasted as they stumbled to a 21-15 finish. Last year, they again started out impressive, winning ten of their first thirteen games, before ending the season with just four wins in their final 19 games.
Oregon State opened this season by welcoming Coppin State to Gill Coliseum, in what was practically the equivalent of an FBS football team scheduling an FCS team for a “guaranteed” win. In true Beavers fashion, they found a way to not only pay Coppin State to visit, but also lose the game. Coppin State took a ten point lead into the halftime break, and Oregon State’s comeback attempt fell short. When the buzzer sounded to finalize the 78-73 loss, Beavers fans excited for what this season might bring had to accept the fact that their team had just been beaten by a school that won only eight of their 32 total games last season.
After a 79-73 victory over Portland to even their record at 1-1, Oregon State prepares for a road trip to play Maryland, who is also 1-1. However, matching records do not necessarily indicate matching talent, as the Terrapins lost a one point contest to #18 Connecticut before handily defeating Abilene Christian. With the Beavers taking on the Terrapins on ESPNU, this is exactly the type of game that Craig Robinson needs to win to prove that he is capable of pushing his squad a notch or two higher on the conference pecking order.
Oregon State built a practice facility for the basketball team this offseason, and has stated that they are going to put a greater emphasis on recruiting. While these efforts are certainly a step in the right direction, they could all end up fruitless if Craig Robinson cannot improve from year to year. Junior forward Eric Moreland is currently suspended for “violating team rules”, a punishment that has him sitting out the first 14 games. However, once he returns, the Beavers will start five upperclassmen—a luxury for modern day coaches.
Seniors Roberto Nelson, Devon Collier, and Angus Brandt will be expected to carry the team until Moreland returns. Through two games, those three have averaged 54 of the team’s 76 points per game, 23.5 of the team’s 38 rebounds per game, and 9.5 of the team’s 15 assists per game. Moreland, who averaged 9.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game last season, will provide a breath of fresh air upon his return January 19th.
Call it coincidence or call it perfectly planned, but Moreland’s return will coincide with the first ranked opponent that Oregon State will play up to that point in the season, as current #18 Oregon visits Gill Coliseum. In fact, the Beavers will play only three teams all season (albeit twice each) that are currently ranked: #18 Oregon, #24 UCLA, and #6 Arizona. Perhaps this is a glimmer of hope for an opportunity to notch some wins as the season progresses. Maybe fans of the Beavers will be able to see a record that features more wins than losses once March rolls around. At this point, supporters of the team are not expecting much, so anything better than the complete tailspin that was last year’s 4-14 conference record will be welcomed eagerly.
At the very least, if this year is nothing more than a rerun of the last few, it will be time for the Beavers to begin accepting head coach applications once again.
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