Fresh off a good victory in Eugene the Huskies move around an hour up the valley to battle the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis.
For the first time in a very long time it looks like things are starting to turn around for the Beavers. New coach Craig Robinson has been a breath of fresh air in Corn Valley. Being the brother in law of the President elect has its benefits. One benefit is higher rated recruits giving OSU a long look for the first time since Ralph Miller left the gym.
Robinson has already had a few successes, including a win over USC two weeks ago as well as some impressive recruiting hauls. But mostly he's created a no-nonsense attitude, typified by 5:30 a.m. practices, a policy he has relaxed at times, this week practices started at 6 a.m.
All the hard work and top recruits that are now attracted to the school means that Oregon State basketball will be back at full strength sooner than you think.
As far as todays game goes there is a wide gap in talent on these two teams. Washington has the edge in almost every single area. That means on paper the Huskies should win this one by 15-20 points. They need to because a sweep would give them a 4-1 record going into a difficult stretch against the LA schools next week.
Game notes:
No Beaver starter averages in double figures, but reserve guard Calvin Haynes, who missed the first five games while regaining his eligibility, averages 15.3 ppg off the bench. Haynes essentially is the one guy they have who has a green light to score outside the offense. He prepped last season at South Kent Prep School with Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning.
Oregon State is the Pac-10's worst foul-shooting team, hitting 63.5 percent; the Huskies are ninth, at 64.4.
Romar and Robinson first met 30 years ago. When he was a UW point guard, Romar hosted his Beavers coaching counterpart on a Huskies recruiting trip.
The Beavers like to be patient on offense, running a Princeton offense that looks to break opponents down.