Previewing the Pac #10: Oregon State Beavers

#10: Oregon State Beavers

2013-14 recap

Record: 16-15 overall (8-10 Pac-12)

Pac-12 Finish: 10th

Recap: In a make-or-break year for Craig Robinson, the Beavers lacked the consistency to be a true threat to make the NCAA tournament. The Beavers earned quality wins, including victories over Stanford, UCLA, Oregon and Arizona State, but also suffered some bad losses to Coppin State, Akron, Hawaii, and two losses to Washington. Roberto Nelson led the Pac-12 in scoring with 20.5 points per game but didn't receive a ton of help from his supporting cast.

Season Preview

Key Returners

Langston Morris-Walker (Jr.)- 4 points, 2.1 rebounds

Malcolm Duvivier (So.)- 3.1 points

Biggest Departures

Roberto Nelson- 20.7 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds

Devon Collier- 13.4 points, 5.6 rebounds

Angus Brandt- 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds

Eric Moreland- 8.9 points, 10.3 rebounds

Hallice Cooke- 8.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.5 points

Newcomers

Freshman

Chai Baker- Malone, Fla.

Dylan Livesay- Wilsonville, Ore.

Junior College Transfers

Gary Payton II- Salt Lake C.C.

Best Case Scenario

Is there really a best case scenario with this team? Langston Morris-Walker is the leading returning scorer and averaged just four points per game last season. Morris-Walker is a talented forward but can he emerge into a go-to scorer on a nightly basis? And will anyone be able to help him out? Even if the Beavers play really well I don't think they would be able to finish anywhere near the top eight of the Pac-12

Worst Case Scenario

The Beavers could be a really bad team if they don't find players to score the ball, and its not looking good for first year coach Wayne Tinkle. With a group of what looks to be role players, Oregon State needs to find a leading scorer early on in the season or the Beavers could fail to get a win during conference play.

Storylines

The Glove- Gary Payton II joins the Beavers as a junior college transfer and should be a player Sonics fans will root for when he isn't playing the Huskies. Payton II played two season at Salt Lake C.C. and averaged 14.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists during his sophomore campaign.

Tinkle Time: Wayne Tinkle takes over the OSU program after eight seasons at the University of Montana, where he took the Grizzlies to three NCAA Tournament appearances. Tinkle was the Big Sky Coach of the Year twice at Montana and is now the 21st head coach in program history at OSU.

Will the Beavers win a game in conference season? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.