Jordan Pope’s rainbow 3-pointer seemed to hang in the air forever before finally falling through the basket as the buzzer sounded.
Oregon State 83, No. 9 Arizona 80.
Pac-12 Network commentator Bill Walton yelled out. Beavers fans flooded the Gill Coliseum court. A top-10 upset pulled by their men’s basketball team on Jan. 25 was a rare moment of reprieve and celebration after the community weathered five hard months since the near-dissolution of the Pac-12, capped by football coach and alumnus Jonathan Smith leaving for Michigan State. Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes, who was at the Arizona game, made sure to take in the moment.
“In times like this, it helps you understand what you’re trying to achieve,” Barnes told The Athletic the next day.
Ghdskjfghrsiretnaioenfkalsdjfads#GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/Ox8aqhILPF
— Oregon State Hoops (@BeaverMBB) January 26, 2024
Barnes and Washington State athletic director Pat Chun have said many times that there’s no manual for the path they’ve taken since Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah decided to jump to the Big 12 and Oregon and Washington chose to follow USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, leaving Oregon State and Washington State as the only remaining Pac-12 representatives beyond this summer. Barnes joked that…
