A year ago, Oregon State pitched itself as America’s team in March. An underdog story out of the Pacific Northwest that was unranked to start the season, the Beavers had nonetheless challenged for the Pac-12 title and very nearly reached the Final Four.
How could you not root for them?
Then, Oregon State lost to South Carolina in the Elite Eight, conference realignment left the Beavers without a real home in 2024-25, and the bottom fell out.
The top six players in minutes played transferred out, including All-American Raegan Beers and three other players (Timea Gardiner, Donovyn Hunter, and Talia von Oelhoffen) who would win conference championships in 2025. They lost five of their first six games of the regular season, the lone win coming against a Division II opponent. The roster was so depleted that a walk-on was getting rotation minutes.
But it’s once again March, and somehow, Oregon State is headed back to the NCAA Tournament. After a 59-46 win over Portland in the West Coast Conference championship, America’s team is getting one more chance to dance.
The Pilots tested the Beavers with their full-court pressure and zone defense, daring a team with a short rotation that shot below 30 percent from 3-point range in the regular season to beat them from distance. Sophomore…
