Pac-12 Preview: Will 7 teams make the NCAA tournament again?
By Ben Dull
Oregon State Beavers
The Beavers took the regular season Pac-12 crown last season and advanced to the Sweet 16. Five players in all are no longer with the program, including four top rotation players. Scott Rueck, the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, enters his eighth with Oregon State. Two freshmen and one transfer will be immediately added to the fold for the Beavers.
More on the Beavers:
Numbers & notes
31-5 overall in ’16-’17, 16-2 (1st) in Pac-12, eliminated in Sweet 16 by Florida State
The Beavers have just 10 scholarship players for the upcoming season on the roster.
Destiny Slocum, a transfer from Maryland, will redshirt and practice with the team this season.
Sydney Wiese was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 1st round of the 2017 WNBA Draft.
Wiese averaged 7.9 minutes in 28 games for the Sparks, hitting 40.0% of her three-pointers.
The Beavers finished fourth in the preseason Pac-12 media and coaches polls.
Oregon State was ranked 19th in the AP’s preseason Top 25 poll.
Departures
Sydney Wiese — 15.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.5 APG, 103 3PM, 42.6 3PT%, 34.6 MPG (led team), ’16-’17 All-Pac-12, espnW 2nd Team All-American, AP 3rd Team All-American
Gabriella Hanson — 6.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, ’16-’17 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Pac-12 All-Defense, All-Pac-12 honorable mention
Kolbie Orum — 6.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 22.8 MPG
Tarea Green (no longer with program)
Breanna Brown (graduate transfer at Georgia Tech this season)
Returners
Marie Gulich, F (Sr) — 9.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.7 BPG, started all 36 games, ’16-’17 All-Pac-12
Mikayla Pivec, G (So) — 7.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 23.3 MPG (27 starts), ’16-’17 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team
Katie McWilliams, G (Jr) — 4.8 PPG, 1.7 APG, 33.8 3PT%, 20.9 MPG (9 starts)
Kat Tudor, F (So) — 4.8 PPG, 41.2 3PT%, 13 MPG, played in all 36 games
Madison Washington (G, So), Janessa Thropay (F, So) and Taylor Kalmer (G, Jr) are also back for the Beavers.
“We’re excited about our team,” Reuck said at Pac-12 media day. “This is a team that just a year ago lost some really important people and found a way. This group has that same opportunity this year. We lost a few really important people to our program, and now it’s their turn to step into those roles.”
Fresh faces
Aleah Goodman, G (3-time Oregon 5A Player of the Year, McDonalds All-America nominee)
Taya Corosdale, F (Jordan Brand Classic All-American)
Joanna Grymek, C (junior transfer from Seward County CC in Kansas, native of Poland)
Destiny Slocum, G (redshirting the 2017-2018 season, transfer from Maryland, WBCA National Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Freshman of the Year)
“The culture is in place, the standard is in place, and now you have that incredible model,” Rueck said. “So not one person can do that, just like nobody’s going to control the ball like Sydney did for 35 out of 40 minutes. Which was the way we played. It’s going to be a collective thing.”
5 games to watch
November 19 v. Notre Dame, 11:00 AM PST (Pac-12 Networks)
November 25 @ Duke, time TBD (TBD)
January 19 v. Oregon, 8:00 PM PST (Pac-12 Networks)
January 21 @ Oregon, 5:00 PM PST (Pac-12 Networks)
February 16 v. UCLA, 8:00 PM PST (Pac-12 Networks)
The Beavers, too, have a few power programs on their non-conference schedule. Two games in three days against Oregon will be a great opportunity for both programs — both are among the class of the league and likely to compete for a regular season Pac-12 crown. A home date with Pac-12 favorite UCLA in February makes for a good time to check in with both teams heading into March.