Pac-12 Basketball: What would a conference challenge look like?

Oregon State Beavers vs North Dakota Eagles

As the representative from the Big Sky conference, North Dakota would earn a spot against an Oregon State squad looking to rebound from a dismal year. The Fighting Hawks last year won both the regular season title and the conference tournament for their first time since joining the Big Sky. The former division two power also received their first invitation to the big dance in school history.

Oregon State had arguably the worst season, not only among the power conference teams but possibly in school history. Going 6-27 and suffering losses to Lamar, Savannah State, and Portland showed how much they missed Gary Payton Jr. from the previous year. Add Tres Tinkle missing most of the year with foot issues and last year was a season to forget.

While this may appear to be a mismatch on paper, North Dakota is a very capable mid-major who can give any team fits if slept on.

The Beavers will have their leading scorer back in Tinkle while North Dakota’s best player graduated last year in Quentin Hooker (19 ppg). Oregon State lost only one senior and, if healthy, will hope for a mid-place finish in the Pac-12. This ultimately shouldn’t be too close if everything goes accordingly.

Prediction: Oregon State