PAC-12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2020-21 season

There is little doubt the loss of forward Tres Tinkle to graduation is a massive one for Oregon State and their head coach, Wayne Tinkle – Tres’ dad.

Tinkle averaged 17.7 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game in 126 games played, averaging 34 minutes per night as the team’s heart and soul. Without Tinkle and graduated center Kylor Kelley, who averaged 11 and 5, this team will have a ton of production to replace in the front court.

Ethan Thompson, a rising senior, will be the top dog in Corvallis this year. He averaged 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists last year and has a chance to be among the top guards in the conference in 2020-2021.

The team also has the ninth-ranked recruiting class in the conference, with a pair of JuCo transfers joining the squad: Tariq Silver and Rodrigue Tha Andela.

Silver is one of the most intriguing JuCo guards in the country, and his size, ability to get to the rim, and lights out three-point shooting (46%) could make him a very unheralded find for coach Tinkle and company.

One big question mark that will help determine if OSU can climb out of the PAC-12 cellar will be the eligibility of Nicholls State transfer Warith Alatishe.

As of now, he has not been granted a waiver to be eligible this season – but if that does come through the 6’7 scorer would add great depth to this team at a huge position of need.

Don’t be surprised to see Oregon State near the bottom of the standings in the PAC-12 this season, but they do have some talented players and if things come together they easily have the potential to finish middle of the pack.