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Pac-12 Basketball: 5 biggest storylines to watch for 2021-22 offseason

By Jason Burgess

Jan 14, 2021; Boulder, Colorado, USA; A general view of the PAC 12 logo on the floor in the first half of the game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the California Golden Bears at CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2021; Boulder, Colorado, USA; A general view of the PAC 12 logo on the floor in the first half of the game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the California Golden Bears at CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pac-12 Basketball Oregon State Beavers (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Pac-12 Basketball Oregon State Beavers (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Coming off their best season in decades, can Oregon State keep it going?

Wayne Tinkle’s son Tres had graduated, Oregon State had made the NCAA Tournament just once since 1990 and hadn’t won a regular-season title since Gary Payton’s senior season. So, to say last season’s run came as a surprise would be a big understatement.

The Beavers haven’t been a threat in the conference in a long time, even last year’s run came as a No. 5 seed in the conference tournament and a No. 12 seed in the Big Dance. The question in Corvallis is whether or not last season is something that can be built upon (of course they hope it is) or if Tinkle and his team caught lightning in a bottle.

They must replace leading scorer Ethan Thompson, but the duo of Warith Alatishe and Jarod Lucas returns. The two were instrumental in Oregon State’s postseason run averaging 22.4 points and 12.7 rebounds in those seven games.

Tinkle has brought in three transfers led by Xzavier Malone-Key who netted 12.3 points per game in his last season at Fairleigh Dickinson. One area the Beavers struggled in is on the glass, ranking 254th in rebounds per game, but two guys who should help are on the way. Ahmad Rand is a 6-8 forward who played just three games at Memphis but averaged 2.7 rebounds in just six minutes per game, and Chol Marial spent two years at Maryland where the 7-2 center appeared in 30 games.

Oregon State had a season for the ages, the kind of season that could become a foundational one for a program that gone over 30 years with any sustained success.

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