As we highlighted after No. 12 seed Oregon State took down Cade Cunningham and the No. 4 seed Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Round of 32, the Beavers have been on an amazing run of upsetting teams. That continued on Saturday in the Sweet 16.
The Beavers came away with a 65-58 victory over No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago (criminally underseeded), who crushed No. 1 seed Illinois in the Round of 32. Loyola Chicago was favored by seven points, making this the sixth straight game Oregon State has won despite being at least a 5.5-point underdog each time.
And another one. Oregon State in their last six games:
5.5-point underdogs; beat UCLA
8.5-point underdogs; beat Oregon
8.5-point underdogs; beat Colorado
8.5-point underdogs; beat Tennessee
6-point underdogs; beat Oklahoma State
7-point underdogs; beat Loyola Chicago https://t.co/X2sRjPGShH
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 27, 2021
That’s surely leaving sportsbooks shaking their heads.
Oregon State played remarkable defense in the first half, holding Loyola Chicago to 16 points. Overall, the Beavers held Loyola Chicago to 33.1% shooting from the field.
Ethan Thompson led the way in scoring with 22 points for the Beavers, and Jarod Lucas hit what served as a dagger three with just over a minute remaining.
"Bullseye!"-Kevin Harlan #MarchMadness 🏀🦫🎯 pic.twitter.com/RcKqBIwmqw
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 27, 2021
Oregon State was picked to finish last in the Pac-12, and entered the Pac-12 Tournament with a 14-12 record (10-10 in conference play). And now they’re the first team to reach this year’s Elite Eight. Amazing.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.