The No. 12 seed Oregon State Beavers have shocked a lot of people, and especially sportsbooks. Oregon State entered Sunday night’s game against the No. 4 Oklahoma State Cowboys as 6-point underdogs, and won 80-70.
No. 12 seed Oregon State to the Sweet 16! This tournament is insane. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/nglAI9ZEGI
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 22, 2021
It’s the fifth straight game Oregon State won while being underdogs of at least 5.5 points.
And Oregon State was a 6-point underdog vs Oklahoma State; currently up 13. https://t.co/7UnjNmzjEH
— Matt Clapp (@Matt2Clapp) March 22, 2021
They certainly picked the right time of the year to get hot! Oregon State was nowhere close to the NCAA Tournament when they entered the Pac-12 Tournament with a 14-12 record, and 10-10 in Pac-12 play (sixth).
Then they beat UCLA 83-79 in overtime. Then they beat Oregon 75-64. And then they beat Colorado 70-68 to win the Pac-12 title game for the NCAA Tournament auto-bid.
The magic didn’t end once arriving to the big dance, though. The Beavers took down No. 5 Tennessee 70-56 in the NCAA Tournament first round, and now they’ve taken down No. 4 Oklahoma State 80-70 in the second round.
These wins haven’t just been wins; they’ve been impressive wins.
UCLA is one win away from the Sweet 16. Oregon is one win away from the Sweet 16. Colorado is one win away from the Sweet 16. Tennessee was a 5-seed ranked No. 13 in the NET. Oklahoma State was a No. 4 seed with arguably the most talented player in the entire tournament, in Cade Cunningham- who could very well be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
So, it’s probably time to start taking Wayne Tinkle’s squad seriously- and the Pac-12 as a whole. The Pac-12 is now 6-0 in this NCAA Tournament (7-0 if we include Oregon’s free win).
Pac-12: 6-0.
Big Ten: 6-6.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) March 22, 2021
And Oregon State’s next matchup will be against another team coming off an upset victory– No. 8 Loyola Chicago.
