Tomorrow is the final game of the regular season for Oregon State and ASU, and the end can't come soon enough. The Beavers and Sun Devils have a combined record of 21-36, and are squarely on the bottom rung of the Pac-10 this season.
With that said, we wanted to talk about the misery with our friends at Building The Dam. ConnorOSU was kind enough to answer our questions, and my answers are over there. Enjoy!
1. What happened to the Beavers this year?
I think you can blame the coaching staff for most of the struggles this season. For whatever reason, we weren't prepared for most games on both sides of the ball. When defending teams who can shoot the lights out of the gym, Coach Robinson would insist on staying with our 1-3-1 and 2-3 zones, much to the confusion of Beaver Nation. Our feisty zone traps are what we are known for, but eventually everyone got sick of watching un-contested three pointers going through the basket. We have tried picking up full-court and some man to man, and for the most part, it has worked. So if ASU begins to light it up from beyond the arc, expect some of that to be thrown at them.
2. Tell us what Oregon State needs to do to become competitive in the Pac-12 next season.
Pretty much the same thing we have done in our Pac-10 wins this season. Shoot the ball well, and have our traps work to perfection. If any ASU fans saw our wins against Washington and Arizona, you would have noticed that our shooting was much better than our percentage reveals.
Another important key will be developing our Freshman. Devon Collier, Ahmad Starks, and Roberto Nelson have shown flashes of brilliance this year, especially Starks and Collier as of late. If our coaching staff does a good job of developing them even more throughout the off-season, then we could be a real threat in the Pac-12.
3. According to my calculations, the Beavers have lost 11 of their last 14 games. That reminds me of ASU. How are you as fans coping with this awful season?
Some fans have just completely given up on the season, and you can't blame them for that. The two losses against Oregon were very dis-heartening and that sent most fans to the diamond, ready to see Pat Casey's club.
Other fans, like most people on BTD, can't stay away from Basketball if they tried. Especially with the fight and hustle that they have shown in the past few games. Overall, we know that there will be a lot of bumps along the road, in addition to the ones we have already witnessed. But as long as the teams shows some effort then the fans do as well.
There's more after the jump!
4. Looking forward to the new Pac-12 football schedule?
Absolutely. I especially love the new divisions and the aaddition of a championship game. The idea of a Pac-12 instead of a Pac-16 is a little disappointing, but I should probably get over that as we knew about this seven months ago.
5. What are your chances of winning some games in the Pac-10 Tournament? Be honest.
One game? I like our chances, for no special reason. We will probably end up with either Stanford or Oregon in the opening round, and I could see us beating both of those teams. After that though, I can't see us beating anyone in the Top 6 except for maybe Washington State without Klay Thompson. Overall, it should be a good tourney and I'm excited to watch it.
6. Do you think the University of Arizona is overrated?
A little, yes. They haven't wowed me much this year, expect for their victory over Washington. Depending on the matchup, I will probably have them upset in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.