Quick Summary: On Thursday, Oregon State will face Santa Clara for the 11th time in history, their first meeting since the 1997-98 season. At 12-4, the Beavers have matched their best start through 16 games since 1989-90, also opening 12-4 in 2019-20. Oregon State ranks 19th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 62.6 points per game. This marks their best defensive pace since 2014-15, when they allowed 59.2 points per game. The Beavers have held 10 out of 16 opponents below 38% shooting and allowed over 65 points only five times. Against San Diego, they restricted the team to 29.3% shooting, the lowest by an OSU Division I opponent since holding Duke to 26.7% in November 2022. Michael Rataj and Damarco Minor are among the WCC’s top four in steals per game. Oregon State has shot 45% or better in 11 games this season, with an average margin of victory of 21.3 points. Rataj ranks in the WCC’s top 12 in several categories, including points, rebounds, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, blocks, and steals. The Beavers have recorded four games with 20 or more assists, their most since the 2019-20 season.
Team Overview: The 2024-25 Oregon State men’s basketball team includes nine international players from eight countries: Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Lithuania, Turkey, and the UK. With the USA included, Oregon State has the second-highest number of nations represented in Division I, only behind UT Martin. The team will join the West Coast Conference (WCC) in the fall of 2024. The Beavers’ WCC schedule will bring them face-to-face with several unfamiliar teams, including Portland (71 meetings, last in 2020-21), Gonzaga (27 meetings, last in 1991-92), and Santa Clara (10 meetings, last in 1997-98). Oregon State’s men’s basketball program recently received a $1.5 million endowment from Joth Ricci and his family as part of a $3 million donation to the men’s and women’s basketball programs. Ricci, a 1990 OSU graduate and executive in residence for the College of Business, is known for his leadership roles at Dutch Bros, Stumptown Coffee, and more.
