227 COMMENTS

    • 2
      1

      In the spirit of open communication, Thanks for that.
      For a slightly more detailed analysis, I recommend this, as posted by Bill yesterday:

      The tourney is always about matchups. I wouldn’t quite say the Beavs the more athletic team, definitely taller.

      Watched the highlights of the first two Loyola games. Georgia Tech gave em a game until the last 5 minutes. Illinois was never in it. A common theme, Loyola guys communicate very well.

      Krutwig sells the “I am not an athlete” shtick quite well. But he moves very well and has sticky fingers. It’ll be interesting to see who the Beavs put on him. Alitishe has the deceiving wingspan but gives up 50 pounds. Silva is the bigger man but isn’t quick. Krutwig had his way will the Illinois center on offense with off the ball movement. Though the Illinois guy did have 21 points going the other way. Kind of a wash.

      I think the story is the same for Loyola as OSU, the easy scouting report is that if you shut down Krutwig, you can beat them. Everyone thinks if you shutdown Ethan, your going to win the game. Nope, both teams have guys who step up and fill the void. Krutwig doesn’t get into foul trouble much but if he does, it could be a big advantage.

      Beavs turned the ball over an amazing 35 times in the past two games and still won by double digits. Didn’t win those games by shooting lights out, won those games on defense.

      Kenpom is a superstar this week as his site has been quoted endlessly. Analysts are in love with the defensive efficiency metric that ranks Loyola #1. But Tennessee is right there at #4. Ok St was at #20.

      This will be Loyola’s third game in a row vs power 5. Will be a test of whether they are good in small batches vs P5 or legitimate title contenders. Always the question of whether a mid major could survive a P5 conference season.

      Beavs are the second worst team left per kenpom. Oral Roberts is the worst.

      As much as I have looked into the matchup and the analytics, you can find any stat you fit your point of view. It just comes down to this. Beavs should play the way that got them here. No need try other things. Play the same starting five. Play good defense, force them into low percentage shots. On offense, attack the rim and knock down some threes.

      Keys to the game.
      1. What role player steps up? It’s gotta be Alitishe right? So many misses from point blank in the last two games. Hunt is also due.
      2. Big men need to stay out of foul trouble.
      3. Don’t think Loyola will press but if they do, Beavs have had a week to work on breaking the press.

      Things to watch for,
      1. When the Beavs go inside to the post, watch out for the guards to try to strip the big men. Their guards are smaller and very quick.
      2. Don’t think the Beavs need to run but if they see some Loyola guys gassing, press the attack so they can’t setup their defense.
      3. Who can fool the other better, Krutwig with his athleticism or Alitishe with his wingspan? Illinois wasn’t ready for the quickness and Cunningham wasn’t ready for the length, getting blocked twice straight up.

      Reply
    • 1

      Hey WSN, if you recall, I was first on the thread for “Beaver’s Magical Sunday,” so if we choke today it’s your fault.

      Reply
  3. 1

    Right on cue, ESPN gameday barely mentions the Beavs when talking about the game. 99% was on Krutwig. Basically they expect the Beavs to regress to the mean, a mid level pac12 team. I’ve said it before, Beavs didn’t earn anyone’s respect by losing to Portland and Wyoming at home but maybe a win today will earn them some respect.

    Reply
    • 6

      I’m in the camp of “what the fuck more do they need to do” to earn some respect? They’ve beaten five solid tourney teams in a row and a case could be made that they dominated Oregon, Tennesee, and Oklahoma St. Even if they lose it was a hell of a ride and not that flukish at this point.

      Reply
    • 1

      What’s funny is, I can recall times in the past when top 15 teams have an exhibition loss but yet they make the tournament and they are still always “dangerous to make a run.” It’s whatever fits their narrative. They could spin those losses as early season losses to
      Wyoming and portland helped this team get to where it is today. Just lazy journalism. I don’t blame them though. Plenty of other story lines with other underdogs and then the zags looking to have a perfect season and finally capture a championship. If the Beavs lose today, I hope it’s because the other team outplayed them making grest plays rather than a bunch of beav mistakes ending their season. Who’s the unexpected contributor this game? Maybe reichle breaks out and gives us something similar to the Tennessee games when he was confident to pull up
      From deep.

      Reply
  4. 5

    One additional x factor in the game is Loyola’s opinion of the Beavs. Do they drink the kool aid and start believing the hype about themselves and that the Beavs are just lucky to be there? They don’t seem like a team to become over confident but it’s a mini trap game after beating a #1 seed.

    Reply
  6. 3

    God loves Beavers.

    Nun of this, nun of that.

    Good thing there’s not the normal fan attendance…the goddamned (see the double pun?) narrative about L-C and their nun would likely result in some home style cooking from the referees.

    Reply
  9. 2

    My biggest fear today is the little things the beavers do, Loyola is used to having to do those things all year long. I think both of these teams have been out hustling and grinding out wins. It’s not like which teams 5 star stud will out duel the other. It’s all the other execution things. Beavs have been executing well lately and have not had long segments of no points/big mistakes. It started to happen with turnovers in the backcourt against ok state but somehow they pulled it together.

    Reply
    • 1

      It might have been for the best, this style of play doesn’t seem to play to Lucas’ strengths. I like how calm Silver was out there. I’ve said before he has a sweet stroke and plays defense.

      Reply
  17. 1

    Really settling it after ugly start. The energy and hustle on defense is huge. They need to keep that up on the defensive end. Need to utilize posts on offensive side to kick in/out or with cuts to the baskets from the guards. Go beavs!

    Reply

    • I think thats a good point. Driving in early and drawing fouls will be huge to get to the free throw line earlier and often

      Reply
  19. 1

    I think loyola will start to press in the second half.

    Beavs shoot 31 percent. Loyola shoots 18 percent.

    Can’t hold them that low so scoring will pick up. Beavs need to get going offensively.

    Reply
  20. 4

    I think they just need to stay calm on offense and get it inside quicker. Thompson, Alitishe, and even Calloo can just elevate to get a shot. They just can’t start that passing around the perimeter until there are seven seconds on the shot clock shit. They are much more athletic than Loyola. It will depend on how smart they play in the second half.

    Reply

  21. Loyala also had some foul trouble that the Beavs were able to take advantage of. Will be less of an advantage in the second half.

    But the Beavs do need to attack and draw fouls. get in the offense faster, taking them too long right now.

    Reply
  22. 2

    It’s funny how quickly commentators forget that college basketball is ugly. Plenty of teams win ugly. I guess watching Pac-12 basketball I am use to it.

    Reply
  23. 2

    This game might be Ethan’s to win or lose. He can get off a shot anytime. How many will he make and who is going to support him? I like Silver to keep playing, he looks calm out there. Reichle looked lost on offense.

    Reply

  25. If Silva is not going to have an impact on offense then he needs to sit. Not a good matchup for him. Gonna come down to which team has the best halftime adjustments.

    Reply

      • Yeah maybe they figure they need some minutes from Silva to keep the rotation fresh. But I like Silva better against the bench unit of Loyala if you got to play him. Yeah f course now he is grabbing a few O boards now. If he can make it an advantage for us on that end it may mitigate his defensive liability some.

        Reply
  31. 2

    So apparently we will see Loyola get away with all kinds of fouls to get back into the game…unbelivable Calloo was called for that and not the little defender on him.

    Reply

  34. Been on the road all week, finally got radio reception for the game around Klamath Falls for the 1st half of this game and after halftime they switched it to political talk radio.

    Anybody know an alternate station i can tune into around here?

    Reply
  47. 5

    What’s the excuse by national media going to be now? It definitely won’t be how good the beavs played but how bad Loyola did.

    Reply

    • Your probably right.. but hopefully OSU will get some damn respect now!!.. Eventually media is going to HAVE to talk about them if they keep winning

      Reply
  50. 6

    They toyed with hero ball late but Ethan’s kick-out to Lucas for 3 extended it back to 7 or 9pt lead was the play of the game.

    Great win by Beavs, congrats to Tinkle and staff, very good game-plan and the bench settled everybody down in the first half.

    Defense kept them in it when Loyola could have gone up by double digits early.

    Reply
  51. 4

    Loyola didn’t really have the athletism to cause a lot of damage with their press. You can tell they won their games by being very efficient on offense and the Beavs shut them down for most of the game.

    Reply
  53. 1

    Congratulations Beavs. Didn’t hit a lot of threes just like LC. Story was the defense, free throws, Thompson, and two big shots by Lucas at the end. Teams start figuring out the defense but it’s too late in the game.

    Reply
  55. 7

    Tweet from Pete Thamel:

    The Pac-12 should be sending a thank you note to Oregon State. If they hold on and win, that’s about $6.72 million in NCAA units that will be distributed to the league just from OSU. That’s essentially an extra half-million per school that was completely unexpected.

    Reply
  56. 4

    So much for Sister Jean saying Loyola “shouldn’t play down to lesser competition”. Have a nice drive back to Chicago.

    Elite Eight baby!!!!

    Reply
  58. 1
    1

    Called it….better defense and better FT shooting and keeping Chicago in the 50s….i picked 69-62 do my 7 point margin was damned close. Way to freaking go Beaver! Lifetime contract for WT…well maybe a 20 year deal.

    Reply
  60. 1

    Stat line was amazingly even. The only real difference was we hit a few more tough shots (Lucas, ET, Calloo.)

    I guess that’s where the overall talent level helps.

    Reply
  63. 3

    For Monday, I guess there’s no real preference in opponent. Houston is better on defense but Syracuse is riding high. Let’s see how the game goes tonight.

    If it’s Syracuse, both teams leading scorers will be coach’s sons. Everyone’s doing it!!!

    Reply
  65. 29

    It’s nice to be able to celebrate something historic here on this blog in the major men’s sports. Enjoy the night, Beavos, and stay safe.

    Reply
  69. 5

    I think the Beavs have a real shot to beat either HOuston or Syracuse. Houston would be more of a traditional defense with a press to deal with, but I think the media would have difficulty giving the Beavs a chance against a 2 seed. Plays right into the Beavs mojo again.

    Reply
    • 1

      Just saw that…beavers back on track but don’t think UW baseball is a threat to beatany teams. UW still no hits in the series in 14.5 innings.

      Reply
  76. 3

    Would seem like the next matchup is syracuse. Stevie’s connection to the school. Wayne had his connection to loyola so makes sense that Syracuse would be next.

    Reply
  77. 4
    1

    I just heard some commentary on The Beavs from Doug Gottlieb on Westwood One. He said he was candidly surprised by their success and that Tinks has had better talent which underachieved in the past. He did give some credit for the defense playing better.

    I guess he’s not completely wrong, but he sounded kind of glum. I wonder if there was any acrimony with his brother leaving OSU?

    Reply
  78. 5
    1

    Interesting comments from Tinkle after last game and this game about “not cutting any corners to win at all costs,” and “doing the hard work the right way on the recruiting trail.” Sounds like he’s calling some people out and maybe there was a specific incident or two he has in mind.

    It’s crossed my mind as much as everyone talks about how good of a guy he is maybe he’s a little like Riley in that he’s a less effective recruiter in a way because he has less of a killer instinct and/or he’s committed to doing things above board.

    Reply
  84. 1

    This Houston team is legit. Absolutely relentless on defense and on the boards.

    They played championship ball tonight.

    Reply

    • Seemed like Syracuse was in the game until last 8 minutes or so. They kept shooting 3s and weren’t hitting. I like that the Beavs don’t rely on the 3 really at all. I saw Houston go long stretches without scoring. They only had 43 points until the 11 minute mark of the second half the Syracuse started getting separate and turning the ball over. Another ugly game coming up.

      Reply
  88. 5

    I just perused Houston’s schedule and it was a very vanilla schedule much like Loyola Chicago schedule. The two signature wins were Syracuse and Texas tech and I suppose you can throw in Boise state (beat them by 10 although BSU didn’t make the NCAA tournament). Beyond those wins, their schedule was very weak compared to OSU’S schedule and quality wins. OSU has been through the gauntlet compared to houston and think the battle tested beavers are ready and capable of beating Houston. I think about the last 6 or so games and how teams made repeated runs at the beavers only to be turned away. OSU knows how to close games out and havingng gone through tough opponent after tough opponent, I think they can do the same vs Houston. If OSU continues to play great defense and is efficient on offense and keeps Houston in the 60s, beavs have a great shot to win again…i have another good feeling about this game so we shall see.

    Reply
    • 1

      I’m a little concerned about Houston’s athleticism. If Silva can’t make shots he won’t be able to play much. They need rebounding from Thompson, Andela, and Alitishe throughout the game. Tucker may play a role. I wonder if Reichle can match up in this game? Maybe Silver gets more minutes? So many questions!

      Reply

      • Silva’s height allows him to defend the paint without moving much. He can alter shots standing still and make it harder for teams to use their athleticism. Also, rebounds.

        Reply

        • OSU has quality depth going 9 deep but I don’t know about Houston’s depth. If OSU controls the tempo, that’s another factor for a winning formula. .im going to watch some highlyghts of Houston as I haven’t watched them play at all…i know that analysts rave about them just like they did TN, OK st and Chicago L. but I’m pretty certain they haven’t played against a really tough team that defends like the beavers.

          Reply
  89. 17

    Am I wrong in wanting the Ducks to lose today? I want the Beavs to be the TOTAL story and I don’t believe in that state unity bullshit! Go Trojans!

    Reply

  90. Anyone have the numbers on fast break points allowed by the Beavs during this run? I really don’t recall them giving up many quick scoring plays. They are keeping the momentum most of the game and are making the other team work to get points.

    Reply
  91. 6

    Man, even after the game the National narrative continues to be “Loyola just had a cold night on offense.”

    Guess what? Mindset is a huge part of basketball. Champions believe they can bring it every night and don’t play tentatively. That’s what the Beavs did after the first 4-5 minutes. Most of Loyola looked tentative on offense all night long. They didn’t have a championship mindset and the Beavs did. End of story.

    Reply
    • 2

      Yeah once the Beavs disrupted the high post offense, the guards were unsure of how to initiate the offense. One of the analysts said it best, the Beavs made Krutwig play as a true center instead of a point center. He got his but wasn’t able to create offense for others. They don’t play hero ball at Loyola and with two min left in the game, I knew that they could not speed up the pace fast enough to catch up.

      Reply

      • Yeah, it was confusing seeing their lack of urgency with under three minutes left.

        One thing the Beavs do well is getting the ball to Lucas or ET when the shot clock is low or there is time pressure on the shot.

        Reply
        • 1

          Loyola was just elite in their ball denying and switching throughout the game. Reichle and Lucas could not get away from their guys even with screening action. Someone was always on their hip. Don’t know if either got off any clean looks. Maybe one or two by Lucas.

          Hunt and Thompson had a hard time initiating the offense because the other guards couldn’t break free.

          Reply

    • Before the game they went on about Loyola’s defense.. would have thought OSU would be lucky to not be shutout going up against their Juggernaut of a defense. lol. but to your point.. even after OSU won the game most shows talked about what Loyola did wrong as opposed to what OSU did right to win the game

      Reply
  92. 8
    1

    Oregon State doesn’t serve the National Narrative (ESPN), the Pac-12’s Narrative, or even the State of Oregon’s Narrative. The narrators are lazy and want tried and true scripts.

    Reply
    • 4

      But the Cinderella narrative has been trotted out every year for every non-‘blueblood’/low seeded team that makes even the sweet 16. This year a back of the pack darkhorse run is seen as a fluke undeserving of even a modicum of admiration or respect.

      Reply
    • 5

      I know, did anyone catch the “Rocket Mortgage” commercial featuring NCAA mascots yesterday? Of course, the Duck was featured prominently throughout. Last I heard the football team went 4-3 last year and basketball hasn’t won any titles since 1939.

      Reply
  94. 1

    Stayed overnight at the Peppermill casino/hotel friday night on the way home from my road trip. That casino was just jam packed with people, all smoking and drinking and living it up. The casino had these little signs on every machine with step by step instructions showing people how to smoke and drink while wearing a mask.

    1. Pull down mask
    2. Take a drink or drag
    3. Pull mask back up

    The casinos are loving those stimulus checks

    Reply
    • 1

      So, Monday vs UW, back to Corvallis for a Tue 6pm date with U of Portland and then a Thur-Fri-Sat series vs Utah.
      Long range weather looks very good for all those games.

      Reply
  100. 1

    WBB: Guitar picker goes home………
    Jazz Simmons announces she’s going back to Australia.
    As mentioned before, one of Rueck’s challenges is the number of good gals on the Good Gals squad.

    “I have been so blessed by everyone …Corvallis, I am going to miss you, thank you for every single second you’ve blessed me with. Australia, I will see you very soon”

    Reply
    • 2

      Good luck to her but her game wasn’t exactly FBS Power Five level anyway IMO. this opens up a roster spot for a quality transfer in the portal.

      Reply
  105. 2

    In another everyone does it episode,

    USC hired the Mobley brothers father as an assistant coach a couple years ago. But hey, everyone does it.

    Reply
  106. 2

    Watching uo v usc, announcers talk about what a great story if usc and ucla both make the elite 8…strangely missing the exact same story line if uo join the beavs. Sad

    Reply
  107. 1

    Did I read that right, Quacks don’t have a starter over 6’6″? One would think if any team can exploit that, it would be USC with the Mobley Bros.

    Reply
  109. 4

    Ducks on a 9-0 run, only down 11 with 6 minutes to go. USC not running any offense and not rebounding. USC gets it together and wins 82-68! No more Quacks!

    Reply

  111. Basketball X and O question. We play extremely aggressive and fast on defense (everyone is always running) but slow as heck on offense. Is this intentional to get rest to play great defense?

    Reply

    • It shortens the game and gives fewer scoring opportunities for the opposition. OSU wants to control the tempo and they do that to keep the opposition out of transition baskets and prevent them from getting into rhythm. Of course to be successful you need to rebound, hit shots and make your foul shots. So far that strategy has worked…..

      Reply
    • 3

      I think he was the one that said neither the beavs Mbb or Wbb had the talent to make the tournament and said they wouldn’t. I guess those comments show how little he really knows about basketball or how to recognize talent. It’s always a great day when the beavers make guys like him look foolish. Beavers are in the Elite 8 and the Quackers are sitting at home where they deserve to be. It’s a great day to be part of Beaver Nation.

      Reply
  113. 2

    That was a beat down, but I kind of wanted to see Gonzaga completely destroy the ducks on national TV. The schadenfreude levels would have been off the charts.

    Reply
  114. 1

    Funny how now we’re back to “WE” when talking about the basketball team. Most of the season it was “they.” Not being critical – just nice to see the hoop team getting some love. As disappointed as I’ve been for most of the Tinkle run – I’ve never doubted the effort or enthusiasm by all involved. Though I was wondering what the deal was with all the players transferring out – which is never a good sign. The team does seem to be going with a deeper rotation and getting more players involved since they started winning.

    Reply
    • 1

      From what I have heard, Tinkle was kind of a whip cracker for a while. Sounds like this year, he finally abandoned that and started instilling more confidence in his players. People have accepted lesser roles because Tinkle is not on them as hard when they make mistakes in limited time. He knows he has talent 10 deep and he is not afraid to let those guys play big minutes if necessary. I think the combination of Tinkle being a bit of a hard ass and coache’s sons soaking up minutes made for a poor environment.

      Reply
  115. 2

    Some decent remarks RE OSU:

    “Oregon State isn’t a Cinderella

    That’s moniker is given to lower seeds that advance. The slipper doesn’t fit the Beavers, even though they’re just the second No. 12 team to make the Elite Eight. This is a quality team that won 10 games in the Pac-12 regular season, including three of their last four and then ran through the conference tournament.

    Oregon State has earned its way, too. The road in this tournament included comfortable wins against Tennessee and Oklahoma State before handling the difficult challenge of Loyola Chicago.

    That’s one Pac-12 school in the regional finals with at least one more guaranteed tomorrow. Their late-season success isn’t surprising because conference schools had less preparation time than normal due to coronavirus restrictions. With coaches having less contact during the summer, teams got a late start and took some time finding their way. ”

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2021/03/28/ncaa-tournament-march-madness-sweet-16-mens-takeaways/7033907002/

    Reply
  117. 1

    Matchups Matchups Matchups, all about matchups.

    Every team is good at this point. Everyone is on a hot streak. Every analyst is picking Houston. Every betting site is picking Houston even to cover.

    Do the Beavs have any advantages? Statistically, no. If you research every team stat, and even compare just the tourney games, Houston has the edge on both ends. If this were a video game simulation, the Beavs would lose 90 out of 100.

    Beavs have had a tougher road to the Elite 8 while Houston has only faced double digit seeds and played in a two bid conference. Is that an advantage? Not really.

    Looking at the game vs Syracuse, there’s not much to take away. The zone that Syracuse played is much different than the matchup zone the Beavs play. Houston attacked the middle of the 2-3 and was able to run the offense from there. They’ll need to run a different style of offense vs the Beavs and have to adapt when Beavs start switching styles.

    There are two advantages the Beavs have, one is height. Houston’s tallest player is 6’8″. Houston shoots 3 pointers at a higher clip than most which allows them to collect long rebounds on the offensive end so it might be negated. But on the offensive end, Silva would have a 4-5 inches on his defender. Can he have similar game to his Tennessee performance? Tucker and Calloo would have the same advantage. Houston front court can get into foul trouble at times.

    The second one is mental toughness. Getting skunked the way they did early in the game vs Loyola could have really put them into a vicious cycle but they dug down and responded the entire game. Beavs didn’t score a bucket until 13:51 left in the first half. Not sure how much adversity Houston has faced this year, but in the tourney they haven’t had much. Rutgers collapsed more than Houston took the game away. In the Syracuse and Cleveland state game, Houston never trailed.

    This matchup is most similar to Tennessee in that the Beavs have the height advantage in the paint and will face quick athletic guards. The difference is that Houston is a better offensive team and their leading guards aren’t freshmen.

    It comes down to can the Beavs make Houston play their game? Can the big men take advantage of the height and score? When Houston presses, can the Beavs break it? On defense, need to limit the long rebounds.

    Hopefully Lucas or Reichle can have a break out game. Need one of them to come up big.

    One x factor is the game is the location. The game will be played at Lucas Oil Field where the background behind the basket is much further away. It can mess with depth perception of 3 point shooters.

    Reply

    • I don’t buy that Houston is a better offensive team than Tennessee. Stats are deceiving based on strength of schedule. Houston’s offensive numbers are much lower in all of their games against quality competition.

      I think this a similar matchup to Tennessee based on talent and size, except that Houston seems to be mentally tougher (due to experience, among other things). Tinkle has preached “playing harder than the other team,” and the Beavs have to continue answering the call.

      Reply

      • Sampson is kind of a dirt bag, but he is a much better coach than the Tennessee coach, who is known for not doing well in the Tournament.

        Reply
  118. 1

    Finally got to watch the game on the dvr late last night. Another great win. Beavs D has really come a long way from the UA game in January.

    One more to go for the Final Four.

    In order to keep the good mojo……………..The Beavs all suck and Houston is going to absolutely destroy them.

    Reply
  119. 3

    It’s been all gravy since the Pac-12 tournament. I’m trying hard not to hope and want to just keep sitting back and enjoying in amazement. For all they hype the Giant Killers continue to get in football – people will be talking about this squad for the next 50 years. Surprised they haven’t earned a moniker of their own. Can’t really think of anything that sums it up.

    Reply
  120. 1

    When looking at stats for this matchup, remember that Houston has played 6 games against teams in the top 50. The Beavs have played 26!

    There’s a slight difference in strength of schedule.

    Reply

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here