The loss at UCLA was on Craig Robinson and his stubbornness in playing untalented seniors over his more talented youth. A big problem surrounding OSU athletics is the notion that experience equates to leadership. This problem infests both major men's sports, and could be a sign of the university's collective conservative mentality. OSU seems a step behind the times at all times. Fans blame finances, but I don't think money had anything to do with Craig Robinson playing Wallace and Haynes down the stretch. 

The Robinson honeymoon ended on Thursday. The media needs to start asking him the logic behind his coaching and lineup decisions. Why hasn't a single pundit had the guts to ask why Wallace and Haynes are in at the end of games? What is with the Oregon media? Can someone explain?

Moving on…

If the goal is to make the NIT, the Beavers must now win games they're expected to lose. They did this earlier by sweeping the Arizona schools. Over the next two weeks, they play three winnable games in USC, Oregon, and Cal. I'd say all three are must wins if they want a shot at an NIT bid. That being said, the reality is that winning the Pac-10 Tournament is their best chance for post season play, and if that's the case, Robinson better start figuring out his lineups starting tonight. More simply put, Wallace and Haynes (and possibly Burton) cannot so much sniff the floor if the game is close in the 2nd half.

TV: FSN

Radio: KPAM

Stream: None

Hmm. Two wins, at home, versus the Arizona schools followed by two losses on the road against the Washington schools.

What to make of this? The short answer is: "who knows?"

The sample is way too small to form any conclusions, but it seems as if both Washington schools are better than the Arizona schools, so there's that; then factor in that both loses were away games. To me it's what one should expect from a young, talented team that is searching for their identity and confidence.

Now into town comes a vulnerable UCLA squad. While the Bruins are clearly down, it should be noted the Beavers have lost 11 straight to this program, dating back to 2005, and the Bruins hold an 86-34 historical advantage. However, the Bruins have issues. Lazeric Jones has a ruptured tendon in his finger, Josh Smith has attacked Pac-10 refs in the media (which will not win him any calls), and Ben Howland has moved to a zone defense in search of answers. Tyler Honeycutt is the best player for the Bruins. If OSU insists on the 1-3-1 expect him to make them pay.

That being said, I actually prefer the Beavs in this one. UCLA is the brand name and safe pick, but I can't shake the feeling that they're in the midst of an existential crisis that trumps Oregon State's sophomoric inconsistency. It won't be a blowout, but something along the lines of Beavs by 4 sounds about right to me. 

TV: FSN

Radio: KPAM

Stream: None, check justin.tv after tip off.

Having watched Washington wear down Oregon on Thursday night, I have a good feel about how the game will play out this afternoon. It's amazing how much clearer a prediction can be if you actually get to see these teams on TV. It's 2011 now Fox, come on already, put games on TV.

Anyway, for those who didn't see the game, Oregon was able to hang with Washington for a half. They even took the lead early in the 2nd quarter. Then they made a few bad passes, failed to capitalize on Washington's spree of turnovers, and when Washington started driving to the basket (capped by an IT dunk) the crowd went wild, the momentum shifted, and the game quickly got out of hand. Washington gained more confidence; Oregon fell to 0-3 in conference (ha ha!).

From what I saw, Thomas and Ross are Washington's best players. Bryan-Amaning looked to be a force inside, too.

The Beavers will come out amped for this game. Washington is #1 in the conference, so they will receive everyone's best shot. And the Beavs know that with a win they take over that position. For this reason, expect mad effort in the first ten minutes. The problem is the Beavers commit too many turnovers, and while they get steals and force turnovers themselves, they do not capitalize on them, which in the final analysis makes the turnovers they do get a net loss (i.e. it is a lot of energy wasted to steal a pass, sprint down the court, and miss a layup 5 to 10 times per game). For this reason, I see the Beavers "fading" as this game progresses.

Washington reportedly has problems with zones, but I saw them shred Oregon's 2-3. If the Beavers play man, match-ups will be a problem. Who covers Thomas? I'd put Cunningham on him. Ross is another problem. Nelson needs to see 25 minutes in this game and hang out in Terrance's back pocket. There's no answer for Bryan-Amaning. Neither Brandt nor Burton can handle his size or moves. Collier is still a bit too green. I expect BA to be Washington's high scorer, possibly teeing of for 30. Then there's the supporting cast, who seem to do a solid job of nailing the coffin when you stop their core guys.

I think the Beavs best chance in this game is playing a 2-3 zone and switching up to man randomly to confuse Washington. Washington likes to run, so playing a deliberate half court game (on offense) could frustrate the Dawgs. The Beavers also need to capitalize on the steals and turnovers they do get, otherwise they are just helping Washington by tiring themselves, as I noted above. Finally, making free throws (sound fundamentals) will be important. We can't have Joe Shaq Burton doing his best mason impression and bricking free throws. I don't know, it's hard to make much of a case for OSU, but the aforementioned are some ways I can foresee them at least neutralize the game a bit and keeping it close into the second half. If that happens, then all bets are off.

Gametime: 3:30 PST

TV: Fox Sports

Stream: None, but check Justin.tv after tipoff to see if any rabid fans are streaming it.

Radio: Kpam

Go Beavs, take the conference lead.