Oregon State’s Cinderella run extends to Elite Eight with win over Loyola: 3 things we learned
A brilliant defensive performance at Bankers Life Fieldhouse helped Oregon State advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1982.
The first Sweet 16 matchup of the day wasn’t a brilliant showcase of offensive basketball as Loyola-Chicago and Oregon State dug in on the defensive end. Some key performances from the bench helped the Beavers outlast the Ramblers 65-58 to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1982.
The win was Oregon State’s sixth straight win in an elimination game, an incredible run of high-pressure performances from Wayne Tinkle’s team. Let’s take a look at three key takeaways from today’s game.
Three key takeaways from Oregon State’s win over Loyola-Chicago
3. The Beavers’ defense is no joke
The Ramblers had dominated their Round of 32 win over Illinois, shooting 51 percent and relying on their own defense to shut down the Fighting Illini in a 71-58 win. The offense disappeared for Loyola-Chicago in this game as Oregon State held the Ramblers to just 32 percent shooting on the afternoon.
The Beavers had their most success playing a zone defense that collapsed on Cameron Krutwig whenever he got the ball, forcing the rest of the Ramblers to make plays. That tactic paid off as Krutwig’s teammates shot just 12-of-42 from the floor, lowlighted by a 3-of-11 shooting performance from fellow senior Lucas Williamson.
2. Loyola-Chicago faces an offseason of uncertainty
The last remnants of the Ramblers’ Final Four team are set to move on as both Krutwig and Williamson (barring a decision to return for a fifth year thanks to the NCAA’s waiver for athletes that played this season) have exhausted the remainder of their eligibility, leaving the future of Loyola-Chicago’s rising program in doubt.
The rest of the roster didn’t distinguish itself against the Beavers this afternoon, which could influence Porter Moser’s decision whether to pursue a high-major job or not.
Moser should be a hot candidate with schools like Indiana, Texas and Oklahoma all looking for new head coaches. If this is the time that Moser makes the jump to a power conference program, his stock may never be hotter.
1. Oregon State continues to thrive under pressure
Picked to finish last in the Pac-12 this season, Oregon State entered the conference tournament at 14-12 knowing that one loss would end their season. The Beavers haven’t lost since, relying on a strong combination of stellar defense, timely three-point shooting, and limiting turnovers to win games with clutch performances.
Tinkle deserves a ton of credit for taking a team with little experience in these kinds of moments and guiding it to an Elite Eight run. Oregon State is now just the second 12-seed to reach the regional finals and is playing with the kind of confidence it needs to complete an extremely unlikely trip to the Final Four.
Next up for the Beavers is a showdown in the Midwest Regional final on Monday night against either Syracuse or Houston. If the Orange can pull off the upset it would set up an unprecedented 11-vs-12 matchup for a spot in the Final Four.
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