Long Beach St.-Oregon St. Preview (Mar 14, 2017)
A year ago, there was not much pressure on Oregon State, and the squad made a memorable dash to the Final Four.
This season is a bit different because there are expectations for the Beavers to return to that lofty level.
Second-seeded Oregon State (29-4) begins its tourney journey on Friday when it hosts No. 15 seed Long Beach State (23-10) in the Stockton Regional.
A program that didn't once reach the NCAA Tournament between 1996-2013 is making its fourth consecutive appearance. Last season's historic sprint ended with a loss to eventual champion Connecticut but the lessons linger and have helped fueled the program's third consecutive regular-season Pac-12 title.
"Last year's success has positioned this team to believe that they can, to know they can, to know it's possible," Beavers coach Scott Rueck said. "That's one thing that, a year ago, we hadn't done yet ... that experience has led to the success this year. It grew us up really quick this year knowing that, 'Hey, we can do it.' We've got a plan that works."
Eighth-ranked Oregon State also has star power in the form of senior guard Sydney Wiese, a finalist for the Naismith Award given to the nation's best player.
Wiese leads the Beavers in scoring (15.7), assists (4.6) and 3-point baskets (100). She holds the school record of 614 career assists and the Pac-12 mark of 370 career 3-pointers.
Oregon State went 10-21 the season before Weise arrived. The Beavers are 112-25 since she began suiting up.
"I think it goes to show the culture that has been set and the standard set by coach Rueck and his staff and all the girls who have committed to this school," Wiese told reporters. "We had that vision, we wanted to do that and for it to become real, it's credit to all the work and preparation and experiences we've been through as a group."
Junior center Marie Gulich (10.0 points, team-best 8.1 rebounds) is the only other player scoring in double digits. Junior center Breanna Brown (59 blocks) and Gulich (55) have helped Oregon State hold opponents to 34.2 percent shooting.
Long Beach State is in the tournament for the first time since 1992.
The 49ers have won six of their past seven games and qualified for the NCAA Tournament by beating UC Santa Barbara in the Big West tournament final.
Long Beach State's success hinges on a pressure defense that forces 20.6 turnovers per game. Four players have 40 or more steals.
"Not a lot of teams play the style that we do, aggressive and up-tempo," two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Year Jewelyn Sawyer told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. "We'll see what happens."
Senior guard Raven Benton averages a team-best 11.4 points, while senior point guard Anna Kim (10.3) and senior forward Madison Montgomery (10.0) also average in double digits.
The winner of the contest plays either No. 7 Creighton or No. 10 Toledo on Sunday.
