# Oregon State Beavers men's basketball

The Oregon State Beavers men's basketball program, established in 1901, is the intercollegiate men's basketball program of Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Members of the West Coast Conference in NCAA Division I, the team plays home games on campus at Gill Coliseum, and the current head coach is Wayne Tinkle.
Oregon State has won 14 conference championships and appeared in the NCAA tournament 18 times (three (1980–82) were later vacated by the NCAA). The Beavers have advanced to the Final Four twice (1949, 1963), and their most recent tournament appearance was in 2021, when they advanced to the Elite Eight after winning their first tournament games since 1982.
As of the 2023 season the Oregon State men's basketball holds the NCAA record for most games played against a single opponent with 362 games played against the Oregon Ducks men's basketball team and the NCAA record for 2nd most victories against a single opponent with 195 victories against the Ducks.

## Conferences

| Years | Conference |
| 1901–1908 | Independent |
| 1908–1915 | Northwest Conference (NWC) |
| 1915–1959 | Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) |
| 1959–1964 | Independent |
| 1964–2024 | Pac-12 Conference ^ |
| 2024– | West Coast Conference |
^ Pac-12's previous names: AAWU (1959–1968), Pacific-8 (1968–1978), and Pacific-10 (1978–2011)

## Coaches

The Oregon State men's basketball team has had 21 head coaches, with one interim (2008). Both Amory T. "Slats" Gill and Ralph Miller are members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Craig Robinson, the coach preceding Wayne Tinkle, was hired by OSU in 2008 out of Brown University, where he had just coached the Bears to a school-record 19 wins. Robinson is the brother of United States first lady Michelle Obama, and the brother-in-law to United States President Barack Obama. The longest-tenured head coach was Slats Gill, who was the coach for 36 seasons, winning 599 games during his time at OSU. The current coach, Wayne Tinkle, was hired by OSU in 2014 from the University of Montana – Missoula, where he coached the Montana Grizzlies to two Big Sky Conference championships and a school-record 25 wins.
| Head Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
| J. B. Patterson | 1902 | 1–2 | .333 |
| J. W. Viggers | 1903 | 5–1 | .883 |
| W. O. Trine | 1904–1907 | 39–7 | .848 |
| Roy Heater | 1908 | 7–4 | .636 |
| E. D. Angell | 1909–1910 | 19–8 | .704 |
| Clifford Reed | 1911 | 3–5 | .375 |
| E. J. Stewart | 1912–1916 | 67–33 | .670 |
| Everett May | 1917 | 11–7 | .611 |
| Howard Ray | 1918 | 15–0 | 1.000 |
| Homer Woodson Hargiss | 1919–1920 | 10–25 | .286 |
| Dick Rutherford | 1921–1922 | 27–19 | .587 |
| Bob Hager | 1923–1928 | 115–53 | .685 |
| Slats Gill | 1929–1964 | 599–392 | .604 |
| Paul Valenti | 1965–1970 | 91–82 | .526 |
| Ralph Miller | 1971–1989 | 359–186 | .659 |
| Jim Anderson | 1990–1995 | 79–90 | .467 |
| Eddie Payne | 1996–2000 | 52–88 | .371 |
| Ritchie McKay | 2001–2002 | 22–37 | .372 |
| Jay John | 2003–2008 | 72–97 | .426 |
| Kevin Mouton (interim) | 2008 | 0–13 | .000 |
| Craig Robinson | 2008–2014 | 93–104 | .469 |
| Wayne Tinkle | 2014–present | 140–177 | .442 |

## History
### 1980–83 – Orange Express

The 1980–81 Oregon State men's basketball season was arguably one of the best yet most upsetting basketball seasons in Oregon State history. The team was referred to as the Orange Express and was led by Beaver legendary coach Ralph Miller. The Orange Express season was led by Beaver great, Steve Johnson, in his last year at OSU, and the Beavers were second in the final polls, released prior to the NCAA tournament. This was the first time in OSU history that the Beavers won at UCLA, and the Orange Express spent a school record eight weeks ranked first in at least one of the AP and Coaches Polls. At the end of the regular season, the Beavers were 26–1 and entered the 48-team NCAA tournament as the top seed in the West region. They had a bye in the first round, but were upset in their opening game by #8 seed Kansas State 50–48 in the second round, at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. Miller was awarded UPI and AP Coach of the Year honors and Steve Johnson received All-American honors.
For three seasons beginning in 1980–81, OSU posted an overall record of 77–11 (.875), second only to DePaul's 79–6 record over the same seasons. The Beavers' record included a 35–1 home record at Gill Coliseum, including a school best 24 consecutive home wins.
However, NCAA sanctions followed these standout teams. The NCAA found that many players, from 1979 to 1983 were involved in improper arrangements with outside representative related to the purchase of complimentary basketball tickets and the receipt of other prohibited benefits. The NCAA vacated appearances from the 1980, 1981, and 1982 tournaments.

## Postseason
### NCAA tournament results

The Beavers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 18 times. Their combined record is 15–21. OSU had three NCAA Tournament appearances (1980, 1981 and 1982) vacated by the NCAA, resulting in 15 recognized appearances and an "official" NCAA Tournament record of 13–18. Their former 46-year drought between "official" tournament wins was the longest drought of any team from a major conference.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1947 | | Elite Eight Regional 3rd Place | Oklahoma Wyoming | L 55–56 W 63–46 |
| 1949 | | Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place | Arkansas Oklahoma A&M Illinois | W 56–38 L 30–55 L 53–57 |
| 1955 | | Round of 24 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Bye Seattle San Francisco | W 83–71 L 56–57 |
| 1962 | | Round of 25 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Seattle Pepperdine #19 UCLA | W 69–65 $^{OT}$ W 69–67 L 69–88 |
| 1963 | | Round of 25 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place | Seattle San Francisco #4 Arizona State #1 Cincinnati #2 Duke | W 70–66 W 65–31 W 83–65 L 46–80 L 63–85 |
| 1964 | | Round of 25 | Seattle | L 57–61 |
| 1966 | | Round of 22 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Bye Houston Utah | W 63–60 L 64–70 |
| 1975 | | Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place | Middle Tennessee State #3 Indiana Central Michigan | W 78–67 L 71–81 L 87–88 |
| 1980* | 2 W | Round of 48 Round of 32 | Bye (10) Lamar | L 77–81* |
| 1981* | 1 W | Round of 48 Round of 32 | Bye (8) Kansas State | L 48–50* |
| 1982* | 2 W | Round of 48 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Bye (7) Pepperdine (3) #8 Idaho (1) #6 Georgetown | W 70–51* W 60–42* L 45–69* |
| 1984 | 6 ME | Round of 48 | (11) West Virginia | L 62–64 |
| 1985 | 10 S | Round of 64 | (7) Notre Dame | L 70–79 |
| 1988 | 12 S | Round of 64 | (5) Louisville | L 61–70 |
| 1989 | 6 W | Round of 64 | (11) Evansville | L 90–94 $^{OT}$ |
| 1990 | 5 W | Round of 64 | (12) Ball State | L 53–54 |
| 2016 | 7 W | Round of 64 | (10) VCU | L 67–75 |
| 2021 | 12 MW | Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | (5) Tennessee (4) #11 Oklahoma State (8) #17 Loyola–Chicago (2) #6 Houston | W 70–56 W 80–70 W 65–58 L 61–67 |
* Appearances and results from 1980, 1981, and 1982 were later vacated by the NCAA.

### NIT results

The Beavers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) four times, with a combined record of 3–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1979 | First Round | Nevada | L 61–62 |
| 1983 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Idaho New Orleans Fresno State | W 77–59 W 88–71 L 67–76 |
| 1987 | First Round Second Round | New Mexico California | W 85–82 L 62–65 |
| 2005 | Opening Round | Cal State Fullerton | L 83–85 |

### CBI results

The Beavers have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) four times. Their combined record is 7–4, and they were the champions in 2009.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2009 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals–Game 1 Finals–Game 2 Finals–Game 3 | Houston Vermont Stanford UTEP UTEP UTEP | W 49–45 W 71–70 $^{OT}$ W 66–63 $^{OT}$ W 75–69 L 63–70 W 81–73 |
| 2010 | First Round | Boston University | L 78–96 |
| 2012 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Western Illinois TCU Washington State | W 80–59 W 101–81 L 55–72 |
| 2014 | First Round | Radford | L 92–96 |

## All-time record vs. Pac-12 opponents

| Opponent | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Streak |
| Arizona | 23 | 72 | .242 | OSU 1 |
| Arizona St. | 45 | 55 | .450 | ASU 1 |
| California | 62 | 87 | .416 | Cal 1 |
| Colorado | 11 | 21 | .343 | Colorado 2 |
| Oregon | 195 | 172 | .534 | Oregon 7 |
| Stanford | 73 | 73 | .500 | Stanford 3 |
| UCLA | 38 | 100 | .275 | UCLA 6 |
| USC | 64 | 73 | .467 | OSU 1 |
| Utah | 17 | 20 | .459 | OSU 1 |
| Washington | 140 | 163 | .462 | Washington 3 |
| Wash. St. | 176 | 132 | .570 | WSU 5 |
* Note all-time series includes non-conference matchups.

## Rivalries

Oregon Ducks — Oregon State's main rivalry (The Civil War) is with the Ducks. As of the 2023 season the Oregon State men's basketball holds the NCAA record for most games played against a single opponent with 362 games played against the Oregon Ducks men's basketball team and the NCAA record for 2nd most victories against a single opponent with 195 victories against the Ducks.
Washington Huskies — The Dog Fight is one of Oregon State's lesser-known rivalry games. As of 2023 they also have played rivals the Washington Huskies men's basketball 310 times (NCAA record 3rd most)
Washington State Cougars — The Land-Grant Rivalry as land-grant universities, WSU and OSU have a longtime regional rivalry. As of 2023 they also have played rivals the Washington State Cougars men's basketball 308 times (NCAA record 4th most) and have beaten the Cougars 176 times (NCAA record 6th most)
Arizona Wildcats – The Cat's Meow was coined during the 1980's Ralph Miller era when the Beavers would match-up against famed-coach Lute Olson's squad.

## Notable players

Oregon State has had 75 all-conference and 32 All-America selections, five Pac-10 Players of the Year, 42 players selected in the NBA draft, and 24 players that have gone on to play in the NBA. Additionally, OSU basketball alumni have 4 gold medals at the Olympics, including one by Lew Beck, who never played in the NBA. A total of 9 players have won 13 NBA titles, including three by A.C. Green, two by Brent Barry, two by Mel Counts, and one each by Red Rocha, Dave Gambee, Lonnie Shelton, Eric Moreland, Gary Payton and Gary Payton II .

### NBA players

* Brent Barry
* Vic Bartolome
* Corey Benjamin
* Ricky Berry
* Ray Blume
* Freddie Boyd
* Jay Carty
* Lester Conner
* Mel Counts
* Jared Cunningham
* Drew Eubanks
* Gary Freeman
* Dave Gambee
* A.C. Green
* Swede Halbrook
* Scott Haskin
* Jim Jarvis
* Omari Johnson
* Steve Johnson
* John Mandic
* Eric Moreland
* José Ortiz
* Gary Payton
* Gary Payton II
* Loy Petersen
* Mark Radford
* Red Rocha
* Lonnie Shelton
* Charlie Sitton
* Ethan Thompson
* Kylor Kelley

### International league players

* Stephen Thompson Jr. (born 1997), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League

### Retired numbers

Oregon State has retired the jersey numbers of five players:
Oregon State Beavers retired numbers :
| No. | Player | Career | No. ret. |
| 20 | Gary Payton | 1986–1990 | 1996 |
| 21 | Mel Counts | 1961–1964 | 1996 |
| 25 | Ed Lewis | 1930–1933 | 1999 |
| 33 | Steve Johnson | 1976–1981 | 1996 |
| 45 | A.C. Green | 1981–1985 | 1996 |

## NCAA records

The individual and team NCAA records below are current as of the end of the 2015–16 season.
Individual Records
* Field Goal Percentage (Single season)
** 1st – 74.6% — Steve Johnson, 1981 (235 of 315)
** 5th – 71.0% — Steve Johnson, 1980 (211 of 297)
* Field Goal Percentage (Career, min. 400 made and 4 made per game)
** 1st – 67.8% — Steve Johnson, 1976–81 (828 of 1,222)
* Field Goal Percentage (Single game, min. 12 field goals made)
** 1st (tie) – 100% Steve Johnson vs. Hawaii-Hilo (13 of 13), Dec. 5, 1979
* Field Goal Percentage – Senior
** 1st – 74.6% — Steve Johnson, 1981 (235 of 315)
* Field Goal Percentage – Junior
** 1st – 71.0% — Steve Johnson, 1980 (211 of 297)
* Total Rebounds (Single game)
** 16th (tie) – 36 – Swede Halbrook vs. Idaho, Feb. 15, 1955
* Assists (Career)
** 12th – 939 – Gary Payton, 1987–1990
* Average Assists Per Game (Career, min. 550 assists)
** 9th – 7.82 – Gary Payton, 1987–1990
* Steals (Career)
** 25th (tie) – 321 – Gary Payton, 1987–1990
Team Records
* Free-Throw Percentage (Single game, min. 30 free throws made)
** 16th (tie) – 30–31 vs. Memphis, Dec. 19, 1990
* Steals (Single game)
** 22nd (tie) – 27 vs. Hawaii-Loa, Dec. 22, 1985
* Field Goal Percentage (Season)
** 3rd – 56.4% – 1981
** 26th – 54.4% – 1980
* All-Time Victories (Min. 25 years in Division I)
** 26th – 1,797 wins
* Games played vs. Single Opponent
** 1st – 362 vs. Oregon
** 3rd – 310 vs. Washington
** 4th – 308 vs. Washington State
* Victories vs. Single Opponent
** 2nd – 195 vs. Oregon
** 6th – 176 vs. Washington State