The realignment wave led to Oregon and Oregon State residing in different conferences but the most contested rivalry in college basketball history is moving forward.
The Ducks and Beavers will meet for the 365th time on Thursday night when Oregon makes the drive north to face Oregon State in Corvallis. The Ducks have won the past seven meetings.
Both teams are 4-0 this season but the Ducks play in the Big Ten while the Beavers are part of a soon-to-be-reconfigured Pac-12 set to be unveiled for the 2026-27 school year.
Regardless of the animosity stemming from Oregon separating itself from Oregon State in athletics, both Ducks coach Dana Altman and Beavers coach Wayne Tinkle wanted to keep the rivalry going.
“I think it’s good for the state,” Altman said. “So as long as Wayne wants to play and you know our administration are good with it, we’re going to play.
“This is a rivalry that’s been played often. You know it’s one of the most played games ever. So I’m definitely not going to be the one to kill it. And you know I don’t think Wayne wants to either.”
Beavers guard Josiah Lake II is a native of Tualatin, located south of Portland, and said the contest means a lot to everyone associated with the Oregon State program.
“It feels weird that they’re not in our conference anymore,” Lake said. “But I do think the rivalry will continue. We see it as almost how they left us stranded a little bit. It makes us dig deeper, and want to win even more.”
Oregon State has won its four games by an average of 26.5 points with a high margin of 36. The closest was a 70-51 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Friday.
Nate Kingz is averaging a team-leading 16.8 points and has made 13 of 23 3-point attempts. Michael Rataj is averaging 15.3 points and a team-best 9.5 rebounds while Damarco Minor is contributing 11.3 points and a team-leading 5.0 assists.
The Ducks won their four games by an average of 19.3 points and survived a close call against Portland on Nov. 12. Oregon overcame a 13-point, second-half deficit to post an 80-70 overtime victory over the Pilots.
Nate Bittle leads the Ducks in both scoring (14.5) and rebounding (9.3). TJ Bamba chips in 12.3 points per game.
Oregon won both contests last season — 60-58 in Corvallis and 78-71 in Eugene.
–Field Level Media
