At the beginning of the 2016-2017 season, a return trip to the NCAA Tournament seemed like a possible destination for the Oregon State Beavers. Despite losing a wealth of talent in the off-season, headlined by star player Gary Payton II, head coach Wayne Tinkle looked to have a roster that could both compete and develop throughout the course of the season and likely exceed their Pac-12 preseason poll prediction of a ninth place finish. Then came a match-up with Lamar.
A 2-0 squad heading into a showdown with the Cardinals, Oregon State squandered their chances against an upstart group from the Southland Conference in a three-point loss, which would eventually trigger a downward spiral of epic proportions.