CORVALLIS - In the glow of the Oregon State men's basketball team's first conference win Sunday, arguably the highest praise directed toward the Beavers came from a coach outside their practice court.
OSU football coach Gary Andersen, who attended the 68-67 comeback victory over Utah on his 53rd birthday, grinned as he brought up the win Tuesday after his team's practice. It was not long ago that Andersen and his team had their own double-digit Pac-12 losing streak, which they snapped in October before closing the 2016 season with back-to-back wins.
During his offseason, Andersen reflected to seeing the basketball team in the weight room in the midst of their losing streak and admired the consistency with which the Beavers approached the grind of what outsiders considered a lost season.