Back in late July, it was announced that Oregon State would match-up with Big East dark-horse St. John’s in the Beavers opening game of the Advocare Invitational in Orlando, Florida, in what is expected to be an intriguing match-up between two surging teams. For the Red Storm, Chris Mullin’s guys are expected to “take the leap” in year three of the Hall of Famer’s tenure and become solid contenders in a fluid Big East. For Oregon State, it’s simply a case of any marked improvement will be better, after last year’s abysmal 5-27 outing.
St. John’s will be led by the fearsome back-court duo of rising sophomores Shamorie Ponds (17.