The Oregon State men's basketball non-conference slate featured a stretch of consecutive wins that was unmatched in the program's last 13 seasons.
Yet it ended on Dec. 21 with a loss at sub-.500 Kent State in the Beavers' first true road game, snapping the six-game streak. OSU (8-4) now opens Pac-12 play at 8 p.m. Friday, hosting Colorado (8-4) with a bevy of unanswered questions about how the team will respond to improved week-to-week competition.
The most significant headline of the season thus far was the unexpected departure of point guard JaQuori McLaughlin after six games. Head coach Wayne Tinkle's best teams at Montana featured multiple point guards and the Beavers' NCAA Tournament squad in 2016 was built on dazzling the two-way performances of senior point guard Gary Payton II.