Picked last. Finished first.
The four sweetest words for Oregon State basketball this season, as the Beavers claimed their first-ever Pac-12 tournament championship Saturday night, beating Colorado 70-68 in Las Vegas.
Oregon State is the first team in Pac-12/10 history to win the conference tournament after it was picked to finish last in the preseason media poll.
The fifth-seeded Beavers (17-12) held off a determined last-minute bid by No. 3 Colorado to earn the conference’s automatic NCAA tournament berth. McKinley Wright’s three-point heave from half-court missed the mark, and the Beavers erupted in celebration.
OREGON ST. (3-0)
Alatishe 4-8 0-1 8, Silva 2-4 1-2 5, Lucas 3-8 6-7 14, Reichle 3-4 0-0 7, Thompson 3-9 0-0 7, Hunt 3-6 2-2 10, Calloo 6-11 0-0 15, Andela 1-1 1-2 3, Silver 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 25-52 11-16 70.
COLORADO (2-1)
Battey 7-9 2-3 16, Walton 1-3 0-1 2, Parquet 1-3 0-0 2, Wright 6-13 5-8 18, Schwartz 3-5 2-4 11, Horne 2-10 2-2 6, Daniels 2-2 0-0 5, Walker 1-5 1-2 4, da Silva 1-2 0-0 2, Barthelemy 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-53 12-20 68.
Halftime_Oregon St. 33-28. 3-Point Goals_Oregon St. 9-22 (Calloo 3-6, Hunt 2-3, Lucas 2-7, Reichle 1-1, Thompson 1-4, Silver 0-1), Colorado 6-19 (Schwartz 3-4, Daniels 1-1, Walker 1-3, Wright 1-3, Parquet 0-1, Walton 0-1, da Silva 0-1, Horne 0-5). Rebounds_Oregon St. 27 (Alatishe 7), Colorado 30 (Battey 8). Assists_Oregon St. 14 (Thompson 4), Colorado 10 (Wright 7). Total Fouls_Oregon St. 19, Colorado 15.