The Barometer Online

Issue date: 2/19/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Curtis Barnard Roeland Schaftenaar is second on the Oregon State roster with 9.2 points per game. Schaftenaar averages three assists per game.

This weekend the Oregon State men's basketball team will take the floor at Gill for the last time this year. Unexpectedly enough, the Beavers are attempting to complete a series sweep against two teams - against the Stanford Cardinal tonight at 7 p.m., and against the Golden Bears on Saturday at 2 p.m.

This is another opportunity in a season of firsts for the Beavers, as no senior on the Stanford roster has ever lost a game played at Gill Coliseum.

"We already got a message from one of the parents of the players that the seniors on that team have never lost at Gill," Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson said. "So they're going to come in with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of intensity, so we want to make sure we meet that."

Intensity should be running high this weekend, as it's not only the last two home games of the exciting season but also a chance for the Beavers to climb back to the .500 mark and climb even higher up the ladder that is the Pac-10 standings.

The weekend will be as tough a test as any, however, as the Beavers will face two teams that force high amounts of pressure, adding to the already-melting pot of expectations to improve upon the 2-5 conference record at home.

"When we played them the first time we just tried to replicate their pressure and we did a good job of it," Robinson said. "This time around we expect the same kind of pressure and we've just got to be prepared for them to have much more intensity than they had the last game."

The intensity of the Beavers has continued to grow as the possibility of a post-season birth is still ever-looming, but also the increase in playing time of Josh Tarver and freshman walk-on Kevin McShane has added a new dynamic and even more depth to Oregon State's game plan.

"Right now we're playing nine and hopefully we'll be able to get 10 guys into the game this weekend," Robinson said.

It's at that point in the season now where everything gets harder. Everyone in the league is tired, but with the last post-season spots up for grabs it's imperative for the Beavers to stay focused and utilize their new-found depth to the fullest.

Continued...

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