Stanford-Oregon State: College Basketball Feb. 19, 2009 Against the Spread

The Oregon State Beavers (11-13) (5-8) host the Stanford Cardinals as a heavy underdog Thursday night. Oregon State has been my team this year and has covered three times as double-digit underdogs.

The Beavers are led by senior G Calvin Haynes, who has been deemed as their go-to guy in the clutch. Haynes scored 17 points in their last outing as a heavy underdog against Washington State and helped the Beavers pull the upset.

Beaver’s Head Coach Craig Robinson has instilled excellence in this program since his brother-in-law (Barack Obama) was elected as president. Robinson took a program that has been consistently the worst in the Pac-10 over the past decade and transformed it overnight.

Oregon State’s record may not be something to normally cheer about, but five wins in the Pac-10 is a pretty big deal for the Beavers.

Stanford (15-8) (4-8) is five-and-a-half games out of the Pac-10, and their only hope for making the NCAA tournament at this point is to win the conference tournament. They are a mediocre team that can’t seem to win a big game.

Stanford is led by G Anthony Goods, who has been a premiere three-point shooter on the season, averaging 16 points a game. Cardinal F Lawerence Hill has also played consistently, averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds.

The first time these two met was in Palo Alto, and Stanford beat Oregon State convincingly, 77-62. This game will be different because of the Beaver’s new fanbase in Corvalis. Their home court has been roaring lately, and former player A.C. Greene has been sitting courtside in honor of the Beavers' success.

All the old alums are heading back to Corvalis to cheer on the Beavers and they have responded at home. Oregon State has inferior talent to other Pac-10 schools, but has been overachieving with what they have.

I like Oregon State to come out fired up and beat Stanford.

The Pick Against the Spread:
Oregon State ML over Stanford

For more of my picks visit me at www.cbbplace.com - Jordan