There has been one constant when it comes to Beaver basketball -- the defense.
Wayne Tinkle stressed defense from his first day on the job and the Oregon State men’s basketball team responded. The Beavers led the Pac-12 in steals, 3-point field goal percentage defense and turnover margin. They also set school records for scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense.
Individually, Gary Payton II was voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, joining his father and Seth Tarver as Oregon State players to receive the prestigious honor.