[joemontes]

RE: away road trip to Oregon. 

While Rueck and Graves are excellent coaches, I think that this year they may be slightly weaker than in years past. The Ducks have lost Endiya Rogers and Te-hina Pao-Pao to the transfer portal. In Corvalis key contributors, Bendu Yeaney and Jelena Mitrovic, have moved on to graduation - but they do still have a formidable trio in Reagan Beers, Talia Van Oelhoffen, and Timea Gardiner. I wouldn't be surprised if the Beavers surpassed the Ducks this season despite Chance Gray's and Grace Van Slooten's best efforts in Eugene. 

In looking at the Pac-12 schedule, it looks like we have an inside track to the title as we have the fortune of only playing UCLA/USC and Colorado/Utah once each. I'd think that that gauntlet of teams will all be inside the Top 5/6 this year - so hopefully we'll find a way to come through unscathed against them.

Oregon State will be much better this season.  Van Oelhoffen was never 100% healthy last season and it showed in many of OSU's close losses.  She's much better now.  Talia is the engine that makes the Beavers one of those teams that could contend for one of the top 4-5 spots.

Oregon State has a pretty good core consisting of last season's top 3 scorers 
in 6'4 BEERS (#10 overall in 2022), 5'11 VAN OELHOFFEN (#25 overall in 2021)
and 6'3 GARDINER (#6 overall in 2022) plus wing players
6'1 MAROTTE (#63 overall in 2021)  and 6'0 BLACKLOCK.  
They will probably comprise their starting five.

The graduated 6'9 MITROVIC will be sufficiently replaced by a pair of transfers 
in 6'5 Kelsey REES (from Utah) and 6'7 Sela HEIDE (from Cal)

In my opinion, what they really lack is a true PG in the recent tradition
of Mikayla PIVEC, Destiny SLOCUM and Aliyah GOODMAN,   
The graduated Bendu YEANEY was their starting PG last year, 
and she was pretty decent at best.

[joemontes]

RE: away road trip to Oregon. 

While Rueck and Graves are excellent coaches, I think that this year they may be slightly weaker than in years past. The Ducks have lost Endiya Rogers and Te-hina Pao-Pao to the transfer portal. In Corvalis key contributors, Bendu Yeaney and Jelena Mitrovic, have moved on to graduation - but they do still have a formidable trio in Reagan Beers, Talia Van Oelhoffen, and Timea Gardiner. I wouldn't be surprised if the Beavers surpassed the Ducks this season despite Chance Gray's and Grace Van Slooten's best efforts in Eugene. 

In looking at the Pac-12 schedule, it looks like we have an inside track to the title as we have the fortune of only playing UCLA/USC and Colorado/Utah once each. I'd think that that gauntlet of teams will all be inside the Top 5/6 this year - so hopefully we'll find a way to come through unscathed against them.

Oregon State will be much better this season.  Van Oelhoffen was never 100% healthy last season and it showed in many of OSU's close losses.  She's much better now.  Talia is the engine that makes the Beavers one of those teams that could contend for one of the top 4-5 spots.

Oregon State has a pretty good core consisting of last season's top 3 scorers 
in 6'4 BEERS (#10 overall in 2022), 5'11 VAN OELHOFFEN (#25 overall in 2021)
and 6'3 GARDINER (#6 overall in 2022) plus wing players
6'1 MAROTTE (#63 overall in 2021)  and 6'0 BLACKLOCK.  
They will probably comprise their starting five.

The graduated 6'9 MITROVIC will be sufficiently replaced by a pair of transfers 
in 6'5 Kelsey REES (from Utah) and 6'7 Sela HEIDE (from Cal)

In my opinion, what they really lack is a true PG in the recent tradition
of Mikayla PIVEC, Destiny SLOCUM and Aliyah GOODMAN,   
The graduated Bendu YEANEY was their starting PG last year, 
and she was pretty decent at best.