The Oregon State Beavers are a great example of a forgotten college basketball program. The Beavers have a proud history, even if cheap Oregon State basketball tickets have become widely available in recent years amidst terrible struggles. However, programs with OSU’s history usually find a way of returning to prominence sooner or later. One day, the Beavers will be back in the upper-echelon of the Pac-12, and last-minute Oregon State basketball tickets will once again be in high demand.

Once Upon a Time

For over 30 years, head coach Slats Gill made the Beavers one of the best teams in the Pacific Coast Conference. In 36 years under Gills, Oregon State had just eight losing seasons. More importantly, he led the Beavers to five conference championships and the first two Final Four appearances in program history in 1949 and 1963.

The Orange Express

During the early 1980s, Oregon State had one of the best teams in the country under longtime coach and Hall of Famer Ralph Miller. The team earned the nickname the Orange Express and won four conference titles in a span of five seasons from 1980 to 1984. The NCAA would later vacate the accomplishments of the team because of improper benefits. But the Beavers were 119-29 during that five-year span and even reached no. 1 in the polls at one point.

On the Horizon

After Oregon State’s brief trip to the top under Miller, the Beavers fell a long way down. After 1990, OSU wouldn’t return to the NCAA Tournament again until 2016, with the program’s biggest accomplishment during that time being a CBI championship in 2009. But after hitting rock bottom, head coach Wayne Tinkle is slowly but surely rebuilding Oregon State into a winning program. Surely, there are brighter days for the Beavers on the horizon.