NO. 24 CALIFORNIA VS. OREGON STATE

Season results: California 20-7 overall, 13-5 in Pacific 10; Oregon State 13-14 overall, 6-12 in Pac-10. California swept Oregon State for the fifth consecutive year, the Golden Bears beating the Beavers 78-73 in Berkeley and 84-71 in Corvallis.

How they match up: If ever there was a reward for losing a season finale, this is it. Cal lost at Stanford in a game for second place and its reward was a game against plodding Oregon State. Still, the half-court-oriented Beavers could give the athletic Golden Bears fits if they can dictate the tempo.

*--* STARTERS California Ht Wt Stat Pos Oregon Ht Wt Stat Amit Tamir 6-11 260 16.1 ppg F Brian Jackson 6-9 244 43% 3PT Joe Shipp 6-5 220 20.7 ppg F Floyd North 6-4 218 15 steals III Gabriel Hughes 6-10 215 28 bl C Philip Ricci 6-7 253 16.9 ppg Richard Midgely 6-1 200 45% 3pt G Lamar Hurd 6-3 174 3.9 apg Brian Wethers 6-5 215 15.4 ppg G Jimmie Haywood 6-2 174 11.0 ppg KEY RESERVES A.J. Diggs, G 5-9 175 49 steals J.S. Nash, G 6-1 189 21 steals Conor 6-6 230 3.3 rpg David Lucas, F 6-7 210 6.7 ppg Famulener, F Erik Bond, F 6-7 205 1.9 ppg Chris 6-1 173 3.7 ppg Stephens, G

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Keys to the game: Cal, another Pac-10 team with a ticket already punched for the NCAA tournament, cannot get caught looking ahead. The Beavers have not beaten anyone in the upper half of the Pac-10 standings and they lost seven of their last nine. Cal forward Joe Shipp, miffed at being bypassed for Pac-10 player of the year, could take things out on Oregon State.

-- Paul Gutierrez