CBI gives teams chance to shake off a bad game

By Cliff Kirkpatrick

Gazette-Times reporter

What makes the College Basketball Invitational unique is the championship series.

The other three postseason tournaments utilize the typical title-game format to determine who holds the trophy in the end.

After being in a 16-team single-elimination tournament until two teams remain, CBI finalists face off in a best-of-3 series.

The Oregon State men's basketball team begins the series against Texas-El Paso at 7 p.m. tonight in Gill Coliseum with the next two games at UTEP on Wednesday and, if necessary, Friday.

"This is as close to being in the NBA as you can get," coach Craig Robinson said. "Let's face it. Every player wants to be in the NBA, or at least pretend to be."

Players like the concept because it gives them a second chance if they lose a game. And who the better team is will be determined not by who's better, or lucky, on that one night, but over a long haul.

Guard Calvin Haynes, a Los Angeles native, describes the series as the Lakers vs. the Celtics in the glory days of the NBA. And of course he wants to be the Lakers.

"We are honored to be a part of something like this," Haynes said. "We'll give it everything we got."

Guard Josh Tarver is more contemporary and says he prefers the Celtics since they won the title most recently. That's where their difference in approach ends.

The Beavers have been able to impose their slow-down offense or aggressive defensive style on teams in the CBI. They'll have to keep it up to win.

"It will be interesting to see how you play in a series like that," Robinson said. "I've never experienced it (coaching). I experienced it in Europe as a player but that was 20-something years ago."

UTEP features the most prolific scorer in Conference USA history in senior guard Stefon Jackson. He averages 24.6 points and 5.3 rebounds a game.

Long-distance shooter Randy Culpepper compliments him with 17.5 points a game. The rest of the team helps those two get their shots.

"We have to figure out a way to stop those two guys," Robinson said. "I don't think we'll change our game plan up. We'll switch our defenses like usual. Hopefully our zones will keep them contained. They are very good one-on-one players. As long as they don't go crazy we'll be in the game."

The Miners want to push the ball up the court and score quickly. They average 75.8 points a game while allowing 71.8.

OSU must dictate the tempo and resist quick shots. Running teams typically have trouble with the Beavers in first-time meetings, so consecutive games to adapt could be a problem.

However, in a long, hard, grinding series, the Beavers may have the advantage. Their ragged defense and wise shot selection wears down opponents.

"We've been through a lot as a team," guard Seth Tarver said. "We just keep playing. We forget about the past and keep going."

After two consecutive overtime victories to reach the finals, slugging it out with an opponents isn't new.

The Beavers even handled Stanford, a team they faced four times in the season.

"Once we taste that victory we want another one," Haynes said. "It's that drive and fight to want another one. Losing for us is not acceptable anymore. We take it hard when we lose, and come out and work hard the next day. We've worked so hard we feel we deserve to win as much as anybody else does. It's who wants it more, and it has been us lately."