Oregon State rides its bench and savvy senior Ethan Thompson to the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance in 39 years

INDIANAPOLIS — The final horn sounded early Monday morning at Hinkle Fieldhouse — yes, the clock was past midnight — and 300-some Oregon State fans sounded like thousands.

“Sweet 16! Sweet 16!” they yelled at Beavers coaches and players as they jubilantly left the floor following an 80-70 win over Oklahoma State, vaulting Oregon State to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1982. It only got louder when coach Wayne Tinkle excitedly pumped his fist toward those in the stands, including his family.

“I’m so grateful for this,” said senior Ethan Thompson, who scored a team-high 26 points. “I’ve just got a feeling that I don’t want it to stop.”

At this point, there’s no telling when it will end for the 12th-seeded Beavers. They’ve played what amounts to five consecutive season-ending elimination games, all as sizable underdogs, and won them all. They’ve won two NCAA Tournament games by double digits.

When does it stop? It might not.

But for a week, Oregon State and its fan base can soak up what is the program’s best run in 39 years. The Beavers won’t play again until Saturday, when they face Loyola of Chicago in a Midwest Regional semifinal.

Oregon State (19-12) will be among the tournament darlings this week, and the term Cinderella is sure to be thrown in the Beavers’ direction.

“I could care less,” Tinkle said. “Call us whatever you want. Believe me, I’ve been called all sorts of stuff. I could care less. We’re moving on to the Sweet 16.”

This win was right from the top line of Oregon State’s 2020-21 playbook. Tinkle has shown no fear during the past two months in dipping into his bench. Tinkle was relentless Sunday night, giving several reserves big minutes because he knew they would deliver.

Maurice Calloo, who played two years ago at Oklahoma State, gave the Beavers a huge first-half lift. Dearon Tucker, who hasn’t played much of late, provided some inside toughness and scoring off the bench. Tariq Silver played 15 minutes — his second-biggest stint of the season — and came up clutch when the Beavers’ offense was reeling in the second half.

“Our guys have great attitudes,” Tinkle said. “There’s been moments where we had to peel a little pain in the locker room to get them going … but it’s a credit to them. It’s a credit to their character. It’s no surprise that they stepped up when we needed them most.”

Calloo was wired from the outset. The 6-foot-10 junior made an early appearance and gave Oregon State an immediate lift, scoring eight points during a 19-4 run to put the Beavers in control. Calloo even had a few words for Oklahoma State’s bench as he dropped a couple of early three-pointers.

“We had to calm him down a couple times. But man, his energy and what he provided for us, not just his points but his ball security, defense, I am really proud of him,” Tinkle said.

Thompson got cooking in the second half, but foul trouble made him an observer for a large stretch of the first half. As much as Thompson wanted to be out there, he knew the replacements would provide.

When Thompson left the game with 12:15 remaining in the half, Oregon State was up 14-11. Nearly 10 minutes later — all with Thompson on the bench — the Beavers had an 18-point lead.

“We kind of put on a show tonight with our depth as a team,” Thompson said. “It’s always next man up if somebody goes down, no matter who it is. We trust and believe that the next person is going to have our back.”

While Thompson watched, he learned. He could see the game was heavily physical, and the referees weren’t having any of it. They called 53 fouls combined on both teams. It meant a bounty for Thompson, who hit 15 of 16 free throws, both career highs.

“You could just see how the game is being played,” Thompson said. “I was just looking for contact … they had a pretty aggressive defense, so kind of just feeding off that.”

Spring break starts this week at Oregon State. Thompson can’t think of a better place to spend it than Indianapolis.

“I’m very fortunate to be here,” Thompson said. “We just want to keep playing. The games are happening out here, so hopefully we stay here.”

— Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel

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