The 1948-49 Oregon State men's basketball team was the first Beaver squad to advance to the Final Four (then simply the NCAA semifinal games). That was pretty amazing for a squad with just one star player, playing in the tough Pacific Coast Conference.
This Beaver team returned eight players from a team that tied Washington for first place in the Northern Division of the PCC in 1947-48. That included five of the top six scorers, including team captain Cliff Crandall. Coach Slats Gill chose to mix things up around Crandall, using 24 different lineups. Only one other OSU player started more than half of the season's 36 games.
The Beavers served notice they would be a contender in December, defeating both the Huskies and UCLA at the PCC pre-season tournament at the Cow Palace, just outside San Francisco. PCC league play meant four games against each of your divisional rivals. Oregon State took three of four from Washington and Oregon, including a double overtime thriller at Mac Court in Eugene, Crandall led the team in scoring for the second consecutive season. His 12.1 points per game average was more than double that of any teammate.
The Pacific Coast Conference championship was a best-of-three series with UCLA, played in the cozy Men's Gymnasium in Corvallis (now Langton Hall). The Beavers won two of three and qualified for the NCAA tournament, whcih only featured eight teams. The West Regionals were played in Kansas City. Oregon State defeated Arkansas 56-38 in the national quarterfinals, thern fell to eventual national runner-up Oklahoma State the very next day. The Beavs then finished their season falling to Illinois in the national third place game in Seattle one week later.
The Beavers final record was 24-12, Slat's Gills third straight 20-win season in Corvallis following WWII. Cliff Crandall won All-America honors for the second consecutive year.
Returning members of the squad would see opening night of the brand new Gill Coliseum in December of 1949. The 1948-49 Beaver team is also honored in the Oregon State Athletics Hall of Fame.
1948-49 OSU Beavers: Cliff Crandall, Al Petersen, Ray Snyder, Dick Ballentyne, Jim Catterall, Glen Kinney, Dan Torrey, Bill Harper, Tom Holman, Ed Fleming, Len Rinearson, Harvey Watt, Paul Sliper, Rudy Ruppe, Head Coach, Slats Gill