Last month we introduced our new project, which is centered around determining the top YouTube moment in Pac-12 basketball history. We continue the nomination portion with Oregon State.

[ed note: These are just the top moments we could find on YouTube, which has a vast number and array of videos, but we won’t be able to cover the entire 99 years of the conference.]

We open with perhaps the most explosive dunk in Beavers basketball history, courtesy of shooting guard Jared Cunningham. With three minutes left in the opening week of conference play, Oregon State was hanging onto a two-point lead against vaunted Arizona. Getting a running start from the three-point line, Cunningham read Joe Burton’s missed jumper perfectly, rising over a pair of Wildcats and one of his own teammates to slam the ball home one-handed. If you were watching the game live, you’ll remember how officials just stopped the game for a good 20 seconds because no one was quite sure what they just witnessed. There was no foul or timeout called, everyone just stopped playing. I thought that was pretty cool. If the Beavers wouldn’t have pulled the upset, then the play would have just been remembered as a nice moment in an otherwise tough loss. But the offense continued to thrive down the stretch, and by the end of the night the Beavers were tied atop the league standings and owned the #6 play of the day on SportsCenter.

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Over the past two weeks we have whittled down the field from 12 logos to two. Amazingly, the two that Drew and I chose for the top two seeds (The Beaver and Bruin) have advanced to the final! Voting will go all week long and then we will crown the winner. Here we go!

#1 Oregon State vs #2 UCLA

Connor’s thoughts: Not much to say about this other than it’s a great matchup. I’ll take the Bruin because of everything I’ve mentioned before; the punctured football, the bear tracks, it’s just all too much for the Beaver.

Drew’s thoughts: Given the Bruins’ struggles on the football field of late (not that their basketball exploits have been terrific), the football in the ESPNU logo turns me off a bit. Plus, the OSU logo is just a more clever take all the way around. I’ll take the favorite in the all-chalk final.

Two rounds have been completed in the ESPNU Pac-12 Logo Tourney, and I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with the field going into the semis. We have the top two overall seeds (Oregon State and UCLA), a sixth-seeded sleeper (Arizona State), and a Cinderella (#11 Washington State). Now it’s on to the semifinals, where the #1 Beaver meets the #6 Sun Devil, and the #2 Bruin takes on the #11 Cougar. Voting will go all weekend long and the championship will be held on Monday. Here we go!

#1 Oregon State vs #6 Arizona State

Connor’s thoughts: This is by far the toughest matchup to pick so far. I’ve already stated all of the things I like about these in previous posts, but I think the Beaver edges out the Devil. The Beaver is just more life-like, from the fur to the buck-teeth and tail. I may be the only one who thinks this, but the Devil looks too flat and still.

Drew’s thoughts: This is a stacked semifinal, as I’d frankly take either of these by a wide margin over either entry on the other side of the bracket. But I’ve still got to take Sun Devils here. Loving the smoke, the burnt wood and the pitchfork all in addition to the Devil himself.

#2 UCLA vs #11 Washington State

Connor’s thoughts: As much as I like a good Cinderella, the Bruin just has so much detail that it can’t be left out of the championship. The Cougar is solid, but in the end it’s just too plain.

Drew’s thoughts: So we’ve got a cat with no eyes up against a football-stomping blind-folded bear from a basketball school? Hmm. Still not sure how the non-descript cougar from WSU made it this far, but I would not like to run up against that bear in a dark alley. Gimme the Bruins by default.

That’s it! Make sure to vote and check back Tuesday for the Championship!

1. The early signing period began Wednesday, and Oregon State signed a pair of three-stars on the first day of the week-long period. The first to sign was Langston Morris-Walker, a small forward out of Berkeley High (CA). Morris-Walker could see immediate playing time next season if current Beaver Jared Cunningham decides to forgo his senior season and move on to the NBA. He also had offers from Colorado, Utah, and Washington State, among others. The second to sign was center Maika Ostling. While Ostling is a solid prospect, he will most likely redshirt his freshman season as he will be behind Chris Brown, Joe Burton, and Angus Brandt in the OSU lineup.
2. Pundits around the nation are picking California to either win the Pac-12 or come pretty close to it, and the reason for those high hopes are centered on senior shooting guard Jorge Gutierrez. Gutierrez grew up in Mexico and was lightly recruited out of high school, but coach Mike Montgomery took a leap of faith on him. That leap was well worth it as Gutierrez averaged 14.6 PPG last season and was named to the all-conference team. There is no doubt this season that this is his team, “At first, I thought I didn’t belong here,” Gutierrez said. “But now it’s my house. This is my court, and you play the way I want you to play.” Big words, but he has earned the right to say them.
3. Sticking with the Golden Bears, California signed two players yesterday. We already alluded to Tyrone Wallace in yesterday’s M5, but Wallace made it official by putting ink to paper on Wednesday. The other signee was Kaileb Rodriguez, a 6’8″ power forward from Thunder Ridge High (CO). Rodriguez could see a lot of playing time next season since there is only one other “true” power forward on the roster (Bak Bak). The two signees put the Bears at 12 scholarships for 2012-13, one below the NCAA limit. They are still waiting on decisions from forward Zena Edosomwan of Harvard-Westlake school (CA) and forward/center Landen Lucas of Westview High (OR).
4. Wednesday was also a big day for both USC and UCLA, as both schools signed two players each. The first signee for the Trojans was J.T. Terrell, a transfer from Wake Forest who just began playing this season at Peninsula College. The 6’3″ guard should see immediate minutes because of his size and the overall lack of talent at the position for SC. 6’8″ forward Strahinja Gavrilovic was the other player to sign with Kevin O’Neill’s team. Highlighting the Bruins’ day was Kyle Anderson out of St. Anthony High (NJ). Coach Ben Howland says that he expects Anderson to contribute immediately next season at the point.
5. Regular season play continued last night in Tucson, where Arizona struggled with Duquesne for 30 minutes before finally pulling away for the 67-59 victory. The Wildcats continue to underwhelm fans across the nation, as Arizona has looked far less-than-impressive in their first four outings. Their first was an exhibition loss to Seattle Pacific and that was followed by a closer-than-comfort exhibition win over Humboldt State. Their first two regular season games against Valparaiso and Duquesne have not been decided until the final minutes. The trend of Sean Miller’s Wildcats’ in not putting teams away will definitely be something to watch for Pac-12 fans in the coming days and weeks.