Oregon State’s men are talking like a team that expects to matter.
At media day Tuesday in Portland, the Beavers made it clear they are not easing into the 2026-27 season with cautious language or lowered expectations. Under first-year head coach Justin Joyner, the message from the locker room was all about confidence, chemistry and a belief that the roster already has the pieces to contend.
That confidence has been shaped, at least in part, by the summer trip to Canada and a recent exhibition against Michigan. Oregon State lost that game by five points to the defending national champions, but several players pointed to the showing as proof the Beavers can stack up with anybody.
"It was really great getting to play in Canada early on, but getting to play that exhibition, I feel like we really showed that we can hang with anybody. What we're building here in Corvallis, it's gonna be special," BYU transfer forward Xavion Staton said.
Staton arrived in Corvallis after one season in Provo that was cut to nine games because of injury. A former four-star recruit, he described the role he expects to play in Joyner’s system as a modern big who can do more than operate near the basket. He said he wants to keep expanding that part of his game.
"My versatility is being able to connect guys and handle the ball on the perimeter, stuff like that. I'm starting to shoot the ball well, so I wanna keep building in to stuff like that," Staton said.
He also had no hesitation when talking about Oregon State’s ambitions in the Pac-12’s new format. After two seasons in the West Coast Conference, the Beavers are back on a Pac-12 schedule, and Staton said the goal is to chase the top of the league.
"We know how good our competition is. But once conference play comes through after non-conference, we're looking to win the Pac-12, and I'm gonna stand on that heavy. It's about trusting our work and what we do, and I believe we can get it done," Staton exclaimed.
In the backcourt, Buffalo transfer Daniel Freitag brings a proven scoring resume after averaging 19.8 points per game in the Mid-American Conference last season. But he made it clear that his value to this group won’t be measured by points alone.
"After a successful summer of doing quite a bit of scoring I thought so. But through the fall and in that exhibition with I think nine points, it made me realize that we have depth and we have everything we need," Freitag remarked.
"I've always prided myself on not being one-dimensional. So if it's scoring one night, facilitating another, I'm willing to do whatever.
And every day it's somebody new. The practice before it might've been Jamai and Chris Johnson's turn[referencing the big exhibition game from Deshawn Gory].
When you have that many guys who can score efficiently, it gives you a lot of confidence."
Freitag also leaned into what the Michigan exhibition revealed about this roster. Oregon State shot 21-of-32 from the foul line, lost the turnover battle by 10 and still finished within five points of the Wolverines. For him, that wasn’t a missed opportunity so much as a sign of what this group can survive.
"I think when you can go into the defending national champion's gym, shoot 21-of-32 from the foul line, lose the turnover margin by ten and still only lose by five...you've got a pretty good team," Freitag said. "Being down 13 with a minute and a half left in a half and got into the break down just three, it speaks levels to our depth, our maturity and our will to bounce back. And that should give us a lot of confidence."
Legend Smiley, a San Francisco transfer who shot 42 percent from three-point range last season, offered a similar read on where the Beavers stand. He said the Michigan game felt closer than the final margin, and he believes the team can turn those early lessons into results once the season begins.
"Our mistakes, if we close those up, that's about a ten-point win in our eyes," Smiley said. So you know we're cleaning that up, but the confidence we got going into the [Cal] exhibition game, but mostly the season, we feel we should be one of the best teams in the Pac-12."
Smiley said the move into Joyner’s program has been smooth, and he credited the early team-building work for helping the roster come together. With a dozen new players joining lone returner Josiah Lake II, that process matters.
"It's a lot, he's a winner, so I'm trying to pick his brain as much as I can," Smiley said of Joyner. "And I'd never played with them guys on the court, so playing against somebody else and seeing how we mesh and play together as a team, that was very important for us.
When we went to Canada we played the same team twice and the second time we played they made it a good game. We were down at a point and had to come together and find a way to win.
So that experience alone helped us going into Michigan."
He also said the way this roster works together has made the adjustment easier.
"With guys that love to be in the gym, love to learn the game and be around the game, it makes it much easier. You're not dealing with the outside noise as much and everyone wants to buy in and be a team."
Oregon State will keep its preseason schedule rolling Saturday in Corvallis against Cal. The regular season starts Monday, November 2, at home against Weber State.
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