Acknowledging the problem is considered the first step to recovery. Oregon State has taken that step.

Whether the Beavers can recover from their 0-4 conference start may depend on what happens tonight, when Washington State visits Gill Coliseum for a 7:05 tipoff deemed unfit for television.

“We’re a team in turmoil right now,” OSU basketball coach Eddie Payne said over the weekend, after his team’s fourth straight defeat, a 71-67 loss to USC in which the Beavers blew a 12-point second-half lead.

“The kids are upset and frustrated,” he added. “This one is very upsetting.”

The Beavers, 9-6 overall and 0-4 in the Pacific-10 Conference, have lost eight consecutive conference games. They went so far as to hold a players-only meeting, never a good sign, on the eve of the USC game.

WSU (7-7, 0-3) has also struggled, losing five of its last seven. But the Cougars are taking a dramatically different approach. Forget team meetings. The Cougars prefer daily affirmations.

“It’s pretty early in the season,” coach Kevin Eastman said. “I just want this team to keep on improving and we have been doing that. And if we continue to do that, I think we’ll get our wins.”

Denial, anyone?

“I think the only ones that will think that way will be the media,” Eastman countered. “And then it’s a matter of whether our guys read that and then believe that.

“And that’s nothing against anybody,” he added. “I just think that’s the way it evolves in these situations. We’re just going to keep on doing what we’ve been doing, because it’s been pretty good. We haven’t had the results that we want.”

The way Eastman sees it, the Cougars ran out of time against Washington, played remarkably well against fifth-ranked Arizona and were only seconds away from beating upstart Arizona State.

Riding the momentum of a three-game losing streak may be a tricky endeavor, but the Cougars see few alternatives. A victory tonight would give them something more tangible.

Around the conference

Oregon overcame a 23-3 deficit and took UCLA down to the wire Saturday before falling 68-66. “I’m extremely proud and sad, because we deserved to win this game,” first-year Oregon coach Ernie Kent said…. Oregon State has earned its reputation as an undisciplined team. “We get sidetracked,” senior forward Sonny Benjamin said. “People start thinking about their personal goals.” … As the Beavers continue to struggle, speculation grows that sophomore guard Corey Benjamin, Sonny’s younger brother, may enter the NBA draft after this season. “I put myself in this situation,” said Benjamin, averaging 19 points per game. “I knew there were other options I could do. This is what I chose and I’m going to bypass (the issue) all the way until I decide I don’t want to do it anymore.” … Corey Benjamin has 47 of his team’s 74 dunks this season… . USC coach Henry Bibby, upset over poor foul shooting, vowed to make players run wind sprints if they didn’t improve their free-throw shooting in last weekend’s game against Oregon State. The Trojans, who entered the game shooting 65 percent from the line, made 21 of 26 against the Beavers.

Seventh-ranked Stanford is 14-0 despite injuries to forwards Mark Madsen and Jason Collins. Madsen is expected to miss four weeks with a stress fracture. Collins had knee surgery on Dec. 10 and is expected to resume practicing soon… . Arizona’s Michael Dickerson has taken 11 shots in each of the Wildcats’ last three games, making seven, seven and eight… . Washington center Todd MacCulloch had 30 points and 21 rebounds against Arizona State. Two days later, Arizona held the 7-footer to four points and three rebounds.

ASU guard Reggie Hester was suspended for two semesters for violating the school’s code of conduct and likely never will wear a Sun Devils uniform again. The 6-2, 210-pounder had been counted on playing a major role for ASU this season… . California guard Sean Jackson, who started the first seven games, hasn’t played in either of the past two as coach Ben Braun settles on his rotation. Sophomore walk-on Robbie Jones, a hard worker on defense, is expected to see increased playing time. Cal visits Washington State on Jan. 24.

, DataTimes