While neither the men’s nor women’s basketball teams from Oregon State made it to the 2026 NCAA Tournament, several Beaver alumni were present on both the court and bench.
A majority of these players left Oregon State following the dissolution of the Pac-12 conference. This group of bygone Beavers includes athletes who gained national attention for their tournament performances.
It even includes a championship winner.
Unless otherwise noted, each player is graduating and eligible for the NBA or WNBA draft.
Reagan Beers (OSU 2022-2024, Oklahoma 2024-2026)
Beers, the highly decorated center who was the Pac-12 Rookie of the Year, found a starting spot with the Sooners after leaving OSU. She helped Oklahoma reach the Sweet 16 in both the 2025 and 2026 tournaments. Over the season, she averaged a double-double (15.8 points and 10.4 rebounds), making her the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer. Beers averaged 16.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks over the tournament on the 4-seed Oklahoma squad, eventually losing to the championship game-bound South Carolina Gamecocks. Oklahoma ended the year as No. 12 in the final AP Poll.
Jordan Pope (OSU 2022-2024, Texas 2024-2026)
Texas, an 11-seed, had a bit of a Cinderella run this year due in no small part to Pope. The Longhorns made it through the First Four all the way to the Sweet 16, beating 6-seed BYU and 3-seed Gonzaga. He averaged 11.3 points over the tournament, with 11 of his 16 total made shots being 3-pointers. Texas was the lowest-seeded team to make it to the Sweet 16 and finished ranked No. 22 in the final AP Poll. During the tournament, Pope played on a broken foot, an injury that he suffered late in the Round of 32 against Gonzaga.
Tyler Bilodeau (OSU 2022-2024, UCLA 2024-2026)
Bilodeau’s second year with UCLA (and final year of college ball) was his strongest season yet. He was the Bruins’ leading scorer at 17.6 points a game and second-leading rebounder at 5.6 boards a game. Bilodeau was unable to compete in the NCAA Tournament, where 7-seed UCLA lost to eventual runners-up UConn in the second round, due to an injury sustained during the Big Ten Tournament.
Liaturas Lelevicious (OSU 2024-2025, TCU 2025-2026)
After spending a year with the Beavs, Lelevicious went to play for the Horned Frogs. He started for much of the year before having his starting slot swapped with forward Micah Robinson in early February. Lelevicious averaged eight points per game during the season, but had a quieter performance in the tournament in the scoring department, notching five points over the two games in 9-seed TCU’s run. Still, he was effective on defense, able to grab defensive rebounds and managed a steal in both games.
Lelevicious entered the transfer portal on April 8th.
Donovyn Hunter (OSU 2023-2024, TCU 2024-2026)
Hunter, now a starter with TCU, made it all the way to the Elite Eight with the Horned Frogs, the furthest of any Beaver who played in the tournament this season. She averaged 5 points and 2.5 rebounds over an average of 37.5 minutes played in the tournament. TCU was a 3-seed in the tournament and ended the season as No. 6 in the AP Poll.
Hunter entered the transfer portal on April 6th.
Thomas Ndong (OSU 2023-2025, California Baptist 2025-2026)
Ndong was able to find some success in the Lancers’ rotation in his first year at Cal Baptist. He was especially beneficial in rebounding throughout the season – his 6.5 boards a game were the most on the team. In 13-seed Cal Baptist’s loss in the round of 64 to Kansas, Ndong scored two points and grabbed four rebounds.
As of April 10th, Ndong has not announced plans for next season.
Adlee Blacklock (OSU 2022-2024, Texas Tech 2024-2026)
Blacklock played off the bench for the Red Raiders, playing with them as they reached their first NCAA Tournament in 13 years. Over the year, she averaged 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds. She did not play in 7-seed Texas Tech’s win against Villanova, but saw seven minutes in the loss against LSU in the round of 32.
Lily Hansford (OSU 2022-2024, Iowa State 2024-2025, Green Bay 2025-2026)
Hansford is the only former Beaver to play in the 2026 tournament and to have played on a team between OSU and their current team. She played off the bench for Green Bay (where she’s originally from), averaging 1 point and .5 rebounds a game. Hansford did not play in 13-seed Green Bay’s loss in the round of 64 to Minnesota.
Timea Gardiner (OSU 2022-2024, UCLA 2024-2026)
UCLA won it all over South Carolina, meaning that Gardiner, the former Beaver, is a champion. However, due to a pre-season knee injury, she was benched for the whole year. Gardiner medically redshirted and announced her intent to return to UCLA for the 2026-2027 season.
