Congratulations to Oregon State...It had a conference record which was under .500...
ASU, Arizona,UCLA,California,and Washington had better conference records than Oregon State. But, the NCAA committee picked Oregon State for the regionals, not California. Usually the number four team in a conference is picked...
However, Oregon State had a better overall record than Cal and Washington.
The Beavers had a LONG road trip to start the season, and played top-ranked Eastern and Southern teams. They swept Georgia on the road. That’s why they made the field of 64 teams. They were still in the Top 25 in two polls at the end of the season.
Having a really tough non-conference schedule is what saved them.