The annual NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball tournament was already going to have a different look in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

But Saturday, Oregon State’s basketball team changed it even more. 

The Beavers upset Colorado to win the Pac-12 Championship, earning an automatic berth in the 68-team field. And a big part of that team was the play of former San Bernardino Valley College center Roman Silva. 

Silva, a senior at Oregon State, sank a free throw with 1 second remaining on Saturday to give the Beavers a two-point lead, forcing Colorado to have to take a desperation 3-point attempt to win the game. The starting center for the Beavers, Silva ended the game with five points in 17 minutes of play, along with a blocked shot and steal. 

For the season, Silva is averaging 5.3 points per game in 14.6 minutes per game. He has blocked 13 shots. But more importantly, according to SBVC coach Quincy Brewer, Silva is carrying a 4.0 grade point average in his studies as a business administration major at Oregon State. After his junior year, he was selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court for his work in the classroom, while also appearing in 29 games for Oregon State in 2019-20. 

At SBVC, Silva was the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference North Division’s co-most valuable player in his one year in San Bernardino. He averaged 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game in 27 games as a Wolverine. 

Oregon State was seeded No. 12 in the Midwest Region of the tournament, and will face No. 5 Tennessee in the opening round Friday in Indianapolis, Ind. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:30 Pacific time, and will be broadcast on TNT.