The margin of error is slim for the Utes, who are hoping to finish within the top four in the Pac-12 to earn a bye once the conference tournament begins. As of this writing, they’re a game behind fourth-seeded California. But the main focus tonight is defeating No. 7 Oregon.
Utah faced the Ducks earlier this season at Salt Lake City, and things didn’t go well. The Utes brought the fight to their conference rivals but eventually fell short by six points, 73-67. Now playing as the visitors, winning becomes several times harder without question.
The Utes have split their last 10 road games, and went 7-2-1 against the spread in that stretch. However, they’re currently on a two-game run after a successful home sweep versus Washington State and Washington.
Kyle Kuzma’s been doing a solid job in leading Utah, averaging team-highs of 15.7 points and 10.2 rebounds this season, including four double-doubles in his last five games. He’s also been receiving consistent help from fellow junior David Collette, who’s scored at least 10 in every game he’s played.
Seventh-ranked Oregon aims to keep its unbeaten home record alive. This team is 15-0 at Matthew Knight Arena, with tonight’s game versus Utah and Saturday’s bout with Colorado the only remaining challenges.
Taking down the Utes won’t be easy obviously. They’re a well-balanced, confident team that can cause headaches on either side of floor. What’s more, they have immense size to dominate the glass, which is something that the Ducks need to prevent.
If they can do that, more possessions means potentially more points for Dillon Brooks—Oregon’s top scorer this season. Brooks is averaging 14.9 points and is shooting above 40 percent from three-point territory. He also put up a game-leading 21 points in last Saturday’s bounce-back win over USC.
Speaking of which, the Ducks’ defense, which yields just 64.4 points per contest, was locked in during that game. They held the Trojans to a collective 37.3 field goal percentage while also forcing 16 turnovers. It should be sure victory for Oregon as long as its defense stays as sharp as ever.
