Oregon St. @ Utah preview
Jon M. Huntsman Center
Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Oregon St. 81, Utah 72
Utah and Oregon State have enjoyed impressive starts so far. But now the Runnin’ Utes and Beavers take it up a notch Thursday night when they tip off Pac-12 play in Salt Lake City.
Coach Larry Krystkowiak’s young Utes are 9-3, including wins over 14th-ranked Kentucky, the Big Ten’s Minnesota and on the road at Nevada. The 69-66 victory over Kentucky in Las Vegas on Dec. 18 extended Utah’s win streak to five, but the Utes were humbled 80-52 only three days later by No. 12 San Diego State and they will have had 12 days to get past that loss by tipoff on Thursday. Oregon State, meanwhile, also saw a long win streak (seven games) end Dec. 21, when it suffered a 64-49 loss at Texas A&M, but the Beavers have since bounced back with an 83-66 home rout of North Dakota on Sunday. Overall, Oregon State’s 10-2 record matches the 1989-90, 2011-12 and 2015-16 teams for the program’s best start in 35 years.
TIME: 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: Pac-12 Network
ABOUT OREGON STATE (10-2, 0-0 Pac-12): Senior forward Tres Tinkle, the Pac-12’s second-leading scorer at 20.4 points per game, continues to display his all-around talents, and is the only player in the conference to rank in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding (seventh with 7.3), assists (ninth with 4.2) and steals (tied for second with 2.0). The 6-7 Tinkle also has displayed extended shooting range this season, connecting on 49.1 percent of his 3-point attempts (fourth in the Pac-12) after entering the season with a career 32.4 percentage beyond the arc. Guard Ethan Thompson (15.8 points) and 7-footer Kylor Kelley (11.7) also are averaging double figures for the Beavers, who rank third in the conference in team field-goal percentage (48.8).
ABOUT UTAH (9-3, 0-0): The only Pac-12 player averaging more points per game is Utes sophomore forward Timmy Allen, who is contributing 21.0 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds. Guards Both Gach (11.6 points) and Rylan Jones (11.1) also are averaging double digits, with the latter, a true freshman, also averaging a team-high 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals. Forwards Riley Battin and Mikael Jantunen are contributing 5.3 rebounds per outing for Utah, which ranks third in the conference with a 6.17 rebound margin and should have the edge on the glass against the Beavers (10th, 0.75 margin).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Utah owns an 18-13 series advantage, including a 13-2 home mark, since entering the Pac-12 in 2011, but Oregon State won 81-72 in the only meeting last season behind Tinkle’s game-high 31 points.
2. Krystkowiak and Oregon State counterpart Wayne Tinkle, Tres’ father, were teammates at Montana during the 1985 and ’86 seasons. This will be their eighth meeting as head coaches with Krystkowiak owning a 4-3 advantage.
3. Behind Kelley, who ranks second nationally with 4.33 blocked shots per game, the Beavers rank sixth as a team in blocks (6.4).
PREDICTION: Utah 74, Oregon State 71