Oregon @ Utah preview

Oregon at Utah

Last Meeting ( Mar 14, 2019 ) Oregon 66, Utah 54

No. 6 Oregon struggled through its Pac-12 opener Thursday night, scoring a season-low 65 points in a nine-point loss at Colorado. The Ducks now will try to salvage a road-trip split Saturday when they visit Utah.

Coach Dana Altman’s team entered Thursday’s contest averaging 80.3 points and shooting a Pac-12-best 41.7 percent from 3-point range. But the Ducks scored only 22 points in the opening 20 minutes against the host Buffaloes and missed their first 11 3-point attempts en route to a 3-of-18 night from long range. “We couldn’t get the 3-point shooting going,” Altman said afterward. “We had some good looks, but couldn’t knock them down early. We started 0-for-11 until we finally hit one. We have to do a better job.” The Ducks will need to against a Utah team which beat Oregon State 81-69 in its Pac-12 opener Thursday and has won eight straight home games dating back through the end of last season.

TIME: 5 p.m. ET. TV: Pac-12 Network

ABOUT OREGON (11-3, 0-1 Pac-12): Senior point guard Payton Pritchard led the way Thursday with 21 points to better his team-leading average of 18.6 per game, but he only finished with three assists after dealing with foul trouble (four). Fellow guard Chris Duarte (10 points) was the only other player in double figures for Oregon, which finished with nine assists, its second-lowest game total of the season. Guards Anthony Mathis and Will Richardson, who average a combined 20.6 points and 3.9 made treys per contest, will be looking to bounce back after scoring 15 on 1-of-5 shooting from long range Thursday.

ABOUT UTAH (10-3, 1-0): Pac-12 scoring leader Timmy Allen (21.3) was as advertised Thursday, finishing with a game-high 25 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in the win over Oregon State. It was the first double-double in nearly two months for Allen, who hit a season-high 13 free throws in 15 attempts as part of a 25-14 advantage for the Runnin’ Utes at the line. Guards Both Gach (17 points) and Rylan Jones (14 points, five assists) also scored in double figures for Utah, which used the transition game to its advantage in burning Oregon State with 22 fast-break points, including 18 in the opening half.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Oregon has dominated the series, winning 15 of the 17 matchups since Utah joined the Pac-12 in 2011. The Ducks won both contests last season: A 78-72 win in Salt Lake City followed by a 66-54 victory in the conference tournament quarterfinals in Las Vegas.

2. The Utes figure to have the edge on the glass as they enter the game with a 6.1 rebound margin while the Ducks own a 3.3 margin.

3. Utah is shooting a Pac-12-Best 75.8 percent at free-throw line and has made 48 more free throws (225) than its opponents have attempted (177).

PREDICTION: Oregon 76, Utah 73