Utah @ Oregon St. preview
Gill Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Jan 2, 2020 ) Oregon St. 69, Utah 81
Utah and Oregon State reside in the lower half of the Pac-12 standings, but both have picked things up of late. The Runnin’ Utes and Beavers will match that momentum Thursday night when they square off in Corvallis, Ore.
Utah lost six of its first nine Pac-12 games but swept a two-game homestand last weekend with wins over Stanford (64-56 in overtime) and California (60-45). The challenge, though, for the Utes will be breaking through on the road as coach Larry Krystowiak’s crew has dropped all five of its conference contests outside of Salt Lake City. Oregon State, meanwhile, is only 2-3 in conference home contests, joining last-place Washington (2-4) as the only teams in the Pac-12 with losing conference home marks. One of those wins, though, came last Saturday as the Beavers knocked 18th-ranked rival Oregon out of first place with a 63-53 upset triumph at Gill Coliseum.
TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: Pac-12 Network
ABOUT UTAH (14-9, 5-6 Pac-12): The Utes dominated the Cardinal and Golden Bears with defense, holding them to a combined 33.9-percent shooting and forcing 37 total turnovers in the two games. Forward Timmy Allen, the team’s leading scorer (18.4 points per game) and rebounder (7.3), scored more than 20 points for the first time since Jan. 2 with a game-high 21 against Cal last Saturday, accounting for more than a third of Utah’s points. Guards Both Gach (10.6 points) and freshman Rylan Jones (10.5) are the only other Utes averaging double figures, but Gach has missed the last four games with a knee injury and his status remains uncertain heading into this week’s two-game Northwest road trip.
ABOUT OREGON STATE (14-9, 4-7): Coach Wayne Tinkle’s Beavers have won two of their last three after a 2-6 conference start and are in the midst of a three-game homestand before heading out for three straight on the road. Tinkle’s son Tres, a 6-7 senior forward, leads the team in scoring (19.0) and rebounding (6.8) and continues to rank as the only player in the Pac-12’s top 10 in scoring (fourth), rebounding (10th), assists (10th with 3.7) and steals (first with 2.0). Guard Ethan Thompson (15.1 points) and forward Kylor Kelley (11.1, Pac-12-leading 3.7 blocks) also average double digits for the Beavers, who lead the conference in free-throw percentage (74.6).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Utah rolled to an 81-69 home win over Oregon State on Jan. 2 as Allen had 25 points and 10 rebounds, but the Beavers have won 11 of the 14 all-time meetings in Corvallis.
2. Including his team-high 19 points versus the Utes earlier this season, Tres Tinkle has scored in double figures in 88 straight games – one away from matching Mel Counts’ program record of 89.
3. Utah is averaging 72.4 points and shooting 44.9 percent from the field on the season, but in Pac-12 play, those numbers shrink to 64.9 points and 40.4 percent for the Utes.
PREDICTION: Oregon State 71, Utah 66