Utah @ Oregon preview
Matthew Knight Arena
Last Meeting ( Jan 9, 2021 ) Oregon 79, Utah 73
Looking to keep pace in the Pac-12 Conference championship race, the Oregon Ducks welcome the Utah Utes to Eugene, Ore., on Saturday.
The Ducks (13-4, 8-3 Pac-12) remained a game behind conference-leading Southern California in the loss column and 2 1/2 games overall after winning their fourth straight game Thursday, a 60-56 victory over Colorado.
Thursday's win was Oregon's second close victory in a row, following a 63-61 decision over Arizona on Feb. 13.
"You look over the course of a season and see how many games are won by one or two possessions," Oregon coach Dana Altman said in his postgame press conference. "You just got to figure out a way to win the game."
Oregon gets a shot at first-place USC on Monday after previous matchups were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. But first, the Ducks must get past Utah.
The Utes (9-9, 6-8) enter Saturday's contest with successive losses to Stanford and Oregon State. In Thursday's visit to Oregon State, Utah endured its second-lowest scoring performance of the season and shot just 3-for-18 from 3-point range in the 74-56 setback.
"I thought we had a scared look on our face," Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak said.
Oregon State beat Utah on the boards, 36-29, but more critical was that 12 of the Beavers' rebounds were offensive.
Krystkowiak pointed to "the turnovers and our inability to get a defensive rebound, particularly in the first half."
The Utes committed 20 turnovers that Oregon State turned into 26 points.
On the season, Utah has committed turnovers on 18.3 percent of possessions per KenPom.com metrics. Surrendering offensive rebounds has been a much more persistent issue, however, with opponents grabbing 29.9 percent of opportunities.
Oregon comes in averaging offensive rebounds on 29.5 percent of possessions. Meanwhile, the Ducks are shooting 35.2 percent from 3-point range, led by Chris Duarte at 43.3 percent.
Utah is giving up 35.1 percent from beyond the arc.
In the first matchup between the two teams, a 79-73 Ducks win in Salt Lake City on Jan. 9, Duarte and Eric Williams Jr. each made three 3-pointers and combined for 44 points as the Ducks shot 10-for-22 from beyond the arc.
--Field Level Media