Oregon @ Utah preview

Oregon at Utah

Last Meeting ( Mar 8, 2018 ) Oregon 68, Utah 66

Surging Utah has won four straight games and is coming off its first ever Bay Area road sweep. The Utes will look to build on the momentum Thursday night when they host Oregon.

Utah’s surge has elevated it into a second-place Pac-12 tie with USC at 5-2 in the conference. Now the Utes are back home for a pair of games and four of their next six as they try to add to their 7-2 mark at the Huntsman Center, but coach Larry Krystkowiak says simply playing in Salt Lake City isn’t a guarantee in itself. “There’s nothing magical about (being) home,” Krystkowiak told the Salt Lake Tribune last weekend. “We’ve got to keep grinding with this group.” Oregon, meanwhile, has lost two of its last three to fall to 3-4 (eighth place in the Pac-12) and now must play five of its next seven on the road, beginning Thursday night.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT OREGON (12-8, 3-4 Pac-12): After consecutive losses at Arizona State (78-64) and at home against first-place Washington (61-56), the Ducks salvaged a homestand split Saturday with a 78-58 rout of Washington State. Freshman forward Louis King led the way with 22 points against the Cougars and now has scored in double figures in all seven conference games to pace the team with a 17.9 scoring average in Pac-12 play. Fellow forward Paul White (14.4 points) is the only other Oregon player averaging double figures in conference action while senior point guard Payton Pritchard is averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals against Pac-12 foes.

ABOUT UTAH (11-8, 5-2): Senior guard Sedrick Barefield leads the Utes with 16.2 points per outing – 18.1 in conference play – and has averaged 20.3 over the team’s last three contests. Freshman forward Timmy Allen has stepped up to give the Utes a formidable inside-outside punch as he’s averaging 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in Pac-12 games following his double-double (17 points and 12 boards) Saturday - his second in his last three contests. As a team, Utah ranks sixth in the conference with 75.3 points per game but is tops in overall field-goal percentage (47.3) and 3-point accuracy (38.2).

TIP-INS

1. Oregon has won 10 of the last 11 meetings, including a 68-66 victory in last season’s Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals and three straight triumphs in Salt Lake City.

2. The pressing Ducks easily pace the Pac-12 in allowing just 64.4 points per outing and also are tops in 3-point percentage defense with opponents shooting only 30.2 percent from long range.

3. The 6-6 Allen has averaged 9.2 rebounds over his last five games after averaging 3.4 over his first 14 contests.

PREDICTION: Utah 72, Oregon 70