Oregon St. @ Utah preview
Jon M. Huntsman Center
Last Meeting ( Dec 31, 2017 ) Utah 66, Oregon St. 64
Utah failed to protect a 14-point first-half lead Thursday and saw its season-high four-game win streak come to an end in a loss to visiting Oregon. The Runnin’ Utes will now try to bounce back Saturday as they host Oregon State.
Turnovers turned the game around Thursday as the Ducks cranked up the defensive pressure after falling behind 26-12 10:22 into the first half and wound up forcing Utah into 17 miscues on the night. That was good for a decisive 29-9 edge in points off turnovers for the visitors. “You just can’t give away 29 points off turnovers and then expect to win,” Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak said afterward in his post-game news conference. “We had a number of guys with two or three turnovers, and we have to figure that out. We practiced it all week, and we knew what was coming.” Oregon State, meanwhile, was mirroring the path taken by the rival Ducks on Thursday, battling back from a first-half road deficit to hand host Colorado a 76-74 home loss.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
ABOUT OREGON STATE (13-7, 5-3 Pac-12): The Beavers trailed 40-35 at halftime Thursday thanks largely to a 26-16 scoring disadvantage in the paint, but outscored Colorado 26-16 down low over the second 20 minutes to win for only the second time in 11 visits to Boulder. Guard Stephen Thompson Jr. scored a game-high 21 points to pace the team in scoring for the third straight game and is averaging 24.3 points per outing over that span. Forward Tres Tinkle had 19 points and eight rebounds to nearly match his team-leading season averages of 20.2 and 8.2, respectively.
ABOUT UTAH (11-9, 5-3): Leading scorers Sedrick Barefield (16.1 per game) and Donnie Tillman (11.1) had 16 points apiece against Oregon, but Barefield had a trio of turnovers and hit only 3-of-11 3-point attempts after entering the contest shooting 41.6 percent from long range. Barefield also had five of Utah’s 11 assists, but the Utes finished with at least two more turnovers than assists for the third straight outing. On the encouraging side, Jayce Johnson, a 7-foot forward, posted his second double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-best 13 rebounds and will look to bring that same inside presence against Oregon State.
TIP-INS
1. Utah has won six of the last eight meetings, including a 66-64 road win over Oregon State in their only game last season.
2. Like they did in Boulder, the Beavers will be trying to break through with an elusive road win in Salt Lake City as they own a 1-13 all-time record there.
3. The game will pit the Pac-12’s top two shooting teams with Utah leading the way with a field-goal percentage of 47.2 and Oregon State right behind at 46.9.
PREDICTION: Utah 77, Oregon State 72