Game Day preview: Oregon Ducks men's basketball team goes for 11th straight win vs. Utah

Chris Hansen, Register-Guard
·3 min read
The Oregon bench celebrates during the second half as the Oregon Ducks host the Colorado Buffaloes at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023.
The Oregon bench celebrates during the second half as the Oregon Ducks host the Colorado Buffaloes at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023.

Oregon Ducks men's basketball

Oregon (12-9, 6-4 Pac-12) vs. Utah (15-7, 8-3)

5 p.m., Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena

TV: Pac-12 Networks

Radio: KUJZ-FM (95.3)

About the Ducks

  • Taking it game-by-game isn’t just a cliche for Oregon. The Ducks, who beat Colorado Thursday, have struggled all season to string together wins and because of that they are tied for fifth place in the Pac-12 standings with Arizona State. But they are also only two games out of first place and one of the teams in front of them is up next in second-place Utah, which has lost 10 straight to Oregon.

  • The last time these two teams played, center N’Faly Dante had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Ducks to a 70-60 win in Salt Lake City on Jan. 7. Oregon led nearly the entire game and played solid defensive, scoring 20 points off 14 Utah turnovers and holding the Utes to 35.7% shooting from the field.

  • Dante missed Thursday's win against Colorado after he “tweaked” his surgically repaired left knee during pregame warm ups. His availability for Saturday’s game remains unknown. Nate Bittle had the best game of his career against the Buffaloes filling in for Dante. The sophomore recorded his first double-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. The Ducks will need someone to matchup against Utah center Branden Carlson, the Pac-12’s No. 4 scorer (16.81 points per game), No. 5 rebounder (7.48) and No. 2 shot blocker (2.3).

About the Utes

  • When Oregon beat Utah earlier this month, it was the first loss of the Pac-12 season for the Utes, who ended up losing their next two games as well. They’ve followed that three-game losing streak with three straight wins — including Thursday’s 63-44 victory against Oregon State in Corvallis — and are now just a half-game behind UCLA for first place in the conference standings.

  • Defense is a major reason for the Utes’ success this season. They rank second in the Pac-12 in points allowed at 61.45 per game, and rank third nationally in opponent's field-goal percentage (37.3%) and seventh nationally in opponent's 3-point shooting percentage (27.4%).

  • Gabe Madsen is the Pac-12's most prolific 3-point shooter. The senior guard leads the conference in 3-pointers made (56), attempted (150) and made per game (2.5).

Statistical comparisons

  • Scoring average: Oregon, 70.4; Utah, 71.5

  • Opp. scoring average: Oregon, 66.4; Utah, 61.5

  • FG percentage: Oregon, 44.9%; Utah, 45.5%

  • Opp. FG percentage: Oregon, 41.3%; Utah, 37.3%

  • 3-point FG percentage: Oregon, 30.6%; Utah, 34.9%

  • 3-point FG per game: Oregon, 7.0; Utah, 6.9

  • FT percentage: Oregon, 68.8%; Utah, 70.6%

  • Rebounds per game: Oregon, 37.0; Utah, 40.0

  • Rebounding margin: Oregon, +4.7; Utah, +5.3

  • Assists per game: Oregon, 13.2; Utah, 15.0

  • Turnovers per game: Oregon, 12.9; Utah, 12.7

  • Blocks per game: Oregon, 5.1; Utah, 4.7

  • Steals per game: Oregon, 6.2; Utah, 5.5

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. 

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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Utah Utes up next for Oregon as Ducks look to build momentum