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MBB: Utah vs. No. 17 Oregon Live Thread: Utes Fall 79-73

Looking to break its two-game losing streak, Utah will face No. 17 Oregon at home on Saturday night. It's the first of four straight games at the Jon M. Huntsman Center over the next seven days
Ryan Kostecka|
MBB: Utah vs. No. 17 Oregon Live Thread: Utes Fall 79-73
MBB: Utah vs. No. 17 Oregon Live Thread: Utes Fall 79-73

Despite being just Utah's eighth game of the season, Saturday night is a huge one for the Utes.

Utah will enter Saturday sitting at 4-3 on the season, just 1-2 in Pac-12 play and on a two-game conference losing streak. The Utes check in at No. 120 in the country in the initial NET rankings, which shouldn't come as a shock upon further examination of their schedule.

“We are on the right path,” sophomore point guard Rylan Jones said following Utah's 64-46 loss to USC last Saturday. "We were getting good looks, we just missed them. We just have to find our rhythm on offense, get in a groove, see a couple go in, and I think that will kick off some wins.”

The Utes are currently winless (0-3) against Quadrant 1 teams and undefeated (4-0) against Quadrant 4 teams. Of their wins, the victory over Washington (No. 237) is the most impressive while defeats to USC (No. 26), BYU (No. 52) and UCLA (No. 54) have hurt.

Utah currently sits ninth in the Pac-12 NET rankings behind; Colorado (No. 14), Oregon (No. 19), Arizona (No. 21), USC (No. 26), UCLA (No. 54), Stanford (No. 55), Washington State (No. 101) and Arizona State (No. 105).

The Utes will have a chance to jump up those rankings when it hosts the Ducks in Quadrant 1 game on Saturday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. MT and will air on the Pac-12 Networks.

Follow this livestream for updates and analysis. You can also follow @Ryan_Kostecka and @UtahUtes_SI on Twitter for up-to-the-second action.

PREGAME
*Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said potential changes to the starting lineup could come against the Ducks

*Senior guard Alfonso Plummer leads Utah with 14.7 ppg while Timmy Allen is averaging 14.1 ppg

*Mikael Jantunen, Rylan Jones and Pelle Larsson are all shooting 40% or better from beyond the arc

*The Utes are averaging 69.3 points per game, which ranks 261st in the country and 10th in the Pac-12. Their field goal percentages of 41.9% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc rank 10th and ninth in the conference respectively

*Offensive execution and knocking down shots are going to be vital for the Utes as Oregon is sure to implore their full court press

*Oregon had its game eight-game losing streak snapped on Thursday following its 79-72 loss to Colorado. Chris Duarte finished with a game-high 27 points.

*Eugene Omoruyi is averaging a team-high 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while Duarte is knocking down 44.4% of his three-pointers, averaging 22.5 ppg the past four games

*Eric Williams Jr. is the only other Duck averaging double figures in scoring with 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. 

*Krystkowiak kept his word and is mixing up the starting lineup, with Battin and Larsson taking over for Plummer and Carlson...

*This starting lineup should give Utah more ball handling options on the floor to help offset Oregon’s press. The Ducks press has given the Utes problems in the past so having two ball handlers in Jones and Larsson should help immensely

*Krystkowiak said he was going to reward the practice players more so you have to wonder if this decision was because Larsson was shining in practice or Plummer, who has a history of not being a practice guy, was struggling?

FIRST HALF
*Oregon wins the tip and we are underway...

*Larsson gets Utah on the board with a three-pointer, Utes lead 3-0 early on

*Oregon pulls leading scorer Omoruyi after he picks up an early foul. He's going to struggle against a more athletic Allen tonight on the defensive end...

*Utah really attacking the basket right now. It helps when all five players are three-point shooters so nobody is in the paint at all times

*Larsson with another open three-pointer, as Utah leads 12-4 early on. Really impressed with offensive execution and gameplay thus far…

Utah 12 - Oregon 7
14:25 left 1H
Larsson with a pair of early three-pointers as the change to the starting lineup is off to a good start

*Plummer and Carlson check in at 13-minute mark, replacing Larsson and Jantunen…

*Allen already with two midrange jump shots. He worked tirelessly on adding that aspect to his offensive arsenal during the offseason and it's paying off...

*Duarte with back-to-back three’s for Oregon, as the Utes now trail 15-14

Utah 16 - Oregon 15
11:03 left 1H
Allen and Duarte each with 6p, but biggest thing is that the Utes are tied with Oregon at 6 rebounds apiece

*Krystkowiak having a talk officials with what I'm guessing is hand-checking. Ducks having trouble staying in front of the Utes a bit.

*We are finally seeing the greatness that could be Pelle Larsson, a smooth player who looks to be at his best bringing the ball up the court and directing the offense

Utah 20 - Oregon 21
7:18 left 1H
Back and forth affair is exciting thus far with each team playing well — combing to knock down 7 three-pointers already

*Allen having a great game thus far. When guarding Duarte, his length and athleticism seem to be bothering Oregon's leading scorer. On offense, he's thriving with his physicality and quickness. This is the Allen we've been waiting to see all season long

*Official calls time as warns an Oregon assistant as he’s getting into a yelling match with Allen (14 points), who just knocked down a setback jumper…

Utah 33 - Oregon 25
3:28 left 1H
Utah on an 11-0 as Allen and Larsson have a combined 23 points and looking good

*I've covered Oregon for years before covering the Utes and I don't know if I've ever heard Altman that mad. No fans in the arena and you could hear him laying into the Ducks...

*With the success Utah is having an offense against one the No. 17 team in the nation, you have to wonder why Krystkowiak didn’t consider switching up the starting lineup much earlier. Utes play more free and just execute better

*Utah ends the half with an Allen three-pointer and a Jantunen layup...

Utah 43 - Oregon 33
HALFTIME
Allen ends the half with a smooth looking three-pointer, as he has a game-high 17 points. Larsson with 9 points and 2 assists. Duarte leads Oregon 12 points

*Offensive changes by Krystkowiak have been key tonight as the Utes look significantly freer and in a much better rhythm. He said the team just had to hit open shots and they've done that tonight

*This is the version of Allen everyone expected to see this year. His post moves are still elite, but his midrange game has been great. Much smoother for him. When playing like this, he's one of the best players in the conference

*Although he has 0 points and only one shot taken, Jones has been great at running Utah's offense. He has 6 assists as the Utes have 13 total on 18 made shots

*Larsson looking like he did earlier in the season. Getting the start certainly agrees with him as his ability to play off the ball AND control the offense when he runs the show has been impressive

*Plummer certainty looks fine coming off the bench. He’s a shooter and he will shoot regardless. But coming off the bench allows him to fire away as the leader of that unit…

SECOND HALF
*Utah begins the second half with the ball

*Not a good start for Utah to begin the 2H. Turnover leads to Oregon 3, contested layup leads to Oregon fast break, then a shot clock violation. Utah lead down to 5

*Utah finally moving again on offense, was stagnant to begin the half and it led to three turnovers. With no true big man, Utes most constantly move on offense to expose the matchups

Utah 47 - Oregon 45
15:42 left 2H
Utah comes out slow to begin the final 20 minutes while the Ducks have turned up the intensity. Utes must find a way to match it

*Utah is once again stagnant on offense and being outrun by Oregon. Ducks have turned up the intensity, both on the floor and bench, and the Utes are shockingly silent. It feels like Plummer time for Utah…

*Utes had 6 turnovers in first 20 minutes, now have 5 in the first five minutes of the second half...

*Oregon takes the 50-48 lead after opening the 2H on a 17-3 run...

*I like him a lot but Carlson has really struggled this year. Just can’t seem to make the easy plays and has become a liability on the offensive end

Utah 57 - Oregon 54
10:52 left 2H
Utah battling back to take the lead as Allen (20p, 3a) and Jantunen (18p, 5r) have the Utes still in the lead. Great response following Oregon’s run

*After Oregon took the lead, Jantunen had a quick 5 points before Allen hit Larsson for an alley-oop dunk for the 7-0 run

*Carlson with a huge block at the rim. His defense is where he makes his money with this team, and as long as he protects the rim that way, you can live with the offensive liabilities 

*Utah with 3 players in double figures — Allen (20), Jantunen (18) and Larsson (13). This is where the team is at its best. Having Plummer as your leading scorer is not sustained success. Him off the bench tonight has been great

*Utah leads by 1 with 8:34 remaining in the game. I’m really curious how the Utes do to close out the game tonight…??? This is the sort of victory that could spark a run while the loss could be massive

Utah 59 - Oregon 58
7:52 left 2H
The game has gotten a lot tighter. Ducks missing open shots while the Utes are now struggling to get open ones for themselves

*Utah with 10 turnovers in the half, 16 overall which has led to 21 Oregon points. Ducks have 4 turnovers, 1 in the half, and the Utes have 2 points off them. That’s why Oregon is still in this game…

*Jones with a sweet pass to Carlson for the dunk. Utes still hanging around in this one and refusing to go away

Utah 61 - Oregon 67
3:42 left 2H
Utah now in danger of losing this one as they can't seem to find any offense. Meanwhile, the Ducks are torching the Utes on the other end of the court

*Krystkowiak is going with his starters for the final 3:30 of the game…

 *Utah with a quick 4-0 run, now trail by 2 with 2:24 to play. Ducks have been whistled for offensive possessions

*This game is going to come down to who executes better. Advantage Oregon as Utah has not been a very good executing team when it matters most

*Duarte with a three-point play before Battin knocks down a three-pointer. Utah trails 70-68 with 1:40 left, Ducks ball

*That’s the dagger for Utah. Oregon converts on one end and Jantunen misses a wide open layup. Ducks up 4 with 51.0 left and Oregon shooting 1-and-1

*Utah trails 76-70 with 33.4 second left. Utes will have the ball, but Larsson has fouled out

*This is going to be a tough game for Utah to swallow and get over. Utes had it for the taking but just couldn't match Oregon's energy and physicality on and off the court. 

*Allen was sensational, as was Jantunen and Larsson, who combined for 58 of Utah's 73 points. Battin was next leading scorer with 7.

*Jones had 8 assists and 4 rebounds but had just two points. He needs to look for his shot earlier in the game to develop a rhythm as he missed three wide-open three-pointers late in the second half

*The lineup change was largely successful, and Krystkowiak should stick with it moving forward. Utes have much better spacing and it allows Allen, their best player, to thrive where he does best

*This was a huge loss as it's going to take a huge turnaround to make the NCAA Tournament now. Curious how they respond in two days against a good Colorado squad coming to the Huntsman Center

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