TAKEAWAYS: Runnin’ Utes Suffer First Pac-12 Loss

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Published Jan 7, 2023

TAKEAWAYS: Runnin’ Utes Suffer First Pac-12 Loss

Alex Markham • UteNation

Publisher

@AMarkhamRivals

The Runnin’ Utes suffered their first Pac-12 loss of the 2022-23 season on Saturday, falling to the Oregon Ducks 60-70. The Ducks nearly led from start to finish, as Utah’s biggest lead was only by two, less than a minute into the game.

Here are the takeaways to the game:

Altman and the Ducks historically own Utah

Oregon has now won 22 of the past 24 games against Utah. The Ducks are on a 10 game series winning streak. They’ve now won the last nine games at Utah. Game after game, regardless of the year, it seems the Ducks outmatch Utah with athleticism.

There was hope for Utah that they could break the streak on Saturday. The Ducks were dominated by Colorado and looked vulnerable. However, for whatever reason, Dana Altman has Utah’s number.

Utah was ice-cold on offense

The Ducks mixed up their defensive looks against Utah all night, and it was effective, as Utah shot 20-56 overall for 35.7%. They were even worse from three-point range, going 3-21. Two of those three-point makes came from Lazar Stefanovic, but he was only 2-7 from long distance. Both Gabe Madsen and Rollie Worster were 0-4 from three.

Despite only having two more turnovers than Oregon, the Ducks had a 20-5 advantage from points off of turnovers.

Branden Carlson was one rebound away from a double-double, but the Ducks held him in check all night, as he finished with 10 points on 2-6 shooting and 1-3 from deep.

Marco Anthony led all Utah scorers with a 15 point and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Stefanovic added 13 points in the loss.

Utah struggled defensively

The Utes attacked the Ducks with a full-court press, but they typically broke it easily. Still, Utah stuck with it. When Utah was in a zone, they struggled rebounding and Oregon’s N’Faly Dante dominated them. The imposing center was too much for Utah down low, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

The Ducks actually didn’t shoot much better than Utah. They had one more overall shot attempt than Utah, but three more makes. They made four more threes than Utah and matched them 17-25 on free-throws.

Late in the game, Utah had their opportunities, but missed crucial rebounds and left Oregon shooters wide open on two three-pointers.

Up next

The Runnin’ Utes hit the road next week for their Southern California road trip, taking on UCLA on Thursday, January 12th and USC on Saturday, January 14th. The Bruins are currently ranked No. 10 and are 14-2 on the season. The Trojans are 11-5 and on a two-game losing streak.