The Oregon State Beavers look to snap a 14-game losing streak against the Utah Utes, who hope to get their best player back after a loss at No. 7 Oregon.
Game information:
Utah at Oregon State
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Where: Gill Coliseum
On air: ESPNU; Radio on Beaver Sports Radio Network (stream here)
TV coverage: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Corey Williams (analyst)
Projected starters:
Utah (17-9, 8-6 Pac-12)
2 – Sedrick Barefield, 6-2, 190, So. | 9.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.7 apg
5 – Parker Van Dyke, 6-3, 190, So. | 5.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.2 apg
3 – Devon Daniels, 6-5, 190, Fr. | 10.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.7 apg
13 – David Collette, 6-8, 220, Jr. | 14.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 apg
35 – Kyle Kuzma, 6-9 221, Jr. | 15.7 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 2.5 apg
Oregon State (4-23, 0-14)
0 – JaQuori McLaughlin, 6-4, 185, Fr. | 11.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.1 apg
1 – Stephen Thompson Jr., 6-4, 175, So. | 16.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.3 apg
24 – Kendal Manuel, 6-4, 180, R-Fr. | 7.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.6 apg
12 – Drew Eubanks, 6-10, 250, So. | 14.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg
23 – Gligorije Rakocevic, 6-11, 255, So. | 3.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 16.8 mpg
Coaches: Utah: Larry Krystkowiak, 112-82 at Utah (6th season), 154-102 overall. Oregon State: Wayne Tinkle, 40-50 at Oregon State (3rd season), 198-141 overall.
RPI: Utah: 80. Oregon State: 299.
KenPom rating: Utah: 50. Oregon State: 279.
Last 10: Utah: 5-5. Oregon State: 0-10.
Line: Utah by 13 1/2
Previous meetings: Utah beat OSU 86-78 on Jan. 28. The Utes led by as many as 28 points and put in their reserves before Oregon State made a late run to narrow the deficit. Utah leads the all-time series 17-11.
Injury report: Oregon State sophomore forward Tres Tinkle (20.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg) has missed the Beavers’ last 21 games with a broken wrist. Senior center Cheikh N’diaye (3.6 ppg) has been out for 18 games with a shoulder injury. Both will be out Sunday.
Utah forward and leading scorer and rebounder Kyle Kuzma missed Thursday’s game at No. 7 Oregon with a sprained ankle. The team is hopeful he plays Sunday.
Preview: After watching its best remaining chance at a Pac-12 win slip away Thursday, Oregon State may get a break Sunday against Utah.
The Utes are coming off its worst defeat of the season, an 18-point throttling at the hands of No. 7 Oregon while playing without Kyle Kuzma. If Kuzma is limited Sunday, it will help take away one of his team’s biggest strengths – keeping opposing offenses off the glass.
Utah shook up its starting lineup Thursday without Kuzma, plugging in Sedrick Barefield for Lorenzo Bonam.
Oregon State dealt with its own backcourt struggles Thursday. While JaQuori McLaughlin had a team-high 16 points in a 60-52 loss to Colorado, Stephen Thompson Jr. had five points (2 of 12), one assist, eight turnovers, four rebounds and four steals, while Kendal Manuel had zero points (0 of 5) in 34 minutes.
Big men Drew Eubanks and Gligorije Rakocevic had their best offensive games as a tandem, combining for 24 points, but Wayne Tinkle said the Beavers “didn’t have the guard play we needed.”
With limited bench scoring continuing to be an issue, much will fall on the Oregon State interior defense. Utah only shoots 35.7 percent from three-point range but the team ranks sixth in the nation by making 57.5 percent of shots inside the arc. When these teams last met, the Utes scored inside and built an early lead in part with finding open cutters to the rim.
They said it: “There’s got to be guys that, whether it’s a starter or a main player or a role player, that’s the energy bunny. And we just don’t have it. … That’s something we’re certainly going to develop and address as we move forward.” – Wayne Tinkle
Links:
— Danny Moran
dmoran@oregonian.com
@DannyJMoran
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