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Eugene, Ore. • After all the hours spent together on buses and planes, in eateries and locker rooms and gyms, Larry Krystkowiak became so attuned to each of his players' laughs that he knew without looking who was enjoying themselves.

At least, he'd thought so.

When he heard junior wing Dakarai Tucker chortle during the pregame meal Thursday in Corvallis, he did a double take: That was a new one.

Even after three seasons, Krystkowiak said of Tucker, "around our staff, he's usually pretty guarded."

It's the same with media. The 6-foot-5 wing — whose 11 points were the difference in a 47-37 win over previously undefeated-at-home Oregon State — speaks softly and sticks to a script about keeping his head down and providing energy.

His father, Dominic, attributes that reticence to his own background as a fire control technician in the Navy. Dakarai was taught to respect chain of command, to "have an opinion, but keep it to yourself," he said.

But teammates see behind the curtain.

"Kari is not who y'all think he is," said junior Brandon Taylor. "I'm telling you that right now. Kari — he'll get to a point where I'm like, 'Bro, you've got to shut up.' "

Around the rest of us, Tucker has let his play do the talking since beating Taylor's Pacific Hills High in the 2012 CIF quarterfinals, being named CIF Southern Section Player of the Year, and yet still having to pay his way to Salt Lake City to try out for a scholarship in April 2012.

He went on to average 11 minutes as a freshman and earn a starting role for two-thirds of his sophomore season, during which his 41.4 percent 3-point clip was sixth in Pac-12 competition.

His opportunities dwindled down the stretch, though, as Princeton Onwas received a greater share of the minutes.

Dominic told him there was no use complaining that he was only getting one or two shots: "My whole thing was telling him, 'Did you make the one or two shots?' "

Dakarai has started three games this season and is almost certain to be on the bench during Sunday's tip, but his increasingly easy smile suggests he's enjoying his role as a sixth man (he's fifth in minutes played) for the No. 9 Utes.

And what little he says — the energy thing — he's backed up.

Dominic coached eighth-graders when Dakarai was in fourth grade, and he would have Dakarai chase the older boys while they ran. If Dakarai caught them, they had to run again, he said.

Now he's the fastest Ute over 2 miles, which he covers in roughly 11 minutes. Said Krystkowiak: "I remember recruiting Dakarai and looking at a bunch of game film. It was like, 'Man, this kid just doesn't stop.' … Sometimes I don't think that's valued enough. To be able to run can be overlooked."

And he also literally provides energy as the team's resident chef. Taylor raves about Tucker's cooking: fried fish, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, yams — "He does it all, man. He's incredible."

That's those military principles again, Dominic said. When Dakarai was growing up, he was encouraged to be self-sufficient.

"He started with salad and progressed from salad to hot foods," he said, adding that his son has now surpassed him in the kitchen with his ability to cook for upward of 10 people.

From salad to hot foods. Next: from catch-and-shoot specialist to all-around wing. Krystkowiak noted that Dakarai has dribbled more over the past month, and when a defender closed too hard Thursday night, he drove, drew contact and scored, and-one. That's an effective strategy, given that he's hit 17 consecutive free throws. Dominic said his son is learning how to play better defense, too.

"He can do a lot of things," said Jordan Loveridge, Dakarai's roommate since freshman year.

In open gyms, "where do you don't really have too many rules, you're just playing, he does those things well," Loveridge said.

Again, it seems, his teammates knew all along.

But both on the court and off, the rest of the world is starting to see more of Dakarai Tucker.

mpiper@sltrib.com Twitter: @matthew_piper —

No. 9 Utah at Oregon

P At Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Ore.

Tipoff • 1 p.m. MST

TV • Fox Sports 1; Radio • ESPN 700 AM

Records • Utah: 21-4, 11-2 Pac-12; Oregon: 19-8, 9-5

Series history • Oregon leads, 12-9

Last meeting • Jan. 2, 2014, at Utah; Oregon 70, Utah 68 (OT)

About the Utes • Utah is at the top of the Pac-12 standings in scoring defense (55.6 points allowed/game), scoring margin (17.6/game), field-goal percentage defense (.377), assist/turnover ratio (1.29) and 3-point field goals made (7.56/game). … Senior Delon Wright was named one of 17 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to college basketball's top point guard.

About the Ducks • Oregon has the Pac-12's highest-scoring offense (76.7/game), its best free-throw percentage (.747 — .32 better than second-place Stanford) and its most assists (15.41/game). … Sunday is Senior Day for Pac-12 leading scorer Joseph Young and fellow guard Jalil Abdul-Bassit. Oregon reduced ticket prices to boost attendance. … The national runner-up football team will be honored at halftime.