This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
They were a young group, but still, perhaps the Runnin' Utes were starting to think they had seen it all.
Then Oregon hit, and Utah lost its second straight home game for the first time since 2013.
The Utes (14-6, 5-3 Pac-12) rarely play top-10 ranked teams back-to-back, but coach Larry Krystkowiak thought his group had started to feel too comfortable coming off a road trip sweep of Washington State and Washington. While Utah's coaches warned players the Ducks' defense would be much tougher in person than they could create in practice, some things players only learn through experience — as difficult as that was in a 73-67 loss on Thursday night.
"You feel it, you see it, your coaching is validated," Krystkowiak said. "I think when we said, 'Oregon's defense is hard to simulate,' some of the kids were like, 'yeah, right' until the game when they thought, 'OK.' Short of bringing in some dudes that we can't find or using broomsticks or different things, it's hard. Hopefully next time, we have everybody's attention."
The upside — and the challenge — for Utah is next time approaches quickly: Riding less than a 45-hour turnaround, the Utes will take on last-place Oregon State for a chance to close the week on a high note.
The Beavers have been hamstrung by injuries this season, most notably sophomore forward and leading scorer Tres Tinkle, the son of head coach Wayne Tinkle. Krystkowiak and Tinkle both played and coached together at Montana, and Utah knows to expect a fight, despite Oregon State's record (4-17, 0-8).
There's no better example than the Beavers' most recent game, an 85-78 loss at Colorado on Thursday in which Oregon State led during the second half. Their lineup features standout guard Stephen Thompson, forward Drew Eubanks (who scored 27 against the Buffs), and former Utah recruit guard Jaquori McLaughlin.
"They've been in a lot of the games they've lost," sophomore Parker Van Dyke said. "That's the great thing about this league, is any team at any time has great players that can come out and beat you. So we've got to be prepared."
Utah's own preparation will consist of trying to get their offense on track.
Oregon made scoring tougher than most nights for the fourth-best shooting team in the country, getting in Utah's lanes and causing them to pause. While Utah still shot 48 percent from the floor, junior Kyle Kuzma lamented afterward the team had gotten passive: Too often, they let the clock drift down to eight seconds or less — the period the team calls "butter" — forcing ugly shots or miscalculated drives.
The Utes only hit 42 percent of their shots in the second half and had eight turnovers.
"I don't think we attacked enough, we just stood around, including me," said Devon Daniels, who had 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting. "I think we just didn't play as hard and aggressive as we needed to on both ends."
The "both ends" aspect is key: Utah's offense was at its best in transition, when Oregon wasn't able to set up its zone. With the slashers and finishers the Utes have on offense, they're built to run.
That will again be a focus against Oregon State, which primarily utilizes a 2-3 zone to compensate for its injuries. That was the scheme the Beavers ran when the teams met two years ago, resulting in a 47-37 Utah win.
The lesson the Utes learned from Oregon is they can't let other teams dictate their tempo. It was a hard lesson to learn with defeat, but they're hoping they can put it into practice on Saturday.
"I think last night, there was a few times where we were too passive," Van Dyke said. "Sometimes we got to take the ball before they get to set up, take the ball in transition and get it down the floor. So I think we've got some good game plans for tomorrow where we can do that a bit quicker and execute better."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Oregon State at Utah
P At the Huntsman Center
Tipoff • 5 p.m.
TV • Pac-12 Networks
Radio • ESPN 700 AM
Records • OSU (4-17, 0-8); Utah (14-6, 5-3)
Series history • Utah leads 16-11
Last meeting • Feb. 4, 2016 @ OSU; Oregon State 71, Utah 69
About the Beavers • Oregon State is expected to be without Tres Tinkle (wrist) who was averaging 20.2 ppg and 8.3 rpg before his injury. ... The Beavers rank last in turnover margin (minus-3.7) in the Pac-12 and have a league-high 15.8 turnovers per game. ... Between Stephen Thompson, Drew Eubanks and Jaquori McLaughlin, the trio has accounted for 59 percent of Oregon State's points this season.
About the Utes • While Kyle Kuzma ended his run of five straight double-doubles against Oregon (18 points, 9 rebounds), he has scored 12 or more points in six straight games this season ... Junior David Collette returned Thursday after missing two games with concussion symptoms, and he has yet to shoot under 50 percent in a game this season. ... Utah is running its Teddy Bear toss promotion on Saturday, inviting fans to toss a teddy bear to the court at halftime for donation to local children in need.