Oregon Men’s Basketball: Ducks Look To Extend Streak vs Utah Utes

Even though this Oregon Ducks Basketball team is different, they hope for a winning outcome as Utah is 0-5 at Matthew Knight Arena.

The Oregon Men’s Basketball team finished the non-conference slate at 10-3 and face Utah and Colorado to close out 2017. The Utah Utes are 8-3 and have some key players that could cause the Ducks issues on Friday night. Paul White has not practiced this week according to Head Coach Dana Altman and will likely not be available vs Utah. His size could have been a factor.

With White out, it appears that Freshman Kenny Wooten will get a second start in his place. Wooten leads the Oregon Ducks in blocks this season with Jordan Bell type numbers. His athleticism has allowed him to make plays on Offense too. He is averaging just under 10 points per game.

Utah has also dealt with injuries with lead scorer David Collette missing their final non-conference game. He will likely play vs Oregon and has a big inside presence.

Oregon Head Coach Dana Altman says despite the familiarity with the Pac-12, there is still work to do, “It’s not just one thing we can pinpoint. It’s a series of things. The guys are working at them. Right now we’re not making the steps quick enough.”

In breaking down what he has seen from Utah this season, “They’re good inside. A very experienced team. It’ll be a tough test for us.” Oregon enters Pac-12 play and will face Colorado and Utah just once this season. Altman says Conference games tend to bring out the best competition, “Pac-12 games always mean a little bit more…you know the people your going against.”

Next: Oregon Football Finds Strenghs In 2017

Oregon and Utah tipoff at 7 pm Pacific Time from Matthew Knight Arena.

Quotes obtained first hand at Oregon Basketball Practice