As expected, Oregon beat Utah 73-53 in a men’s basketball exhibition matchup Friday night at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
It was a reminder that first-year coach Alex Jensen’s vision of rebuilding the Runnin’ Utes has a long-term view to it.
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Here are a few takeaways from the game.
What happened in the contest
Oregon pushed ahead 17-0 in the game’s first eight minutes while the Utes looked rushed offensively and missed their first 10 field goal attempts.
Utah started the game with 13 empty possessions before Kendyl Sanders hit a straightaway 3-pointer with 11:50 left in the first half.
During that 17-0 run to start the game, Utah had six turnovers and the Ducks blocked four shots.
The Utes played Oregon fairly evenly the remainder of the game, with each team making their share of runs, but that start was enough to keep Utah in a deep hole all night.
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Oregon outshot Utah 41.6% to 39.3%, though the Ducks had 21 more field goal attempts, thanks to a 16-6 edge in offensive rebounds and 16-7 turnover advantage.
Utah looked like a team still building chemistry
The Utes’ high roster turnover is showing up right now — the team needs more time together, there’s no doubt.
Utah had multiple stretches wherein it suffered from sloppy play, as evidenced by the 16 turnovers. Eleven of those turnovers came in the first half, when the Utes shot 27.6%.
At one point, Oregon was outshooting the Utes 51% to 17% from the field.
Turnovers and fast break points cost Utah in its three-point loss to Nevada in its exhibition opener last week, and against the Ducks, those again were sore spots.
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The Ducks had a 19-10 edge in points off turnovers and also outscored Utah 13-6 in fast break points.
Terrence Brown, after scoring 27 points against Nevada, led Utah with 15 on Friday, though he got off to a slow shooting start before settling down and finishing 7 of 16 from the floor with four assists, three rebounds and two turnovers.
Keanu Dawes also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Those two played the most minutes — Brown played 30, Dawes 28 — on a night Jensen got a good look at several players. Ten of the 11 players who entered the game for Utah played 10 or more minutes, including nine playing 15 or more.
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This team will rely on its upperclassmen such as Brown, Dawes and James Okonkwo as the younger guys such as four-star transfers Jahki Howard (0 points, 0 of 6 shooting) and Elijah “Choppa” Moore (4 points, three rebounds) get up to speed.
The Utes’ lack of height and length was stark
The Utes won’t face a talented, all-conference big man like Oregon’s Nate Bittle every night — and that’s a good thing for them.
The Utes’ tallest player is 6-foot-9, and with Utah missing Babacar Faye (out for the season) and Seydou Traore (hurt against Nevada), they simply didn’t have an answer for Bittle.
The Ducks’ star center finished with 20 points on 9 of 18 shooting and also had 12 rebounds.
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Fellow center Ege Demir added 14 points on 7 of 10 shooting.
Utah will struggle to match up well with tall, lengthy big men this year, but if the Utes can go small and get production from their guards, it could help mitigate that disadvantage and force other teams to go small.
It just didn’t happen against Oregon.
The latest on Utah’s injury situation
Like most teams coming out of preseason banged up, the Utes are dealing with injury issues of their own. Thankfully, the Utes didn’t appear to lose anyone in the matchup with Oregon.
Utah got a look Friday night at fifth-year guard Don McHenry, the Western Kentucky transfer who didn’t suit up against Nevada. McHenry scored 4 points on 1 of 6 shooting, while adding three rebounds, two assists and two turnovers.
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“You know, he’s another one of the older guys,” Jensen said about McHenry during Big 12 basketball media days in Kansas City this week. “He has experience and he’s able to score and we’ve asked him to take kind of that leadership role on and get us organized and create, let the scoring come to you.
“It’s a different level in the Big 12. It’s going to be hard to get things, so we’re going to lean on him, too.”
Jensen said after the Nevada game that Traore suffered a lower-leg injury. He didn’t have an update on Traore’s status at media days.
“I know he’s consulting with some doctors and trying to figure out the best way forward for him,” Jensen said. “I know he’d love to play, but as I reminded him, it’s like that’s one instance where you got to think past next week.”
