Utah Basketball Battles Hard In Eugene, Come Up Two Points Short To Oregon
Mar 9, 2024, 7:16 PM | Updated: 7:18 pm
EUGENE, OR- The Runnin’ Utes wrapped up their last game of the regular season against the Oregon Ducks- another must-win game to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Utah laid an egg Thursday night against Oregon State- the most winnable of their two remaining road games. Now the Utes are in a position where they need to win as many of their remaining games as possible, Saturday against the Ducks and their first game of the Pac-12 Tournament next week.
The Utes started slow against Oregon but made-up ground by the halfway point of the first half. Utah went into the locker room with a 37-32 lead over the Ducks.
END OF HALF#Utes up by five on the Ducks, 37-32.
Branden Carlson leading scoring with 17 points. Deivon Smith is second at nine followed by Gabe Madsen with six.#GoUtes
— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) March 10, 2024
Utah battled hard with Oregon down the stretch, even with Branden Carlson exiting the game in the second half, but came up just short, 66-65.
Heartbreaker in Eugene. Ben Carlson with a good look that would have given Utah the win that bounced back out.
Oregon walks away with a 66-65 win to end the regular season.#Utes
— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) March 10, 2024
Look Ahead At Utah’s Schedule
Utah will wait to find out their fate in the Pac-12 Tournament next week.
Starting Five For Runnin’ Utes Vs. Oregon
Tonight’s Starting ✋ pic.twitter.com/0RZsoE31nb
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) March 9, 2024
Runnin’ Utes Stats Leaders Against Oregon
- Scoring Leader: Branden Carlson – 19 points
- Rebound Leader: Deivon Smith – 6 rebounds
- Assists Leader: Lawson Lovering – 4 assists
Carlson was the team leader in scoring with 19 points. Carlson also led the team in rebounds with five despite exiting the game early in the second half.
Deivon Smith came in second for the Utes in scoring with 15 points while adding six rebounds and three assists.
Gabe Madsen came third in line for Utah’s top scorers with 14 points, three assists and one steal.
Noteworthy Utah Men’s Basketball Team Stats Against Oregon
The Utes were ok shooting going 41% from the field, 38% from the three and 75% at the line against Oregon.
Utah collected 36 total rebounds, 13 assists, and four steals and two blocks against the Ducks. Utah also recorded 14 turnovers that resulted in 13 UO points.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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