This week, the University of Utah men’s basketball team will travel to Oregon to take on the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers. Utah’s only home loss of the year came against the Ducks in January by a score of 64-69. A few days before, the Utes topped the Beavers 81-69 at the Huntsman Center.

Utah Players to Watch For

Rylan Jones continued his great freshman season last week against the Golden Bears and Cardinal. Jones totaled 11 points, four rebounds and 13 assists on the week. He is one of the best shooters on the floor for the Utes this season, averaging 10.5 points per game.

Jaxon Brenchley has been starting in place of the injured Both Gach over the past few games and has done a pretty good job. In his last two games, Brenchley averaged 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Riley Battin had a good week last week, averaging nine total points, nine rebounds and three assists between the two games. Battin continues to be a leader in multiple ways for the Runnin’ Utes and will look to continue his solid play this week against the Ducks and Beavers.

Timmy Allen seemed to get back in his groove against Cal and Stanford last week, scoring a total of 36 points while also notching eight rebounds and four assists. Allen showed poise and agressiveness, a welcome attitude as the Utes faced good Stanford and Cal teams.

Branden Carlson was just named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after his eight-block performance against the Stanford Cardinal. He also averaged 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists over the Northern California Pac-12 teams. He joins Jones as the second freshman on Utah’s team to win the award this year.

Oregon State Player to Watch For

In 23 games, Tres Tinkle has led the Beavers 14 times in rebounds while also having 15 team-high point totals. The key to shutting down an Oregon State team on a high after beating the Ducks last week is shutting down Tinkle. Tinkle is the do-it-all guy for the Beavers, and if he is slowed down, the Utes should take a W out of Corvallis.

Oregon Player to Watch For

Payton Pritchard has been a pain in Utah’s side through the last two matchups. When the Utes and Ducks faced off in January, Pritchard had 19 points, four rebounds and five assists. Oregon’s offense runs through Pritchard, and the Utes will need to buckle down against him if they want a chance of winning on Sunday night.

How to Watch this Week’s Game

Utah versus Oregon State will tip off on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. The Utes will then travel to Eugene to take on the Ducks. That game will begin on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. Game one against the Beavers will be televised on Pac-12 Networks, while game two against the Ducks will be on FS1. Both games will be radio broadcast on ESPN 700 by Bill Riley and Jimmy Soto on the call.

What Comes Next For the Utes?

The Jon M. Huntsman Center will play host to Utah’s next two games as USC and UCLA will travel to Salt Lake City. UCLA will be the first to face the Utes on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 8:30 p.m. The Utes will then take on the Southern California Trojans on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 4 p.m.

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