On paper Oregon should be better than their record. This is surprising, because Altman is highly regarded as a coach. They usually punch a bit above their weight. Their only good win is vs Villanova, and they have a couple of ugly losses (UVU, UC Irvine). Part of the disappointment has been due to health issues, and they are now starting to get healthy.
Dante and Ware are solid bigs who will be a challenge for Carlson. Will Richardson is a good scoring PG. Guerrier is a highly regarded forward.
They are big and hit the boards hard. They are deep with 8 playing >20 mpg, and 2 more >15 mpg. They use their depth to press a lot, and pressing teams have caused problems for the Utes at times.
Unfortunately for OU they are turnover prone (average -2 per game), shoot badly from deep (29%), and are bad at the FT line (66%).
Can’t forget Altman OWNS the Utes.
Big game. Utes need to accumulate wins now while the schedule is less difficult. The schedule gets tough in mid February. The Utes will likely be underdogs in 4 of their last 5.
I don’t think we should be terribly discouraged by this game. We’re still getting better and better. There will be bumps in the road and in some games we’ll just be outmatched.
1st half lack of shooting is the whole story. We had chances and it’s really closer than the final margin. I knew we’d lose soon, but this team is still worthy of our support.
I just wish Altman didn’t have our number year after year after year.
Too many unforced turnovers & rebounds that bounced the wrong way.
One problem is that Worster is in a shooting slump. Can’t hit a 3, so they can cover Madsen & pack it in around Branden Carlson.
Leaves Marco as a mid range scorer—but he & Lazar can not carry the load.
Tough shooting night. Other than Marco who had an outstanding game and Keita, no one could hit any shots. Very encouraged by an improved fan turnout, even the students had a respectable showing. Hope that continues. A lot more fun up there when spectators are creating an atmosphere.