No. 10 Oregon, Utah could get reinforcements for clash (Jan 26, 2017)

For No. 10 Oregon and Utah, it's all a matter of wishing and hoping when it comes to their lineups for Thursday night's Pac-12 showdown at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

The Ducks (18-2, 7-0) could welcome back their best player, junior forward Dillon Brooks (foot). He sat out Saturday's 69-52 win over Stanford after being injured in a win over California. Brooks leads a balanced attack at 13.4 points per game.

As for the Utes (14-5, 5-2), they are crossing their fingers that forward David Collette (concussion symptoms) might come back. Collette, who's averaging 14.9 ppg and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 63.6 percent from the field, sat out Utah's road sweep of the Washington schools last week.

Regardless of who plays, this figures to be perhaps the marquee matchup of the week in the Pac-12. Oregon has won 16 straight games and is back in the top 10, as well as atop the conference, while the Utes have proven that the loss of Jakob Poeltl and Jordan Loveridge doesn't mean a return to the mediocrity many predicted for them.

Ducks coach Dana Altman isn't getting too caught up in his team's recent roll for two seasons. One, the seasoned bench boss would rather have a team peaking in March rather than January. Secondly, seven of their remaining 11 conference games are on the road.

And with a Saturday trip into the altitude of Colorado following this game, Altman believes his team has to be better now than it has been, even though its last six conference wins have been by double figures.

"Where we're at right now is not good enough to withstand the challenge of those seven road games -- and the four home games we have left," he said. "So my constant message is, we've got to get better."

The potential return of Brooks could only make this a tougher matchup for Utah, and it hasn't been a favorable one in any circumstance. Oregon owns seven straight wins over coach Larry Krystkowiak's group, including an 88-57 drilling in last season's Pac-12 title game.

Adding Brooks to scoring threats like forward Chris Boucher (13.2 ppg), guard Tyler Dorsey (12.8), guard Dylan Ennis (11.6) and forward Jordan Bell (11.0) only makes the Ducks harder to guard.

But the biggest problem the Utes have had against Oregon is solving its defense. All three meetings last year were decided by double figures as the Ducks' varied zones either forced turnovers or funneled shooters into rejections.

Boucher and Cook have teamed for 97 blocked shots this season, which has helped opponents make only 38.9 percent of their attempts. Per kenpom.com, Oregon is ranked 13th in Division I in defensive efficiency.

"A lot of people know what Oregon wants to do, and they can't stop it," Krystkowiak said to the Salt Lake Tribune. "I'm a big believer that defense wins championships, and they've proven it."

This is the first of two meetings between the teams. With only one top 50 RPI win (USC) to its credit, Utah could use a signature win to boost a light profile with the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.