Utah vs. Oregon State
Thursday, February 19th 9:00 PM MST
Gill Coliseum - Corvallis, OR
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: ESPN 700
Line: Utah -7.5
This game moved from a -9.5 point spread for the Utes to -7.5 today. I sense some hesitancy coming from the Vegas odds-makers in regards to the Utes on the road. For good reason. Not only has Utah yet to really prove itself on the road, but the Beavers are also undefeated at home (14-0.) Some of those wins have come against impressive talent like Arizona, Arizona State, and Washington. However, Oregon State is just 2-9 away from the friendly confines of Gill Coliseum. It's like they're a completely different team when they have to board a plane to get to their next match. In fact, last week after posting their second loss on their Southern California road swing, The Beavers' flight was stuck on the runway while the plane staff dealt with a scorpion sting. Yes, it turns out the Alaska Airlines plane they boarded, which also had the Women's basketball team from the University of Portland, originated from Mexico and somewhere along the lines a scorpion was brought on the plane. A man discovered it on his shoulder and accidentally flicked it on to a nearby passenger and it promptly stung her on the hand. Some bad voodoo following this team on the road..
However, the Utes are going to get the best Beavers team tonight and I expect it to be a good game. Wayne Tinkle is a quality coach who led Montana to three NCAA Tourney appearances during his time at the helm there. He took over for the fired Craig Robinson in the spring and has done a great job in his first season. Considering Robinson only managed one winning season in his six years at Oregon State and the fact that they are this tough at home, it is a testament to the job Tinkle (hehe) is doing. He and Coach K happen to go way back too, both having Montana ties and that's the first state I'd go to find my coach. Some fine, fine coaching talent from those parts..
Everyone knows about Gary Payton Jr. and his ability to fill up a stat sheet, but don't sleep on Malcolm Duvivier and Langston Morris-Walker. The trio make up a formidable back-court and could give the Utes fits tonight. They start three guards and two forwards, so I expect Utah to exploit this by mixing up match-ups throughout the night. Oregon State is a pretty good defensive team, holding conference opponents to 39% shooting.
Likely Starters:
Oregon State: G Gary Payton II (13.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg), G Malcolm Duvivier (9.6 ppg, 3.6 apg), G Langston Morris-Walker (10.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg), F Olaf Schaftenaar (8.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg), F Daniel Gomis (4.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
G Brandon Taylor (10.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg), G Delon Wright (14.3 ppg, 5.4
rpg), F Jordan Loveridge (10.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg), F Chris Reyes (4.8 ppg,
4.4 rpg), C Jakob Poelti (9.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
Thursday, February 19th 9:00 PM MST
Gill Coliseum - Corvallis, OR
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: ESPN 700
Line: Utah -7.5
This game moved from a -9.5 point spread for the Utes to -7.5 today. I sense some hesitancy coming from the Vegas odds-makers in regards to the Utes on the road. For good reason. Not only has Utah yet to really prove itself on the road, but the Beavers are also undefeated at home (14-0.) Some of those wins have come against impressive talent like Arizona, Arizona State, and Washington. However, Oregon State is just 2-9 away from the friendly confines of Gill Coliseum. It's like they're a completely different team when they have to board a plane to get to their next match. In fact, last week after posting their second loss on their Southern California road swing, The Beavers' flight was stuck on the runway while the plane staff dealt with a scorpion sting. Yes, it turns out the Alaska Airlines plane they boarded, which also had the Women's basketball team from the University of Portland, originated from Mexico and somewhere along the lines a scorpion was brought on the plane. A man discovered it on his shoulder and accidentally flicked it on to a nearby passenger and it promptly stung her on the hand. Some bad voodoo following this team on the road..
However, the Utes are going to get the best Beavers team tonight and I expect it to be a good game. Wayne Tinkle is a quality coach who led Montana to three NCAA Tourney appearances during his time at the helm there. He took over for the fired Craig Robinson in the spring and has done a great job in his first season. Considering Robinson only managed one winning season in his six years at Oregon State and the fact that they are this tough at home, it is a testament to the job Tinkle (hehe) is doing. He and Coach K happen to go way back too, both having Montana ties and that's the first state I'd go to find my coach. Some fine, fine coaching talent from those parts..
Everyone knows about Gary Payton Jr. and his ability to fill up a stat sheet, but don't sleep on Malcolm Duvivier and Langston Morris-Walker. The trio make up a formidable back-court and could give the Utes fits tonight. They start three guards and two forwards, so I expect Utah to exploit this by mixing up match-ups throughout the night. Oregon State is a pretty good defensive team, holding conference opponents to 39% shooting.
Likely Starters:
Oregon State: G Gary Payton II (13.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg), G Malcolm Duvivier (9.6 ppg, 3.6 apg), G Langston Morris-Walker (10.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg), F Olaf Schaftenaar (8.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg), F Daniel Gomis (4.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
G Brandon Taylor (10.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg), G Delon Wright (14.3 ppg, 5.4
rpg), F Jordan Loveridge (10.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg), F Chris Reyes (4.8 ppg,
4.4 rpg), C Jakob Poelti (9.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
