Can the Oregon State Beavers Outmaneuver the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City?
As the Oregon State Beavers prepare to face off against the Utah Utes at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, fans are eager to see if their team can pull off a win on foreign hardwood. The upcoming game, scheduled for January 18th at 6:00 PM, promises to be a thrilling encounter.
The Beavers have shown resilience and skill in their recent games, though not without challenges. On January 12th against Stanford's Cardinal, they fought valiantly but fell just short in overtime with an 84-88 loss. Despite this setback, there were positive takeaways from that game – notably their three-point shooting accuracy of 44 percent and a commendable free throw percentage of 70.
However, turnovers have been a thorn in ORST's side; they committed 17 against Stanford and will need to tighten up their ball handling against UTAH. Their defense also managed nine steals and three blocks that night – signs of an aggressive defensive stance that could serve them well in disrupting Utah's offensive flow.
In contrast to their close call with Stanford, ORST faced a more disappointing outcome earlier on January 6th when they visited Washington's Huskies. The final score read 72-79 against them despite maintaining a solid field goal percentage of 45 and sinking half of their two-point attempts.
One area where ORST has consistently excelled is behind the arc; even during their loss on January 5th to Washington State Cougars (58-65), they hit four out of thirteen three-pointers – not stellar but indicative of where some of their scoring strength lies.
Looking ahead at UTAH as opponents, it’s clear that Oregon State must leverage its long-range shooting while shoring up defense around the paint where Utah is likely to attack aggressively based on past performances by other teams.
The Beavers' fans should expect an intense battle as both teams vie for dominance. With strategic playmaking and improved ball security coupled with sustained shooting prowess from deep range – there’s reason for optimism among Beaver Believers.
Remembering past glories won't win this game; it will be down to execution on court come tip-off time. Fans can catch all the action live on ESPN2 channel number 209 or make sure they're seated at Jon M. Huntsman Center before game time ticks away into history.