The Runnin' Utes get their first shot at a team ranked in the Top 25. Utah heads to Portland, OR to take on the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks come into this game with a 6-1 record and are ranked 19^th in the Associated Press Top 25.

Oregon has not played a game for about a week and half, so they should be fully rested. Utah is coming off an emotional win over Utah State on Wednesday and they are on a 3 game winning streak.

The Utes are looking to show that they can win a challenging game on the road. The Utes have a tough defensive battle ahead of them since the all five starters for the Ducks are averaging over 10 points per game and are lead by Malik Hairston (17.9 points/game) and Maarty Leunen (15.7 points/game).

The Utes will need to play solid team defense in order to slow down the Ducks. They will also need to continue their great field goal percentage. Utah is 4^th in the nation in field goal percentage at 53.3%. A strong defensive performance and a hot hand could give the Utes a chance to pull off the victory.

The game can be seen on ESPN's Full Court pay per view and heard on KALL 700 Sports (700 AM).

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Ravell Call / Deseret Morning News

Utah jumped out early on the Aggies of Utah State and gave them no opportunity to get back in the game.  The Utes were firing on all cylinders at the start of the game as they jumped out to an 11-0 lead before the Aggies could put any points on the board.  The Utes continued the onslaught as they extended the lead to 22-6 on a 3 pointer by Tyler Kepkay just 8 minutes into the game.

Utah took a 15 point lead into the half at 38-23.  The Aggies were able to get back within 10 points 7 minutes into the 2^nd half, but that would be the closest they would come the remainder of the game.  Leading 53-41 with 9:35 remaining, Utah would go on to outscore Utah State 19-7 the rest of the way and Utah would come out with the victory 72-48.

Luke Nevill lead the Utes with 20 points followed by Kim Tilllie (16 points) and Tyler Kepkay (11 points).  Jaycee Carroll and Gary Wilkinson were the only Aggies to score in double digits.  Utah's defense dominated Utah State holding the Aggies to a 37% field goal percentage for the game.

Utah improves to 5-2 for the season, 2-0 against in-state teams and will head out of town to face Oregon on Saturday, December 8^th.

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Jeffrey D. Allred / Deseret Morning News

The Utes were back at home to face the UC Irvine Anteaters on Saturday afternoon and looking to start a new winning streak at home and extend their current streak to 2. The Anteaters came in looking for blood and their sharp shooters went to work early and often. UC Irvine opened up a 10-4 lead by dropping two 3-pointers early and controlled most of the first half.

With about 6 minutes to go in the first half and the Utes down six, Tyler Kepkay nailed a jumper that ignited the spark caused by Carlon Brown's baseline slam dunk. The Utes finished the first half on a 9-2 run and took a three point lead into the half at 31-28.

The second half was nearly a carbon copy of the first half, only a little more dramatic. The Anteaters came out of the half on fire from behind the 3-point stripe hitting five straight threes in the first 5:30 of the second half. Part of the reason for their success on the arc was due to the Utes packing it in on the inside and not allowing the Anteaters anywhere near the paint.

Eventually they would cool off and with 10:38 to play and down by 13, the Utes started to jel offensively. Coming out of a media timeout, the Utes got a layup and foul to send Carlon Brown to the line. Kepkay stole the ball on the other end and pushed it down the floor to Nevill who scored a quick layup bringing the Utes to within single digits of the lead.

Lawrence Bohra and Carlon Brown would follow up a missed three pointer with another feed pass for a layup as the Utes began mounting a comeback and over the next 5 minutes the Utes would outscore the Anteaters 17-3. The final four minutes of the game would be all Utah as they took the lead and never looked back. The Utes finished the game behind Lawrence Bohra's outstanding play on a 16-3 run that included an improbable reverse, behind the back layup by Shawn Green while being fouled with about 2 minutes to play. The final: 78-66 in favor of the Utes.

The Utes' next opponent is the Utah State Aggies from up north. The game is scheduled for Wednesday night at the Huntsman Center, tip at 8:00 PM.

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The Utes return home for the first time since losing to Santa Clara.  Utah had a week off and then went on the road and won against Weber State.

Utah comes in with a 3-2 record and looking to begin a new winning streak on their home floor.  UC Irvine comes in with a 2-4 record and on a 3 game losing streak.  Utah last faced UC Irvine back in 1997 and came out with a victory.  The Utes are 7-0 all time against UC Irvine.

Utah should breeze past the Anteaters and pick up another easy victory.  The game begins Saturday, December 1 at 12:00 PM.  It can be heard on KALL 700 and seen on the The MTN.

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The Utes travel up the highway a bit tonight to Ogden to take on the Weber State Wildcats. This is the first of several instate games for the Utes. They also pay Dixie State, Southern Utah, Utah State and the TDS this year. Jim Boylen says he likes the instate rivalries because they add more interest, pressure on his players, and excitement surrounding the game. He notes that playing the instate games is like playing a brother. You want to take it to them but not kill them in the process.

Utes' sophomore guard/forward Stephen Weigh will not play tonight as he is still suffering from a rib injury sustained last week. Freshman Carlon Brown is expected to get the start in his absense.

The Utes are looking to right the ship after dropping their last two games against Washington and Santa Clara. Tip off is scheduled for 7:05 PM and can be heard on KALL-700 Sports. (700 AM) 

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Utah went into halftime trailing 29-27 to Santa Clara feeling that they had a good shot to win this game.  However, Santa Clara came out of halftime and began to steam roll the Utes.  Utah shot a poor 39.3% from the field in the second half and allowed Santa Clara to shoot 59.1%. 

Tom Smart / Deseret Morning News

Santa Clara's John Bryant sat out 18.5 minutes of the first half due to foul trouble, but played 14 minutes in the second half and put 17 points on the board.  Luke Nevill couldn't match Bryant as he only went 2-10 from the field and scored 10 points for the game.  Nevill also ended the game with one foul.  Luke needs to learn to play tougher defense and use his fouls to his advantage.

The only bright spot for the Utes was Johnnie Bryant's 17 point second half performance, but he got very little assistance from his teammates which only managed to contribute an additional 13 points in the second half.

This is a very tough loss to swallow since the Utes were at home (where they should never lose) and going against a team that only has two key players.  Utah has the next 9 days to breakdown their problems and see what they can do to get headed in the right direction.

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Utah heads into this game looking to bounce back from a tough loss to Washington in the pre-season NIT.  Jim Boylen continues to instill toughness within his team and will find out tonight how they can respond after a loss.

Santa Clara is coming into the Huntsman Center with a 2-1 records so far and they are coming on their first loss of the season as well.  The Broncos lost 67-54 to Nevada on Nov. 17 in Reno.  Luke Nevill will match up with John Bryant for the Broncos.  John Bryant is a 6'10" 305 pound center that will make Luke work on the offensive and defensive end of the court.

Santa Clara comes into the game tonight with two players averaging points in the double digits.  John Bryant averages 25 points/game and Calvin Johnson, a 6'2" guard, averages 14 points/game.  Utah, on the other hand, is more balanced with 4 players averaging double digits in points.  Luke Nevill leads the team at 14.7 points/game, Stephen Weigh averages 14.0 points/game, Lawrence Borha averages 13.0 points/game and Johnnie Bryant averages 12.7 points/game off the bench.

Utah's balance, scoring ability of bench players and home court advantage at the Huntsman Center give the Runnin' Utes the edge in this contest.

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The Utes played their second of back to back games yesterday against the University of Washington Huskies. The Utes started the game off strong hitting 6 of 6 from the field. While Washington was sloppy with the ball early off. The Utes' defense, which is vastly improved from last year, forced a couple of early turnovers. Combine that with the lights out shooting and it gave the Utes a 10-4 advantage early.

Although the Utes were able to nurse that lead for much of the first half, fouls were an issue and the Utes had no answer for  Jon Brockman, the Huskies' 6'7", 245 lb. forward went for a career high 31 points and 18 rebounds in 37 minutes of play. The momentum shifted in favor of the Huskies when they went on a 16-4 spurt late in the first half and carried an 9 point lead into the locker room.

The second half started off with sloppy play by both teams. The Utes were looking for someone to step up and take control. Jonnie Bryant took the opportunity to do just that. Bryant, who is the Utes' best player off the bench came in to handle the heavy pressure put on by the Husky defense. The Utes were able to claw their way back into the game by hitting some key three pointers and forcing the tempo. Stephen Weigh, who scored a team high 21 points, also came alive in the second half.

Weigh put the Utes back up by 2 with 10:21 left in the game. At that point it was anyone's game and the lead flopped back and forth until about two and a half mintues to play. It was all Huskies from there. Late in the game, the Utes were decimated with foul trouble. Nevill had two foolish and ticky tack fouls that sent him to the bench with five and his backup Kim Tillie also fouled out. Bryant played with four for several minutes of the second half and fouled out with less than a minute to play.

In the end some costly late turnovers and foul trouble did in the Utes and they fall to Washington 83-77. Their first true road test fell short, but as compared to last year, this year they fought to the final buzzer instead of throwing in the towel being down 9 at the end of the half. The Utes did learn a lot about their team and it will help them down the line with road games against Oregon, Cal and Gonzaga before entering conference play.

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Elaine Thompson / Associated Press

The Runnin' Utes took to the court on their first road game of the year on a neutral floor in Seattle, Washington.  They pulled out a victory against High Point 77-64.  Utah improves to 2-0 with this victory.

Luke Nevill led the way in scoring with 18 points.  Stephen Weigh, Johnnie Bryant and Kim Tillie also scored in double figures.  The first half of the game was a close battle, but Utah came out on an 8-0 run to start the second half to put the Utes up by 12.  The Utes extended the lead to 21 at 64-43.  High Point was able to close the gap, but the lead was too much to overcome.

Another great win for the Runnin' Utes and they have a tougher test tonight against Washington.

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Utah is in Seattle to begin the NIT Season Tip-Off against High Point.  Utah last faced High Point back in 2005 and blew them out 80-44.  High Point appears to have one star on their team and look for the Utes to play some tough defense against Arizona "AZ" Reid.  Reid is a 6'5" 205 pound forward that had 26 points and 11 boards in their first game.  Considering they only scored 55 points, I would say he is the star of the team.

Expect Boylen to pick this up on the game film and have the Utes ready to defend him and make other players for High Point step up and make plays.

I see the Utes cruising to victory in this game and will likely play Washington in the 2^nd round.  Go Utes!

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