THE GAMES The No. 7/7 Utah Utes (18-2, 8-2 Pac-12) hit the road for a pair of Pac-12 games, with Oregon State on Friday (7 p.m. MT) and then #RV/RV Oregon on Sunday (3 p.m. MT). The Utes enter the weekend in second place in the Pac-12 .
THE MATCHUPS Sunday, Feb. 3 | 7:00 p.m. (MT) #7/7 Utah (18-2; 8-2 Pac-12) vs Oregon State (11-10; 3-7 Pac-12) Location: Corvallis, OR TV:Pac-12 Networks Radio:ESPN700 KALL | Listen Live Click Here Live Stats:Click Here
Sunday, Feb. 5 | 3:00 p.m. (MT) #7/7 Utah (18-2; 8-2 Pac-12) vs Oregon (14-7; 5-5 Pac-12) Location:Eugene, OR TV:Pac-12 Network Radio:92.1 FM Listen Live Click Here Live Stats:Click Here
HOW TO TUNE IN Fans can watch the Oregon State game on the Pac-12 Networks, with Rich Burk and Julie Rousseau calling the action. The radio call will be on ESPN 700 KALL, with Tyson Ewing handling play-by-play and Milee Enger as analyst. Live stats are on UtahUtes.com.
Fans can watch the Oregon game on the Pac-12 Networks, with Ann Schatz and Jennifer Mountain calling the action. The radio call will be on 92.1 FM, with Tyson Ewing handling play-by-play and Milee Enger as analyst. Live stats are on UtahUtes.com.
OPENING TIP (all statistical rankings are updated through games of 2/1/23)
The Utes dropped one spot this week to No. 7 in the AP poll. This is highest the Utes have ever been ranked in school history. Utah sits at 7th in the USA Today coaches poll.
Utah has been ranked in the AP poll for 12 consecutive weeks, breaking the program record of nine weeks in a row set in 2001. Utah's most total weeks ranked in the same season is 13 in 2005-06.
This week's NCAA NET rankings place the Utes at No. 7, second-best among Pac-12 teams behind Stanford (4).
The Utes are 3-1 vs. ranked opponents this season after Sunday's 71-69 victory over then No. 8 UCLA. Earlier this season Utah fell to then No. 4 Stanford, 77-67. Before that the Utes, downed No. 14/10 Arizona 80-79. The Utes also came away victorious on Nov. 16 with a win over then-No. 16 Oklahoma, Utah has defeated multiple ranked opponents in the same season for the first time since 2005-06 (5-3). Two of those wins came against teams in top 16, a feat only previously achieved in 2000-01, and now accomplished for a third time.
The highest ranking of a team Utah has defeated in its history is No. 6 (Long Beach State, 2/10/84; 72-70 in Salt Lake City; and Stanford, 1/27/19; 75-68 in SLC). The highest-ranked road win in program history is over No. 15 Oregon State, 85-79, on Dec. 8, 2020 in Corvallis, Ore.
Utah's 18-2 start to the season, and 8-2 start in Pac-12 Conference play, are its best in both through 20 games since 2018-19.
Utah's 14-0 start was the second-best in program history (16-0 in 1997-98) and tied for the fourth-best start by any program in Pac-12 history.
Utah is the nation's No. 5 scoring team and ranks in the top 10 nationally in five major statistical categories:
No. 4 field-goal percentage (49.3)
No. 3 and scoring margin (+22.2)
No. 5 in scoring (84.6)
No. 8 in assists (18.2)
No. 8 in winning percentage (90.0)
Three Utes averaging in double-figure scoring pace a balanced team attack: Alissa Pili (20.3), Gianna Kneepkens (14.7) and Jenna Johnson (11.0). Pili is No. 2 in the Pac-12 in scoring while Kneepkens is seventh among the Pac-12's best.
Junior forward Alissa Pili, recently named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List and Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch Lists, leads the team in scoring (20.3, 1st Pac-12, 20th NCAA) and ranks 11th in the nation (1st Pac-12) in field-goal percentage (61.9%). She also sits at No. 9 nationall in total made field goals with 134. The Nov. 28 Pac-12 Player of the Week recently topped 1,000 career points.
Sophomore Gianna Kneepkens ranks 9th in the nation in three-point shooting percentage (45.5%), No.1 among Pac-12 players.
Sophomore Ines Vieira ranks 9th in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (2.68), No. 2 among Pac-12 players.
Utah holds an all-time home record of 545-131 (.806), and has won 14 of its last 15 home games, including 10-0 this year. The Utes have nine undefeated home seasons. This is the best home record since 2015-16 when the Utes also went 10-0.
Watch Lists: Gianna Kneepkens (Jersey Mike's Naismith Award/nation's top player; and Cheryl Miller Award/top small forward). Alissa Pili (Katrina McClain Award; top power forward; Wooden Award & Ann Drysdale Meyers Award Midseason Watch Lists).
NEXT UP Utah will host Washington on Feb. 10 and Washington State Feb. 12.
FOLLOW THE UTES! Fans can follow along during the 2022-23 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB).