For much of the game, it appeared that the Oregon Ducks were going to leave Salt Lake City and head home from their mountain road trip with a 2-0 record and reason to feel extremely confident going forward, coming off of back-to-back blowout wins over Utah and Colorado.
Then things got interesting.
The Utes were able to mount a comeback in the second half against Oregon and eventually make it a one-point game with under a minute to go. The Ducks ultimately won after hitting their free throws down the stretch and avoided a prayer three-pointer at the buzzer, but I’m not sure the victory feels as good as it looks on the standings.
Oregon was up by double-digits for a good amount of time in the second half and even led by 10 points with 2 minutes left. Their inability to close the game out didn’t prove fatal on Saturday night, but it could in the future.