While it was reported earlier this month that Utah would play Oregon this upcoming season, the location of the game has just been announced for Portland and not Eugene.
So for all Ute fans living in the Portland area, this should come as great news and I actually think it might ease the Ducks' home court advantage. I also like what the official press release had to say about Utah basketball.
The Duck men, coming off a 29-8 season and an appearance in the NCAA Elite 8, will face Utah, a team with 26 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances. That ranks second behind only UCLA's 41 among all western colleges. Oregon and the Utes last met in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament, when Utah edged the Ducks 60-58 in Nashville, Tenn. The two schools have played 13 games all-time, with the Utes holding a 7-6 series edge.
"Utah has been a very good basketball program for a long time," said Kent. "They were down a bit last year, but when you think about Utah in terms of their NCAA Tournament history, they rank right up there. I think our fans will be excited to see how we match up against a traditional power like Utah."
Some respect coming from the Ducks. The basketball season can't get here soon enough and I really hope we can get an early win over the Ducks, that would be a nice opener for the Jim Boylen era.