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Utah versus Oregon already has begun — just not yet on the court.
The sparring before the game is about protecting intelligence. Both the Utes (14-5, 5-2) and the No. 10 Ducks (18-2, 7-0) have stars who may not be healthy enough to play in the Thursday night showdown at the Huntsman Center. Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak won't be the first to break the standoff by talking about whether David Collette will play.
"If Dana [Altman] talks first, maybe I'll say something," Krystkowiak said. "Otherwise we're going stealth mode on this."
Collette, who averages 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 63.6 percent, has missed the last two games after suffering a resurgence of symptoms, mostly headaches, from a concussion he suffered in practice just before Pac-12 play began. He's been a force offensively for Utah, scoring at least 10 points and shooting 50 percent or better in every game he's played.
The Utes were hopeful he could join them in Seattle even as late as the day of the game Saturday, but he didn't pass concussion protocol in time to make the trip. It turned out that Utah didn't need him. They won both games by a combined 63 points on the road trip through Washington State and Washington.
Similarly, Oregon has managed to thrive without star junior Dillon Brooks, a first-team all-conference player last year. He sprained his left foot in a game against Cal after only 13 minutes, then missed the next contest against Stanford — both double-digit wins for the Ducks, who have plenty of weapons to go around.
But Brooks has been a nuisance for the Utes. The 6-foot-7 forward has averaged better than 20 points per contest in five career matchups against Utah, including dropping 30 in Eugene last year.
Krystkowiak let slip that Collette won't be practicing "for a while." Everything depends on his medical testing.
"This isn't something that's easy for anybody," he said. "I do have his best interests. It's a serious deal, and I know he's a tough kid and not making anything up."
Should Collette not be ready to play, Utah again is expected to start Jayce Johnson. The freshman averaged 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in his starts last week, shooting 6 for 11 from the field. Krystkowiak said he's been proud of Johnson's development so far this season and thinks he's been slowing down and become more effective in the post.
Johnson said he's ready to go for Thursday whether he starts or not.
"No matter what, if I start, if I don't start, I kind of go out to the game with the same mindset," he said. "That I'm going to give my heart to the game and play as hard as I can and give my team the best chance I can to win."
Turnovers on the decline
Utah's ball control has cleaned up a lot in Pac-12 play for a team that started the season looking desperately in need of a facilitator.
The Utes are averaging 9.9 turnovers per game in seven league games and are enjoying a plus-0.57 margin. By contrast, non-conference play saw the Utes have 11 or more turnovers in 11 games, and Utah is averaging one more turnover than its opponent this season.
Krystkowiak has been quick to pull players off the floor for turnovers on errant passes. It's also been a focus in practice. While he's more willing to accept turnovers on a hard screen or other similar hustle plays, careless turnovers come with consequences.
"To me, I have a harder time swallowing that, so we'll draw attention to that in practice," he said. "Usually pull that person out, whether it's jogging to the top of the Huntsman concourse or whatever it is, to make it important."
Utah is averaging about 1.13 points per possession this season, and Krystkowiak said he's tried to impress upon them that losing a possession is losing a point — and in games such as UCLA, the Utes would like to get every point they can.
It's a point of emphasis this week moreso than others because Oregon leads the league in turnover margin (plus-5) in conference games and carries a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Early bracket buzz
The NCAA announced Tuesday morning that it would release a bracket "preview" before Selection Sunday for the first time. This year, the committee will produce a list of their current top 16 seeds at 10:30 a.m. MST Feb. 11 on CBS. Mark Hollis, the chair of the men's basketball committee, will explain each pick on the broadcast.
Krystkowiak initially offered little more than a shrug on the development, but he eventually said he's in favor of it if it will help bring some attention to college basketball. The college football playoff selection committee has weekly broadcasts in the final month leading up to their bracket release, and Krystkowiak said it seems to "get a little drumroll" for the sport.
"I'm not opposed to a little buzz before March, if that's what it's going to do," he said.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
No. 10 Oregon at Utah
P Thursday, 8:30 p.m. TV • FS1