This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

As the Utes left the floor late Thursday night, they looked as though they wanted to slip on out the back door and get away from the heartbreak of the game for a bit.

Everybody — including the Utes themselves — knew opportunity was the key word at the Huntsman Center on this, their, occasion.

Opportunity and occasion lost. Final proof on the board: Oregon 73, Utah 67.

The Ducks represented for the Utes a rare window through which the NCAA Tournament selection committee could gaze in March and see a team worthy of serious consideration. Those chances haven't been available much this season, a major one already having been missed against highly ranked UCLA on the same floor where the swing and a miss took place this time.

Oregon was the highest profile team left on Utah's regular-season schedule and, getting them at home, the Utes were eager to ride the flow of a sellout crowd's positive energy in accomplishing their goal. In so many words, the entire endeavor was more than a number to be added onto the win-loss record, it was evidence to reassure the folks who decide such things that Utah would be worthy of their favor if it were included in a fistful of weeks.

Now, there's a whole lot more proving to do, a whole lot more ground to gain, against mostly vacant opposition, through the games over the next month and straight into the Pac-12 tournament. Utah was not good enough to beat the country's 10th-ranked team, an outfit to whom it has now lost eight straight games, dating to 2013, a team that featured the best defense in the league, a team that has not lost a Pac-12 game in eight contests and that stands at 19-2. The Utes, by contrast, are 14-6, 5-3 in conference. And let's just say, the result here left them with work that remains undone.

The explosive offense Utah demonstrated on the road against the league schools in Washington — against whom they put up 88 and 94 points — had much less pop to it against the Ducks, who constantly tried to turn the game into a mad scramble. The ridiculous efficiency shown against the Huskies — 60-percent shooting — was still there (52 percent), but not with enough firepower.

The three-headed beast of Lorenzo Bonam (10-for-12), Devon Daniels (10-for-13) and Kyle Kuzma (10-for-21) was tamed Thursday night by the Ducks. Those three, who combined for 70 points last time out, got a total of 38 points against Oregon.

The Utes managed to run out to an early lead in a surprising fashion by driving to the basket for layups, challenging the country's top shot-blocking team, repeatedly finishing with relative ease.

Slowly, that success eroded, as did the Utah lead.

Everything stayed tight through the first half, with Oregon taking the lead, 33-31, before the break. At times, it looked as though the Utes were hanging on for dear life, killing time, hoping the athleticism of the Ducks wouldn't swamp them.

In the second half, the Utes weathered that athleticism, staying within shouting distance. They struggled with turnovers, but shot the ball well.

In the end, though, it wasn't enough. Oregon stretched a lead at the 11:38 mark to nine points, then later to 13. But Utah fought back, cutting the margin to four, and then … well, you know.

All of which leaves the Utes looking ahead to a regular-season schedule and record that may not impress the selection-committee members. Who knows, really?

But with 10 games remaining, with hardly any biggies left, along with the Pac-12 tournament, Utah will sweat as much off the court as on it. The only thing the Utes can control is the latter. The former is their burden.

This much is certain: The sweat spent Thursday night went wasted. And it won't reduce the nervous beads rolling up on the Utes in March, when the sweating is most profuse.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM. Twitter: @GordonMonson.