Utah vs Oregon State injury report and predictions, March 7: Latest on Rollie Worster, Nate Meithof and more

The Utah Utes (18-11, 9-9 PAC-12) will visit the Oregon State Beavers (12-17, 4-14) on Thursday night. This conference matchup will tip off at 11:00 p.m. EST on ESPNU from Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, OR.

Utah enters this contest winning three of their last four games, including their last two at home. They will now close out their final two games on the road against Oregon State and Oregon.

The Oregon State Beavers have lost eight of their last nine games, with their one win coming against Stanford on February 24. They come home following a three-game road trip to play their last two regular-season games against Utah and Colorado.

Both teams enter this contest relatively healthy, with just a couple of players landing on the injury report for tonight. Here is the latest regarding the injuries for each team.

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Utah vs. Oregon State basketball injuries

Rollie Worster, Utah

Senior guard Rollie Worster will be a game-time decision tonight with a lower leg injury he sustained in January against UCLA. Worster hasn't played since suffering this injury and is in danger of potentially missing the remainder of the season for the Utes.

Worster has played in 16 games this season for Utah, starting in every one of those games. Utah has gone 6-7 during Worster's absence and has just two games remaining on their regular season schedule. Worster is averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists in his third season with Utah.

Wilguens Jr. Exacte, Utah

Sophomore guard Wilguens Jr. Exacte is out for the season with an undisclosed injury. Exacte has redshirted this season and aims to return for the start of next season.

Exacte played 32 games last season for Utah, starting in two of those games. He averaged 3.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists last season as a freshman.

Nate Meithof, Oregon State

Junior guard Nate Meithof is out for the season after having surgery to repair a ruptured ACL. The College of Southern Idaho transfer tore his ACL during an offseason exercise over the summer, necessitating surgery and preventing him from playing in the 2023–24 season.

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Utah vs. Oregon State predictions

According to ESPN BET, the Utah Utes are 6.5-point favorites heading into this matchup. The two teams last met on January 18, when the Utes crushed the Beavers 74-47 at home.

Senior center Branden Carlson has had an outstanding year for the Utes this season. He leads the team, averaging 16.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in his fifth season in Utah.

In the last matchup against the Beavers, the pair of Utah big men, Carlson and Keba Keita, combined for 35 of Utah's 74 total points and added a combined 25 rebounds as well. Utah's senior guard, Deivon Smith, also added 14 points.

Jordan Pope, Oregon State's sophomore guard, will attempt to score in double figures for the 13th consecutive game tonight. In his second season with the Beavers, he averages 17.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Pope will be looking for a better scoring performance against Utah this time around after finishing with just 7 points on 3 of 10 shots from the field. Senior guard Dexter Akanno was the leading scorer for the Beavers the last time these teams met, finishing with 12 points in 24 minutes off the bench.

If the Beavers want to win this game, they will need to improve their scoring efficiency. In their first meeting with Utah, they scored only 47 points and received 15 combined points from their starting five.

An improved offensive performance and ability to slow down Utah's big men will be the recipe for success for Oregon State tonight. Although this contest should be closer than the first game, Utah's Branden Carlson, Gabe Madsen and Deivon Smith may be too much for the Beavers to contain in this matchup once again.

Prediction: UTAH 72, ORST 67