Arizona State men’s basketball (4-7, 1-4 Pac-12) was shocked again on Thursday 84-82, and this time it was at the hands of rival Arizona (10-3, 4-3 Pac-12) at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe.
After trailing by as much as 11 points in the first half, ASU guard Remy Martin and the Sun Devils came alive in the second half. The story of the game looked as though it would be Martin returning to form in his second game back since an extended break due to COVID-19 within the ASU program and his absence from the team to attend his grandfather’s funeral.
However, the Sun Devils scored no points over the last 2:22 of the game, blowing a game they led by as much as seven points at the 4:42 mark in the second half. ASU had multiple poor offensive possessions down the stretch culminating with Martin driving to the rim and missing a contested layup with 0:09 on the clock. On the other end, Arizona’s James Akinjo air-balled a 3-pointer, but ASU failed to box out Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis and he made his putback attempt at the buzzer, and the Wildcats came away with the stunning win.
The loss was ASU’s second-straight defeat by two points or less and while he was upset about another close loss, ASU head coach Bobby Hurley thought Martin was fouled on his layup attempt.
“It’s been a very disappointing year in terms of these types of games. Been a very tough year not getting the result we were hoping for,” Hurley said. “I thought we deserved to win the basketball game tonight. I thought that Remy Martin, after watching it live and then watching it again on film after, clearly was fouled by a player in the restricted area. That player did not leave his feet. He (Martin) was contacted. His arms did not go straight up. You’re talking about a guy (Martin) that is as decorated a player in this conference as it’s seen, that goes to the hoop at a critical moment in the game, and they swallow their whistles.”
If the foul was called on Arizona on the Martin drive, it might have saved the game for ASU. However, the Sun Devils allowed the Wildcats open shots all night as Arizona converted 29-61 field goals (47.5 percent) and 11-20 threes (55 percent).
While the loss was tough, there were many positives for ASU. For example, Martin’s 18 points were tied for a team-high with freshman forward Josh Christopher who also had 18 points. ASU was only outrebounded by Arizona 35-33, despite the Wildcats having a significant size advantage.
Another positive for ASU was the return of forward Jalen Graham after his absence from the team due to mononucleosis. Despite the sophomore playing in his first game since the Sun Devils’ loss to UTEP on Dec. 16, he still had 10 points and three blocks on Thursday.
“Pleased with Jalen Graham,” Hurley stated. “… He’s had very limited time on the court, limited practice, and to step up and play the game he played after being out for several weeks.”
Arizona was paced by Akinjo. The junior guard had a game-high 24 points and hit five 3-pointers.
The two teams will meet again on Monday in Tucson at 9 p.m. MST. Christopher was excited about the opportunity for revenge so soon after the difficult defeat on Thursday.
“We just got to get our payback,” Christopher said. “That’s all it is. I think this group can do it.”
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