ASU returns home for Pac-12 home opener following dramatic win in Boulder
The last time Arizona State men’s basketball saw Stanford, it had just coughed up a 14-point lead with three minutes remaining in the opening round of the 2022 Pac-12 tournament. That gut-wrenching loss ended an average-at-best season for the Sun Devils, who are in no similar frame of mind heading into Sunday’s conference home opener against the Cardinal.
Bobby Hurley’s squad is 7-1 for the first time since 2018. An emphatic 60-59 comeback win at Colorado on Thursday night in the Pac-12 opener moved ASU to 1-0 within the conference and showed that the Sun Devils might just defy the middle of the pack expectations placed on them by the Pac-12 media.
Stanford is 0-1 in the Pac after dropping its opener at home against No. 21 UCLA 80-66. The Cardinal are 3-5 overall after facing a formidable non-conference slate. They picked up wins against Pacific, Cal Poly, and Florida State. Yet any above average foe has handled Stanford with relative ease so far this season. Through eight games, ASU has proven it should be considered such a foe.
Although they are averaging just 66 points per game, Stanford’s offense features a balanced scoring attack. 6’7” senior forward Spencer Jones leads the way with 11.7 points per game. Four other Cardinal players aren’t far behind his mark, rounding out the unimpressive total.
Stanford actually had a decent showing against UCLA, especially in the second half and on the defensive end. After allowing 54 first-half points in an offensive clinic by the Bruins, Stanford buttoned up nicely after the break, holding UCLA to 26 second-half points. The stingy defense was enough to allow Stanford to bring the game within striking distance as close as seven points before UCLA righted the ship down the stretch to pull away.
Jones’s 18 points paced the Cardinal. He was complemented by ten points from Michael Jones. Jones went 2-7 from deep, a bit below his usual clip. He’s a flammable shooter, and ASU’s perimeter defense will have to keep a watchful eye on him all night on Sunday to make sure he doesn’t tip the scales for Stanford by way of the triple. Forward James Keefe adds an offensive threat in the paint. He’ll be dancing with Waren Washington at Desert Financial Arena Sunday, and he could be Washington’s most formidable counterpart since Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson. Washington turned in a sterling report card in the low post on defense dealing with Dickinson, something that Keefe will hope there is no repeat of this weekend. At 6’9” and 240 lbs, his build is one that Washington and freshman forward Duke Brennan should be able to control down low.
Brandon Angel and Harrison Ingram are two other scoring threats that the Arizona State defense will have to worry about. Both can shoot the ball well, but their numbers this season, especially from three-point land, tell a different story. Ingram is just 8-30, while Angel is 7-23. Look for guards Frankie Collins and DJ Horne to bother these shooters in an effort to continue their slow start from deep. Ingram is the epitome of a two-way player. At 6’7”, his length is a huge asset. He’s racked up eight blocked shots in as many games to begin the 2022-23 campaign.
Stanford’s defense has been good overall in terms of points allowed, but the blueprint to gash the Cardinal is there for the taking. UCLA blitzed with a barrage of three-pointers and transition buckets in its first-half onslaught. Pacific poured in 11 threes in a 78-point losing effort on opening day. If Hurley and his team want to know exactly where the cracks in the Stanford armor lie, look no further than those two examples.
Why ASU will win
On paper, ASU is a better basketball team than Stanford. That much was true before the season started, and it’s been proven to a further degree through eight games. If ASU is going to move to 2-0 in conference play, it will out-athlete Stanford and play fast from the jump. The Cardinal will try to play at a slower and more methodical pace, but if Bobby Hurley has his way, ASU will able to execute his up-tempo offense. Bench depth will play a role in this strategy as well. Hurley will have more well-rested and perfectly capable pieces coming off the bench to maintain the pace he wants to see.
After missing the Colorado game with a non-Covid illness, ASU guard Frankie Collins is expected to be back in the starting lineup for the conference home opener. His absence was glaring in the first half in Boulder, with a lack of offensive rhythm defining a brutal period for ASU. The Sun Devils didn’t make a three-pointer in the first half. Collins allows this offense to breathe like a fine wine. He facilitates, and when need be, he can absolutely tickle the twine. His 13 points per game pace the team. If he’s on his game, Stanford will have a hard time keeping up with ASU.
Why Stanford will win
If Arizona State doesn’t shoot the ball well, it could run into trouble. Stanford’s interior defense has been one of its best assets during the first month, and points in the paint will have to be earned. ASU’s ability to shoot well and shoot early will dictate a lot. If Stanford has to clear out to defend the perimeter, off-ball movement can lead to easy looks inside for a Sun Devil offense that has looked much improved in the ball movement category this season.
Will the Sun Devils suffer from a Boulder hangover? It’s possible. ASU’s 14-point comeback victory over Colorado was an emotional one. The effects of such a draining win, and one that happened at high altitude, could lead to an early letdown in Tempe on Sunday. If ASU can stave off that potential element, it will be apparent in the early going. ASU takes control of this one early and coasts, or else it’s in for a dogfight for the full 40 minutes.
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The game will be televised on ESPN2 and air on ESPN 620AM
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