Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley turned around and allowed himself a single fist pump after Devan Cambridge slammed home a transition dunk to put Arizona State up by four in the final seconds of the season opener in Tempe. His brief display of emotion was fueled by relief more so than jubilation, as the bucket sealed a game that the Sun Devils flirted with losing all night long. ASU struggled offensively all night but made enough plays down the stretch to overcome a tough Tarleton State team, moving to 1-0 with an ugly 62-59 victory at Desert Financial Arena.
Hurley made sure it was known that his group was not happy with the manner in which it came away victorious on Monday night.
“There’s certainly a lot of room for improvement, and that’s the optimist in me,” Hurley said bluntly. “It wasn’t a very pleasing game on the eyes, I would say. We can look at a lot of things on the stat sheet that were not good basketball tonight, and that’s on me and our staff.”
ASU took its first lead of the second half with 18 seconds remaining. Trailing by one, ASU got a stop and pushed in transition. Transfer guard Frankie Collins dished to redshirt junior Marcus Bagley, who couldn’t finish a layup before gobbling up his own rebound and converting the bucket on the second chance while getting fouled in the process. He converted the free throw to give ASU a two-point lead.
A steal led to the transition dunk that sealed it, and the entire ASU bench let out a collective sigh of relief.
“We know what we can do, and we didn’t play up to that level tonight,” Bagley said. “We won, but in the back of our heads, we know we have to play better.”
There is much to improve upon before Thursday’s home contest against Northern Arizona. ASU was 14-29 on free throws. It was just 6-24 from three. Perhaps most appalling for Hurley was his team’s 21 turnovers.
“You won’t win many basketball games turning the ball over 21 times,” Hurley lamented.
Collins was a big reason that ASU was able to win a game with such egregious offensive numbers. In his Sun Devil debut, he dropped a career-high 21 points. It wasn’t his most efficient performance, going 8-24 from the field overall and a modest 4-1 from three. His 21 led the Sun Devils, with 13 from Bagley accounting for the only other double figure total.
“I did not expect to take 11 (threes),” Collins said with a chuckle. “I knew I’d shoot some because of the way they play underneath, but I did not expect to shoot three.” Bagley chimed in, saying COllins “had no choice” given the way Tarleton State defended the guard.
It was a choppy game. Neither team was able to get into much of a rhythm, with missed shots supplemented by quick whistles slowing the pace of play to a grinding halt. When ASU was able to run, it found moderate success in transition. The Sun Devils totaled 20 fast break points, doubling up Tarleton State’s 10.
It’s natural to assume some first game jitters may have contributed to ASU’s slow start on the offensive end of the floor. Nothing came easy in the paint, even with the Sun Devil’s significant size advantage. TSU defenders consistently collapsed in the paint on any entry pass, making easy buckets for big men Warren Washington, Devan Cambridge, and Bagley few and far between. Only 28 of ASU’s 62 points came in the paint. The defensive style was not a surprise to Collins, who went up against Tarleton State last season when he was with Michigan.
“They were the exact same last year,” Collins said earnestly. “Just take you out of your offense.”
While the Texans’ tough style of play and relentless defense may have been a surprise to some fans, it wasn’t for Hurley and his team. ASU spent the time leading up to Monday night’s game preparing for the physical style of defense Tarleton brings. Good showings against top teams like Michigan last season have garnered respect for the program.
“If you watched them last year, they played hard,” Hurley said. “They played Michigan and Gonzaga tough. That’s what they’re all about.”
For what it lacked on offense, the ASU defense is something Hurley and his staff can hang their hats on. Tarleton State made just 19 field goals on 55 attempts. The Texans went 2-14 from three-point land. Many of those misses were extremely well-contested by guards like Collins and DJ Horne.
On the interior, Devan Cambridge made himself known to Sun Devil fans as the true rim protector the defense has been lacking in recent seasons. He put together half a season’s worth of highlight reel blocks, accounting for four of ASU’s 11 denials in the paint.
“It was tough because of all the fouls out there. It wasn’t appealing to watch, I would imagine,” Hurley reiterated. “There are some guys in different roles. If I had to make an excuse for tonight, it might be that.”
November can be a chaotic month in college basketball; no win should be heavily discounted in the early going. ASU’s shooting will get better, as will its ball movement and offensive chemistry overall. For players like Bagley, it just felt good to get back on the court. After missing nearly all of last season with a knee injury, Bagley said it felt like “foreign territory” to be back on the court and moving around without any pain.
“I feel great; I’m blessed, man,” Bagley said with a small grin. “Shoutout to the fans tonight. We fed off their energy; if they can bring it like that all year, we’ll be good.”
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