No stranger to December challenges, Bobby Hurley and his 23rd-ranked Arizona State (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) team will match up with another ranked opponent Thursday night. Coming off a 30-win season, the No. 24 San Diego State Aztecs will visit Tempe in another ranked matchup for the Sun Devils under Hurley.
Thursday night’s matchup pairs two teams that held the title of the longest undefeated team in the country in two of the past three seasons. Arizona State’s early-season success in the 2017-18 season saw the Sun Devils rise to the top of the polls, while San Diego State’s veteran-laden team from last year dominated their schedule deep into Mountain West play.
“San Diego State’s a veteran team,” said Hurley of the Aztecs, who finished with a 30-2 record in 2020. “Brian Dutcher has done a great job not missing a beat after Steve Fisher stepped down. They are an older team. They bring back a number of guys on a team that was one of the best teams in the country. They don’t get rattled.”
“They really just grind you up. They stay in the game, and they’re mentally tough… We’ve been a top-10 team so far in offensive efficiency, and that’s really gonna get tested tomorrow night.”
Strong decision-making and efficient shooting from senior guard Remy Martin has helped the Sun Devils reach the aforementioned ninth-best mark in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency margin. Through the first four games of the ASU season, Martin’s shooting 56.1 percent from the floor on just over 10 shots per game.
“His efficiency has been better. He’s productive, and he’s still scoring the basketball without the volume of shot attempts,” explained Hurley of Martin, who averaged over 15 shots per game as a junior. “His percentages are great. He came in with a focus on trying to make his teammates better.
“I know he’s very focused on making everyone better in addition to being a guy like you saw in the second half of the Cal game making big plays down the stretch scoring it; he’s doing a lot of things to help us win right now."
Martin’s success against the Golden Bears – the preseason All-American had 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists – would be a welcome sight if repeated Thursday against the Aztecs. A week after grinding out a win over California, which ranks 330th in adjusted tempo, the Sun Devils should find themselves in another game that features two teams battling for control of the pace. ASU ranks 16th in adjusted tempo, while SDSU is 329th in the nation.
“You can tell there’s a really good culture there. They have a physicality and a mental toughness about them that’s noticeable when you watch them,” said Hurley, whose team turned the ball over 14 times in last week’s win over Cal. “If you’re weak-minded, or you’re not strong with the ball, they could really expose you.
“At the end of the day, you have to trust your players that when they’re out there you’ve practiced hard, you’ve prepared, and then they’re going to make the best decisions they can make. We’re built to get up and down the court quick. We’re built to score points in bunches, so we have to play to our strengths and live with the result.”
Following No. 10 Duke’s loss to No. 6 Illinois Tuesday night, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski floated the idea of re-assessing the need for a college basketball season. With a greater understanding of the virus than when the sport shut down in March, Hurley said he’s remained focused on his team’s situation and doing what’s best for the emotional and physical health of his team.
“It’s been a challenging start, and certainly, I respect someone of Coach K’s magnitude, what he’s meant for the game, and anytime he talks about the game you have to pay attention and listen and respect his opinion,” said Hurley of his college coach. “I’m living in our moment here with my team and what I could say is these guys love to play, they want to play.
“This last eight months have been so hard on these young people, and the time between the lines is an opportunity for them to express themselves and be who they are. These competitions tomorrow night to have an opportunity to play a national ranked team, our guys are so thrilled for that opportunity.”
Pushing back against his mentor’s notion, Hurley emphasized the importance of each chance to compete on a national stage for different players on the ASU roster.
“As long as our leadership feels it’s safe for us to go, then we’re pushing forward,” Hurley told reporters Wednesday morning. “My players, Remy Martin, Alonzo Verge, Josh Christopher, they’re on like a five-month job interview right now. That’s how they’re looking at it. What they do over the next several months is going to impact their future and their career, and that’s important for them.”
In just the first month of the season, ASU has already experienced its own challenges keeping everyone in the program available. During last week’s 70-62 win over California, ASU wasn’t at full strength. Senior guard Alonzo Verge could not make the trip to Berkeley, while multiple assistant coaches, including Rashon Burno and director of team operations Eric Brown, weren’t in attendance at Haas Pavilion.
On Wednesday, Hurley told reporters he expected Verge – who was battling an upper thigh injury – to return to the Sun Devil lineup for the matchup with the Aztecs. Hurley was not optimistic about freshman forward Marcus Bagley’s availability for Thursday’s game after he left the win over the Golden Bears in the fourth quarter with what wound up being a calf strain.
“Marcus did a little more yesterday, but he’s going to have to show me more today,” said Hurley of Bagley’s status for Thursday night. “Not to say this is going to be a long-term thing, I don’t. I think it’s going to be a short-term issue, but at the same time, I have a responsibility to that kid and his family to make sure that he’s 100 percent when he gets back into the lineup.
“Especially, particularly with the future, he has in front of him. And just the type of injury that it was to make sure that we’re checking all of our boxes and making sure that he’s absolutely ready to go.”
If Bagley cannot play against San Diego State; it would be another game without a key rotation piece playing for the Sun Devils. Through the first four games of the year, ASU has been without a key contributor in each game. Senior forward Kimani Lawrence failed to make the trip to Connecticut for the opening set of games as he continued rehab on his knee, while Verge missed the last two games for an unspecified non-disciplinary matter.
Hurley also noted that freshman forward Pavlo Dziuba has not been with the team the last several days.
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