Five Takeaways from ASU's fourth straight loss

Nine days ago, Desmond Cambridge launched a ¾ court heave to beat the halftime buzzer and put Arizona State up by six at halftime over then No. 8 UCLA. Desert Financial Arena erupted, and the jubilant Sun Devils danced to the locker room with visions of an upset and surely a top 25 ranking dancing in their heads.

That was precisely the last time this basketball team had any semblance of fun. It has quite literally been all downhill since then. As great teams do, UCLA came back and won on the road in a hostile environment. It was hardly a bad loss for ASU, albeit a frustrating one. The next three losses? At home to USC and at Washington and Washington State? All Indicative of a once promising season collapsing upon itself with its participants looking as puzzled and distraught as its fans.

Saturday night’s disaster, a 75-58 loss to Washington State (10-13, 5-7 Pac-12) in Pullman, was the third straight loss in what was billed as a must-win game. Once firmly holding an at-large bid spot, ASU (15-, 6-5) now is firmly on the outside looking in with just over three weeks to play in the regular season. It was outplayed and out-coached by Washington State for 40 minutes.

Here are our five takeaways.

This team’s culture is being tested

When forward Marcus Bagley unceremoniously parted ways with the team in November, it was celebrated that Bobby Hurley was prioritizing a healthy locker room and team chemistry over one individual talent. Two months later, that same aspect is being continuously tested, and the Sun Devils aren’t exactly passing with flying colors.

You can see it when there’s a bad pass or when an opposing shot beyond the arc hits nothing but net. The coveted chemistry that was boasted so often by Hurley and his players during the early part of the season has disintegrated at a rate comparable to the team’s waning NCAA tournament hopes. Guard Frankie Collins and forward Warren Washington each screamed at a teammate on separate occasions after an errant pass. Guard Desmond Cambridge and forward Alonzo Gaffney argued during a defensive possession after one of many failed offensive trips. At one point, all five offensive starters sagged and sulked their way back to the bench after a particularly back-breaking Coguars’ three. Hurley clapped and shouted, trying to ignite a team that was sleepwalking in Pullman for most of the night.

Perhaps most notably, Hurley suspended guard DJ Horne for the game due to “conduct detrimental to the team,” and Horne was not present on the bench. Arizona State has a laundry list of issues it needs to address to try and turn around the season, but that efforts to achieve that feat will be futile if the team culture cannot be established to what it was just a few weeks ago.

More painful offense

ASU had 24 points at the half. It made just three of its seven feeble attempts from deep. In a frustrating reoccurring theme, the second half was better, but ultimately not enough. Frankie Collins and Desmond Cambridge Jr. Managed to get 16 and 15 points, respectively. But each missed some big shots when ASU needed them most. Forward Alonzo Gaffney started, but no showed on the stat sheet. He didn’t score, going 0-4 from the field in 15 minutes. Guard Austin Nunez scored just four points off the bench. Forward Jamiya Neal didn’t score in 20 minutes on the floor, grabbing three rebounds and badly missing two three-point attempts.

Consistency from Washington is key

This is no secret, but as Warren Washington goes, so will ASU. For much of the disastrous first half, Washington was nearly a non-factor. He looked disinterested at times as the Washington State lead ballooned. The Cougars had nine offensive rebounds at the half, leading to six second-chance points. The paint general role Washington has so often performed with great success on both ends of the floor was largely absent tonight, especially in the early going.

To his credit, Washington looked more like himself in the last 20 minutes. He climbed his way into double figures, highlighted by a scoop layup in the post that, if effectively added to his repertoire, could add another dimension to his game. His role is pivotal, and when his effort and execution aren’t there, an already struggling ASU offense becomes even worse.

The case to start Nunez grows even stronger

Austin Nunez needs more minutes. The freshman a spark plug for this basketball team each time he takes the floor. He’s mature beyond his years and showed he’s clutch with three crucial free throws at the end of regulation on Thursday night in Seattle. His handle is silky smooth, and his outside shot is reliable despite an awkward form that makes some deep launches look ill-advised. Hurley has already shown he trusts Nunez in high leverage situations, so why not give him some starting run?

Even on a night where his offensive numbers didn’t jump off the page, the energy took a noticeable jump when the freshman guard was on the floor. In 30 minutes of play in a contest where ASU was largely dominated, he still has a plus-minus stat of -7, their best on the team. With Horne out, Nunez deserved the starter role Saturday, and as a reminder, he had already replaced Horne in the starting lineup when the second half against Washington tipped off.

Call time, Bobby! ASU was buried by three-pointers

It might be splitting hairs at this point, but there were a number of instances in the first half where the Cougars were splashing threes and gaining momentum, and Bobby Hurley spent his time shouting at referees instead of calling timeouts. During a 19-4 Washington State run late in the half, a media timeout served as the only stoppage. A team like Washington State, which is reliant on the deep ball from a variety of marksmen, feeds off the energy of rhythm even from the sparse home crowd. ASU continued to be spectators on the defensive end when the hosts loaded up one open three after another. Their 41.2 percent (14-34) clip wasn’t only very impressive, but the volume is what did ASU in. If the Sun Devils had defended the perimeter effectively tonight, they might be flying home with a win and a coveted road split.

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The next four games, more so than the last three (road games at Arizona and LA schools), are, dare we say, winnable games to try and remain in viable contention for a tournament bid. ASU has crumbled in ten days; whether or not it can reverse its fortunes in the same time frame will dictate the success of this once-promising campaign.

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