After a season opener that left the team with many questions surrounding its offense, Arizona State (2-0) created an entirely different perception in an 81-74 victory over Santa Clara (1-1). An outing like tonight in Las Vegas was much needed, as the Sun Devils’ defense did struggle at times in this contest.
The offense is starting to find its groove
After shooting just 36% from the field in the season opener against Idaho State and registering just 55 points, the offense turned it around and shot 44% from the field while finding high-quality shots. What aided in this performance was improved ball movement, which was absent in the previous game, as the offense was much less isolation-based.
The Sun Devils swung the ball around the wing, finding open shots while also driving in and forcing the Santa Clara defense to collapse. ASU capitalized on these open looks, shooting 14 of 36 from the three-point line with multiple clutch threes in the latter stages of the game. They had four players with double-digit scoring figures, with BJ Freeman leading the charge with 17 points.
The offense looked much more fluid in the second half, especially in the pick-and-roll. A majority of the three-point barrage came in the halfcourt offense, and the Sun Devils were feeding off each other’s energy.
"It was a matter of the guys getting a chance to gel and learn to play together," said ASU head coach Bobby Hurley after the game. As much as you try and do that in practice, you can't simulate what a game has to offer. I'm happy to see (our chemistry) start to take shape."
Freshmen are beginning to mesh with the team
After not converting a field goal in his debut, forward Jayden Quaintance got his first two buckets in college hoops off back-to-back dunks and paired them with 12 rebounds, a team-high, and three more blocks after recording six in the season opener. He still has moments where his ball handling and decision-making leave much to be desired, but the 17-year-old has plenty of time to figure those out.
Alongside him as standouts were two other freshmen, Joson Sanon and Amier Ali, who both scored in double digits, with Sanon at 11 and Ali at 13. Sanon created his shots off the dribble with ease, nailing multiple mid-range jumpers and a three as well. The former Arizona commit is beginning to show his offensive capabilities, as he was a force to be reckoned with all game long.
After putting up just three points in his debut off a lone three-pointer, Ali came back on Friday night and dominated defenders off the dribble and was 3-6 from long range. He also corralled three boards, and even though he had no assists, he was distributing the ball fairly well and hitting his shots when his name was called. This three-headed monster of highly talented freshmen may still getting their feet wet, but are heading in the right direction and proving early on that they can be significant contributors.
"There are a number of guys who can be playmakers and we trust to make the right play," Hurley remarked. "If we share the ball the right way, good things will happen. Joson got off to a fast start, JQ came through his rebounding, and Amier made some big shots down the stretch. The freshman stepped up for us."
Turnovers and fouls need to reign in
The Sun Devils were sloppy in handling the ball in the first half, leading to multiple opportunities in transition offense for Santa Clara. Too many times, they drove in without a plan and were instantly trapped, turning over the ball as Santa Clara capitalized. However, they were able to limit the turnovers in the second half, only having three in the final 40 minutes.
Santa Clara got out onto the break in the first half of the nine forced turnovers, leading to early foul trouble. Luckily for the Sun Devils, they shot just 10 for 15 from the line on the night. Even off of misses, ASU fouled the Broncos simply fighting for rebounds. Because of this, Santa Clara spent the final nine minutes of the second half in the bonus, yet they still failed to hit their free throws.
Once the Sun Devils face an opponent who can hit their free throws, they could be in more trouble. Late rotations and overaggressiveness hurt Arizona State down the line, with forward Jayden Quaintance fouling out and forward Basheer Jihad playing with four fouls for much of the second half.
The search for a primary playmaker continues
ASU lost guard Frankie Collins this offseason, leaving the team in search of a floor general to lead the offense. Guards Alston Mason and BJ Freeman were the top candidates to replace Collins’ playmaking ability. Through two games, they have ten combined assists. Freeman seems to have taken the primary position, though, leading the team with seven assists so far. Austin Nunez had a productive performance off the bench, converting two three-pointers and having two assists minutes off the bench, proving to be a key player in a reserve role.
This season might not see a clear-cut distributor, but Sanon and guard Adam Miller have also stepped up in Collins's absence. Miller has disheveled five assists in two games, and Sanon has posted four. Multiple times in the game, instead of one player running the offense, they swung the ball around, forcing the defense to move until they found a hole or a defensive breakdown they could capitalize on.
The Sun Devils finished with 15 assists as a team against Santa Clara, a modest improvement compared to the 12 they posted against Idaho State. Last year, ASU finished the season averaging 12 assists per game and allowed 15 assists per game to their opponents. Nonetheless, the offense was not stagnant, and increased ball movement helped keep the Broncos off their toes in large portions of the contest.
Free throw woes continue
The Sun Devils shot an abysmal 65% from the free-throw line a season ago and have continued that trend so far this season with back-to-back games of 67%. While in the season opener, they only had 12 attempts, we got a much larger sample size tonight with an 18 for 27 performance. The Sun Devils’ offensive prowess allows them to the line with ease, but they display a lack of discipline when they get there.
When there are close games like this down the stretch, fans have a right to be worried about the team’s ability to close out such affairs at the line. Yet, ASU came through tonight, shooting 5-for-7 in the final four minutes. But an overall showing such as this from the line is concerning by itself, but the apprehensions are raised even more when you see that the neutral site crowd in Henderson, Nevada, was no more than a couple hundred fans. So, in a hardly hostile environment, the Sun Devils couldn’t convert from the line. A road trip up to Gonzaga this Sunday will provide a much clearer indication of whether free throw shooting in a ruckus environment will falter.
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