In a conference where parity is all the rage, even after a woeful loss to Oregon two nights ago, ASU (11-9, 5-4 Pac-12) could still leave the Beaver State tied for first place in the Pac-12 with a win over Oregon State. Alas, it was a wash, rinse, and repeat performance from Thursday night as ASU was trailing by double digits for virtually the last 24 minutes of the game, suffering its third league loss in double digits, 84-71.
Defense MIA once again
Back-to-back games allowing their opponent to shoot better than 50 percent for the contest is definitely the exception and not the norm for a Bobby Hurley team defense. Coming into tonight, some wondered if Oregon State would be the team with the hangover effect after a dramatic buzzer-beating win against Arizona two nights ago. Alas, not only was that theory proven wrong in the first few minutes of the game, but it was actually Arizona State who allowed a mind-boggling 69 percent shooting in the second half against Oregon that truly allowed that performance to bleed over as the hosts shot 59 percent in the first half.
Even a respectable 15 turnovers figure was negated both by scoring only nine points off of those mishaps and, more importantly, being dominated on the boards to the tune of 47-26. It’s unfortunate and then some to see junior point guard Frankie Collins record his fourth six-steal performance of the year in a contest where he and his teammates did very little to slow down their opponent. Oregon State had only three 3-point field goals, all of them in the first half, and 20 of their 40 second-half points did come from the charity stripe. Nonetheless, all night long, the Arizona State defense did not have any answers to what the Beavers were executing, and more importantly, a Sun Devil squad who absolutely relishes in their defense fueling their offense was not able to see that crucial formula come to fruition. Their press defense was effective at times, and whether it was a lack of confidence by the staff or ostensibly lack of depth, the Sun Devils didn’t employ that strategy nearly enough.
It’s clear as day that ASU is not a team that is comfortable in winning shootouts as they truly have the knack of winning closely contested affairs. The fact that four of their 11 victories were by three points or less shows that this team cannot afford to have a bad day in the office on that end of the court.
Miller’s struggles overwhelm ASU’s defense
ASU was elated when the long journey to have Junior and LSU transfer Adam Miller become immediately eligible came to a successful conclusion. Even in another double-digit loss this year, against TCU, Miller’s Arizona State debut was sensational, scoring 20 points. When the Sun Devils began Pac-12 play with a perfect 4-0 record, Miller was one of the most consistent offensive producers during that stretch, averaging 13.2 points and scoring in double digits in three of those four contests. Even in a razor-close loss to UCLA, he contributed 16 points.
Conversely, this Oregon road trip is one that Miller will gladly want to put quickly in his rearview mirror. In the pair of those games, he scored a combined 11 points, seven of them coming from the charity stripe (7-8 in that category) and perhaps the biggest eye sore going 0-7 from three-point range. ASU as a team shot just 34.8 percent from the floor and 3-26 from beyond the arc.
It’s not like there’s an abundance of offensive weapons on this ASU team to cover for him. Senior and West Virginia transfer Jose Perez has been consistently producing, and junior Frankie Collins has certainly shown more offensive prowess this year. Yet junior guard Jamiya Neal has been in an offensive funk as of late, as has senior forward Alonzo Gaffney. Miller is someone who has negated those shortcomings in the past, but his recent decline, albeit in a small sample size, is a hurdle that Arizona State has proved they cannot overcome.
To his credit, even in a collectively dreadful performance by the team in this loss, he was able to record four rebounds and three assists, and when he does drive to the basket and draws fouls, he is near automatic from the free throw line. But to say that converting his jumpers has been a struggle would be a gross understatement, and the fact that his plus/minus mark was the worst on the team at -17 only exasperates the struggles that he has exhibited.
Realistically, I don’t know what turnaround one can expect from this team as a whole, but what is undeniable is that any reversal of fortunes is going to include a much better offensive display by Miller.
A breakout game for center Shawn Phillips to build on?
As much as it may appear mission impossible to find any bright spots for the Sun Devils tonight, the one aspect that sticks out like a thorn in every positive way is the play of sophomore center Shawn Phillips. While his 13 career-high points during his ten minutes played in the second half were mostly during the time when Oregon State was comfortable in their cruise control gear leading their opponent in double digits, that does not take away from his accomplishment.
And let’s face it, if there is one player that has been awfully quiet for the entire season that ASU has been desperate to have turn the corner, it is Phillips. Granted, for such a young player who barely saw minutes at LSU during his freshman year and who early in the season had to sit out several weeks with a foot injury, essentially nixed any chance of him being the paint presence his team needed him to be earlier in this campaign.
But tonight, he showed more than a couple of flashes. He was 6-7 from the field, had three rebounds and two blocks, and was only a -3 during his time on the floor, which was third-best on the team.
There’s no doubt that the film session of this Oregon State loss is going to be hurtful for every player on this roster to watch. But for Phillips, it can still serve as a reminder of the immense potential that he has, and if he can parlay this performance into an even greater one in the pair of home games against the Bay Area schools, then even in this defeat, there could be a shred of positivity for the staff to point to.
Apathy by the fan base is a real possibility
The fact that ASU had a season-high crowd of 13,743 just a week ago today in the win over USC may seem like a distant memory when we’ll witness the attendance figures at Desert Financial Arena for the next two home games versus the Bay Area schools. And to be brutally honest, if USC star Boogie Ellis plays in that game, I’m not so sure those fans wouldn’t see ASU fall in that contest, too, truly deflating any excitement by the fans who reside in the classic front-runner metropolitan.
It’s not only the fact that the Sun Devils were swept by the Oregon schools, but the manner in which they lost each contest has been disconcerting. The Pac-12’s last year of existence is offering ample opportunity to nearly each of its members to be in the coveted top four teams when the season ends. Yet, that’s hardly a comforting thought for a team such as the Sun Devils, who began conference play with a promising 4-0 mark but have faltered significantly ever since. It would be anything but outlandish to say right here right now that the Sun Devils don’t have even the slimmest of chances to earn an at-large bid to the Field of 68. And winning the Pac-12 tournament that will punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament is a pipe dream.
I’ll be the first to say that it was unrealistic to expect this ASU team and its ten newcomers to come close to duplicating the 23-win season from last year and squeaking into the NCAA tournament. I will also admit that when the Sun Devils started conference play, winning their first four games that, it did plant some seed of doubt in my mind about my initial projection. Suffice it to say that my initial expectation is now a virtual guarantee to come true and that even the most optimistic ASU fans have now come down crashing to reality due to Arizona State’s recent results.
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