It’s only mid-January, but the season has already reached a critical point for Arizona State (4-6 overall, 1-3 conference).
After a heartbreaking 80-79 loss at Oregon State on Saturday—the team’s fourth straight defeat—the Sun Devils are searching for answers as it prepares for a Thursday night showdown against rival Arizona.
The four-game skid matches the longest losing streak in the Bobby Hurley era, and if not for Remy Martin’s late-game heroics against GCU (which resulted in a one-point win for ASU), the current streak would be up to six.
“When you are losing, man, you wonder if you’re ever going to win again,” Hurley told reporters on a Wednesday Zoom call.
“And that’s the feeling in my stomach right now. It’s just not something that sits well with any of us. We hate to lose. We’re all competitors, and we’re in pain right now, and we got to figure out a way to get out of it.”
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Saturday’s loss was that ASU played well enough—especially on the offensive end—to win the game.
The Sun Devils’ offense had one of its most complete efforts of the season; they shot 50 percent from the field, tallied a season-high 22 assists (on 28 made field goals) and committed only four turnovers.
The team played unselfishly; the ball movement was fantastic, and yet, ASU still came up short.
Hurley said he was encouraged by his team’s performance on offense and continues to insist the team is “on the right track.” However, he acknowledged the Sun Devils had too many mental lapses against Oregon State, especially on defense.
ASU’s season-long issues of rebounding and 3-point shooting were also major factors in Saturday’s loss. The Sun Devils were out-rebounded 30-23 and managed to shoot only 5-of-21 from beyond the arc.
Heading into Thursday’s matchup against Arizona, Hurley knows his squad will need to clean up these areas if they hope to snap their four-game losing streak. He said the team has had a good week of practice, and he’s been impressed with their mental approach.
“They understand the importance of it,” Hurley said of his team’s mindset on playing their rival. “You feel the tension, you know. It’s a different vibe this week.”
ASU should have its hands full with Arizona, which has a deep and talented frontcourt. The Sun Devils have struggled all season to defend opposing bigs, but the return of starter Jalen Graham should help in this area.
The sophomore post player was sidelined the last two weeks (mono), but should be available for Thursday’s contest. Hurley was unsure of how many minutes Graham could provide, but the Sun Devils will take whatever help they can get in the frontcourt, considering the team will be without junior Taeshon Cherry for the foreseeable future.
Cherry has missed the last three games (for personal issues), and Hurley offered no timetable for his return. In fact, Hurley said on Wednesday he was unsure if the 6-8 forward would return at all this season.
Note: After a recent schedule change, ASU and Arizona will actually, meet again next Monday in Tucson. The game was originally scheduled for Mar. 6, but the two teams decided to push up the date in order to give themselves more scheduling flexibility during the final week of the regular season.
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Arizona (10-3 overall, 4-3 conference) enters Thursday’s matchup on the heels of a dominant 34-point win last week at Oregon State.
Yes, the Wildcats walloped the same Beavers team that just upended the Sun Devils on Saturday.
The resounding win was even more impressive considering Arizona didn't have its second-leading scorer, Jemarl Baker. It was recently announced the junior guard would miss the remainder of the season due to a broken wrist.
The latest victory continues a solid season for Arizona, which has been one of the pleasant surprises in the Pac-12 this year. Despite losing all five starters and returning only three scholarship players from last year’s active squad, the Wildcats have not missed a beat.
If not for a self-imposed postseason ban (stemming from the Notice of Allegations the program received in the fall), this year’s group would likely contend for an NCAA Tournament berth.
A lot of credit is due to Sean Miller, who has turned in one of the most impressive coaching performances of his career. Miller has taken a slew of newcomers and molded them into a cohesive unit that plays with purpose and energy.
The newcomers, which include several highly-touted transfers, as well as a top-10 freshman class, have been instrumental in the team’s early-season success.
Like most Sean Miller-coached teams, Arizona is solid on defense, thanks in large part to its pack-line matchup zone. The Wildcats are not afraid to switch into man-to-man at times, but they usually default to their pesky zone defense.
With plenty of size in the frontcourt—and even at the wing positions—Arizona has also emerged as one of the better rebounding teams in the country. They lead the Pac-12 in total rebounds (40.4 per game) in conference play.
What makes this team so dangerous, however, is a well-balanced offense. Five Wildcat players average in double figures, and the team’s offensive efficiency ranks 18th nationally according to KenPom.
In Pac-12 play, Arizona is averaging a league-best 82.3 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field, including 37 percent from beyond the arc.
Leading the Wildcat offense is junior guard James Akinjo, a transfer from Georgetown. The former Big East Freshman of the Year leads the team in scoring (13.5 per game) and is among the league leaders in assists (5.7). In a conference known for its talented point guards, Akinjo has been one of the best floor generals in the Pac-12 this season.
Also starting in the backcourt is freshman Ben Mathurin, an athletic 6-7 wing who makes plays on both ends of the floor. He is the team’s second-leading scorer (12 PPG) and provides great size and 3-point shooting (48.8 percent). Mathurin, a Haitian native who grew up in Canada and later attended school in Mexico, is one of many international players on Arizona’s roster.
Starting at the other guard spot is usually senior Terrell Brown, a grad transfer from Seattle, or freshman Dalen Terry. Brown, a combo guard is known for his scoring and ability to create off the dribble while Terry, who grew up in the Valley and attended Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, is known for his versatility and defense.
The Wildcats’ starting frontcourt features a pair of talented 6-foot-11 players in Jordan Brown and Azuolas Tibelis. The duo has quietly emerged as one of the best frontcourts in the conference.
Brown, a former five-star recruit who began his career at Nevada is a throwback big man who does his damage on the low block. Tubelis, a native of Lithuania, is a versatile stretch four who is comfortable playing inside or out. He is the team’s best rebounder (5.8 per game) and shoots over 41 percent from 3-point range, but his greatest asset is a relentless motor that seemingly never stops.
Arizona doesn’t get a ton of production from its bench, but the second unit is solid. In addition to Terry, the Wildcats get steady contributions from junior center Christian Koloko and senior forward Ira Lee. Freshmen Tautvilas Tubelis (Azuolas’s twin brother) and Tibet Gorener round out the Wildcat rotation.
Probable Starters:
ASU
G Remy Martin, 6-0, Sr. (16.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.1 APG)
G Alonzo Verge, 6-2, Sr. (15.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.8 APG)
G Josh Christopher, 6-5, Fr. (16.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG)
F Marcus Bagley, 6-8, Fr. (13.3 PPG, 7 RPG, 38.8% 3PT)
F Chris Osten, 6-9, Jr. (4.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 67.9% FG)
Arizona
G James Akinjo, 6-1, Jr. (16 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 5.7 APG)
G Terrell Brown, 6-3, Sr. (7.6 PPG, 3 RPG, 3.4 APG)
G/F Ben Mathurin, 6-7, Fr. (12 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 48.8% 3PT)
F Azuolas Tubelis, 6-11, Fr. (10.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1 APG)
F Jordan Brown, 6-11, R-So. (10.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 60% FG)
Key Stat: As mentioned above, ASU is on a four-game skid – matching the longest losing streak in the Bobby Hurley era. The Sun Devils are trying to avoid a fifth straight loss, which hasn’t occurred since the 2010-11 season, when the team lost nine in a row.
X-Factor: Can ASU find its shooting touch from deep? At the outset of the season, Hurley expected this year’s squad to be one of his better outside shooting teams. Through its five games, ASU made 9.4 three-pointers per game while shooting a respectable 36.2 percent from beyond the arc.
In the last five games, however, the Sun Devils have managed to make only 5.6 threes per game and have shot a dismal 21.6 percent from beyond the arc. “We have to shoot the three better,” Hurley insisted. “We got to figure out how to make some open shots and close that gap a little bit.”
Prediction: Arizona 78, ASU 73
Game Info:
When: 7:00 pm MST
Where: Desert Financial Arena – Tempe, Ariz.
TV/Radio: ESPN / 98.7 FM
Up Next: The Sun Devils travel to Tucson to face Arizona on Monday (9:00 pm MST).
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