The first week of the season is in the books, and as many expected, ASU has a 2-1 record to show for its efforts. The Sun Devils got a split at the Empire Classic (win over Rhode Island, a loss against Villanova) before returning to Tempe to rout Houston Baptist in Sunday’s home opener.
With its loss to Villanova, ASU dropped seven spots to no. 25 in this week’s AP Poll.
Although there were many positives to take away from the first week of action (i.e., team’s scoring, three-point shooting, guard play, etc.), it also proved the Sun Devils have plenty of room for improvement.
“In that game, Villanova was just ahead of us,” Hurley said in a radio interview on Tuesday.
“There wasn’t a huge differential player-to-player necessarily, but more in terms of where their team was at. Their cohesiveness, how they operated and functioned throughout that game, they felt like a well-oiled machine, whereas we’re still searching, still trying to find an identity and learning to play together.”
Although ASU was not able to secure a statement win against (then-ranked No. 3) Villanova, there is no time to dwell on the missed opportunity.
Instead, the Sun Devils must shift its focus to the start of conference play.
With the Pac-12 moving to a 20-game conference schedule this season, the Sun Devils are in the peculiar position of playing league games in early December, which Hurley called a “change of pace.”
Heading into Thursday night’s matchup at Cal, the Sun Devils will continue to rely on its high-powered offense, which has looked impressive early in the season. Through three games, the Sun Devils are averaging 89.3 points per game, which ranks 17th nationally.
As expected, ASU has gotten solid play from its senior guards Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge. However, the most impressive performers, thus far, might be the freshman duo of Josh Christopher and Marcus Bagley.
Christopher earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors after he averaged 18.7 points per game on 22-of-38 shooting (.580), including 28 versus Villanova.
The 28 points versus the Wildcats are tied for the most by a freshman in NCAA Division I this season, and is the ninth-most recorded by a Sun Devil freshman in program history.
Bagley is averaging 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while connecting on 9-of-18 (.500) from three-point range. After a subpar performance against Villanova, Hurley said he was proud of the way Bagley bounced back against Houston Baptist, scoring a team-high 21 points. Hurley said the freshman has shown unusual composure and maturity for a player his age.
One important thing to note: It was recently reported by The Stadium’s Jeff Goodman that Verge, who missed Sunday’s game against Houston Baptist, is currently out due to COVID-19 contact tracing protocols. Although no official announcement has been made, Verge’s status for Thursday’s game is doubtful.
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Cal also went 2-1 in the opening week, with wins against Nicholls State and Northwest University Oregon, an NAIA school. The Bears’ loss came in the season opener at Oregon State, which was classified as a non-conference game, so it won’t affect the Pac-12 standings.
Like most schools, the Bears are still trying to find its identity, especially on the offensive end, where the team has struggled early in the season. Cal has incorporated a few newcomers into the rotation, which has produced mixed results.
On the defensive end, however, the Bears have looked solid. It’s a small sample size, but they have held opponents to only 60.3 points per game on 39 percent shooting. In Wednesday’s Zoom conference with media members, Hurley lauded Cal’s defensive potential.
“They’re defending well,” Hurley said. “In that Nicholls State game, they held Nicholls to like seven or eight points with 3-to-4 minutes left in the first half. They are a very fundamentally sound defensive group.”
When analyzing Cal’s roster, you have to start with junior guard Matt Bradley, who sets the tone for the Bears on both ends of the floor. An all-conference first-team selection last season, he is a rugged defender and one of the league’s top scorers (19.6 per game). Bradley is coming off a strong performance on Monday night when he scored 26 points, which tied his career-high.
Joining Bradley in the starting backcourt is a pair of grad transfers – Makale Foreman (Stony Brook) and Ryan Betley (Penn) – who both joined the program in the offseason.
The duo provides veteran leadership and perimeter shooting, and has been a steadying force for an otherwise young Cal team.
In the frontcourt, the Bears are hoping senior Grant Anticevich can break out of his early-season slump. After a solid junior campaign in 2019-20, the 6-foot-8 forward was expected to shoulder more of the scoring load this year. However, through three games, he is averaging only 5.7 points on 31 percent shooting from the field.
Rounding out the Bears’ starting five is sophomore Lars Thiemann. The 7-foot center is an intriguing player with his athleticism and agility. However, Thiemann’s game is still raw, and not surprisingly, the coaching staff is bringing him along slowly.
Early in the season, Cal has gone deep into its rotation, with a bulk of the bench
minutes going to junior Andre Kelly and sophomore Joel Brown.
Kelly, a burly 6-foot-8 forward, has been the Bears’ most consistent frontcourt player thus far. He is averaging 8 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game. Brown is typically the first guard off the bench. He has plenty of upside but needs to do a better job of playing under control and limiting his turnovers.
Rounding out Cal’s rotation are sophomore forwards Kuany Kuany and DJ Thorpe, as well as freshman wing Monty Bowser, who suffered a scary injury in Monday’s contest against Nicholls State. Bowser had a nasty fall during the game and was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he was examined and later released. He is questionable for Thursday’s matchup against ASU.
Probable Starters:
G Remy Martin (15.7 PPG, 3.7 APG) G Makale Foreman (8.7 PPG, 4.8 APG)
G Josh Christopher (18.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG) G Ryan Betley (9.7 PPG, 42% 3PT)
F Marcus Bagley (15.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG) G Matt Bradley (19.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG)
F Taeshon Cherry (6 PPG, 2.7 RPG) F Grant Anticevich (5.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG)
F Jalen Graham (4.7 PPG, 3 RPG) C Lars Thiemann (3.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG)
Key Stat: Over the course of his career, Remy Martin has proven he’s a ‘road warrior,’ who is comfortable playing away from the friendly confines of Desert Financial Arena.
In fact, in 11 road games last season, Martin averaged an impressive 22.6 points per contest.
X-Factor: Can ASU’s post players rebound more effectively? Through three games, the Sun Devils’ top rebounders (statistically) have been Verge, Christopher, and Bagley -- all of whom are perimeter players. Although it’s great the Sun Devil guards are stepping up, for long-term success, ASU will need its post players (particularly Graham, Osten and Cherry) to do a better job on the glass.
“We’ve been preaching that pretty strong to make sure the guys understand the importance of going to the glass and taking care of the defensive backboard,” Hurley explained.
Prediction: ASU 82, Cal 73
Game Info:
When: 8:00 pm MST
Where: Haas Pavilion – Berkeley, Calif.
TV/Radio: Pac-12 Networks / 98.7 FM
Up Next: The Sun Devils will face San Diego State at home next Thursday, Dec. 10.
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