The Sun Devils (9-3 (0-1 Big 12) are still in search of their first conference win after dropping their first conference game on the road to BYU. Their next opportunity is at home against Colorado (9-3 (0-1 Big 12), ASU’s Big 12 home opener. The Sun Devils will look to start 2025 in the win column against a familiar Pac-12 foe with whom they split the season series last year.
The Sun Devils had one of their worst offensive performances of the season against BYU, putting up just 56 points and shooting 36% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc. For the Buffaloes, they’re coming off a 69-79 loss to No. 3 Iowa State, a contest where they led 64-63 with five minutes left, but the Cyclones stormed back and outscored the Buffaloes 16-5 from then on out.
The Buffaloes are 1-3 against Quad 1 teams so far this season, though their lone win was a big one. At the Maui Jim Invitational in Hawaii, Colorado stunned the country and beat then No. 2 UConn 73-72 in the semifinals, their benchmark win up to this point. All three of their losses have come against ranked teams, losing twice to the Cyclones and once to No. 18 Michigan State 56-76 the day before they beat the Huskies.
Colorado and ASU both use high-scoring offenses to run opponents out of the gym, both averaging 76 points per game. The Buffaloes also give up 69 points a game, but that stat doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. They’ve held opponents to under 60 points five times this year, but the heightened competition that came with accepting the challenge in the Maui Jim Invitational hurt their counting stats.
Their defense’s strong suit is running opposing offenses off the three-point line, limiting them to just 30%. ASU shoots 36% from beyond the arc during the year, but to get anywhere near that number, the Sun Devils will need to have short memories of their horrific shooting night at BYU.
The Buffaloes have three players averaging double-digit points, led by 6 ‘2 senior guard Julian Hammond III with 13.8 points per game. He’s scored at least 20 points in three games this year, two of those against Iowa State. His ability to step up in big games has allowed Colorado’s offense to run through him when the Buffaloes need a bucket, and shooting 43% from three forces defenses to guard him closely at all three levels.
Behind Hammond are 6 ‘10 grad student center Elijah Mason and 6-8 grad student forward Andrej Jakimovski, who are both averaging 11 points. Mason is a transfer from Grace College, where he played his first four years of college ball and was a two-time NAIA All-American.
His soft touch around the rim and ability to knock down free throws has helped Colorado tremendously on offense, but he only averages 3.8 rebounds and less than a block per game. If ASU freshman forward Jayden Quaintance is matched up with him throughout the game, it’ll be interesting to see who can impose their will down low.
Jakimovski spent last year with Washington State and has found a solid role with the Buffaloes so far this year. His career high in points came against ASU last year when he dropped 22 points in a win over the Sun Devils.
Hammond is also their best playmaker, averaging 3.5 assists per game, with the next-best player at just 2.3. Colorado averages 17 assists per game as a team while limiting opponents to just 11. They also take much better care of the ball, forcing 11 turnovers per game.
The Sun Devils have continuously struggled with turnovers, averaging 13 per game. This aspect of the game will be key for them, as in nonconference play, the Sun Devils would build marginal leads and watch them diminish after a stretch of turnover after turnover.
So what does ASU need to focus on to start the new year off right? The bare necessity would be coming out strong. The Sun Devils have been outscored in the first half in five out of their last six games after letting opponents build strong leads before willing their way back into the game. If ASU can get the right players flowing early in the game, the Sun Devils won’t have to play from behind for the majority of the game.
The second key is efficiency. The Sun Devils need to stray away from the low-quality shots they fire up as the shot clock winds down that they seem to love. Getting into some sort of action that moves the ball around and inside will either collapse the defense and allow one of the many three-point shooters on this team to get shots up, or freshman forward Jayden Quaintance will continue to dominate down low as he has all year.
The final key to success is to win the margins. Limiting turnovers, winning loose balls, and converting on the fastbreak often not only translate to points on the board but can also be backbreakers for Colorado down the stretch, with the Sun Devils making use of every possession they get.
The Buffaloes are one of the few conference opponents ASU is well familiar with after countless battles in the Pac-12, but this is almost a completely new Sun Devil roster the Buffaloes are up against. Each game has seen the chemistry on the court strengthen, as the Sun Devils are beginning to look like a completely different team that took the court against Duke in early November for an exhibition match.
Similarly, Colorado has a revamped roster after losing a majority of the team that made the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament. The only returner is Hammond, but he missed the final stretch of the season due to a knee injury. This matchup is between two teams that have begun to find their identities and will look for a historic first Big 12 conference win.
The game will tip-off on Saturday, January 4 at 4 p.m. and air on ESPN+.
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