Optimism can quickly turn into a tale of disgruntled energy and disappointment, as last time out for the Arizona State men’s basketball program (12-11, 3-9 Big 12), irritation reached new heights in the 2024-25 campaign following a gut-wrenching 71-70 loss at home to Kansas State on Tuesday. As five-star freshman forward, Jayden Quaintance missed both of his free throw attempts with under five seconds remaining on the game clock, leaving the 17-year-old in dismay because he couldn’t tow ASU over the hump. Next up is a trip to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State (11-11, 3-8) as two teams near the bottom of the Big 12 standings battle it out on Sunday.
Against the Wildcats, ASU played a historic game in the most disheartening fashion, as for the first time in head coach Bobby Hurley’s tenure, his Sun Devils lost five consecutive home games dating back to January 11. Their most recent home defeat was similar to multiple others of recent at Desert Financial Arena, losing a close game that was once in their grasp. ASU led 18-2 through the first nine minutes of action; however, a steady climb back from Kansas State sent the home fans on their way, let down by a momentous first half once again.
“It just comes down to finishing games,” ASU senior guard Alston Mason said. “We started off really strong [Tuesday] and inbetween we just fell apart as a team. We can’t do that at any moment of the game. You see its in us we fight we just got to find a way to finish and win the game.”
The Cowboys' last game was a nine-point loss to Houston on the road. Despite playing the conference front-runners, Oklahoma State managed to hang around as it shot over 50% from the field and 36% from three, hitting seven of them.
For the Cowboys, the 2024-25 season has been tumultuous. Defeats have seemingly piled upon each other, similar to ASU in conference play, as Oklahoma State has yet to win consecutive games in conference play.
Offensively, the Cowboys score the ball at a similar rate to the Sun Devils. Oklahoma State ranked 12th in the Big 12 in points per game, averaging 72.3, less than a point behind ASU‘s 73.1 average.
Performing at a subpar level offensively, the Cowboys' defense is frankly even worse. They concede the second most points per game of any team in the conference, at 74.6, and they possess the worst scoring margin in the Big 12, at -2.3 points per game, even trailing bottom-of-the-barrel Colorado, which is still winless in conference play.
Oklahoma State does a poor job of making it difficult for its opponents in the half-court, allowing another conference-worst 47% opponent field goal percentage and 35.6% shooting from the outside, which ranked second to last. The sole positive on the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys is their 8.5 steals per game, which is second-best in the Big 12. Despite this impressive stat, they’re dead. Last placement in assist gives them the worst assist-to-turnover ratio in the league.
6-foot-8 forward Marchelus Avery is the leading scorer for the Cowboys this season. Averaging 12.6 points per game, the fifth-year player out of Richmond, VA, provides a strong presence inside out, shooting 37% from beyond the arch while averaging nearly 5 rebounds per game.
His supporting cast consists of a 12-point-per-game scorer, fifth-year big Abou Ousmane, and graduate guard Bryce Thompson. Despite the lackluster record, Oklahoma State is led by an extremely experienced trio with a combined 15 seasons of college basketball under their belts.
Ousmane is a 6-foot-10, 245 Ibs paint patroller; he leads the team in rebounds with nearly 6 per game and blocks, averaging just shy of one block per contest. Thompson can score on all three levels, averaging 11.8 points and 1.7 assists. A large percentage of his shots occur from outside the arch, as the 6-foot-6 Tulsa native can score in bunches when given the opportunity.
The remainder of the supporting cast struggles to fill the roles needed to win games at the highest level of collegiate basketball. Not one player on the Cowboys roster averages at least one block per game, and there is no consistent rotational piece space on the floor, either, as only their big three shoots better than 35% from three-point range.
When the remainder of the roster lacks the ability to impact the game consistently, it’s no wonder Oklahoma State has struggled this much in the 2024-25 season.
One positive the Cowboys can hang their hat on in conference play is success at Gallagher-Iba Arena. As their 3-2 home record and conference play suggest that they can compete with anyone on their home turf.
Although the Sun Devils have not been as productive on home soil, their road stretch has become rather fortuitous lately, with consecutive wins away from home. They’ve managed to pull out victories in close contests against Colorado in West Virginia. On Sunday, the ability to execute down the stretch of the game will be a telltale sign of which team came into Stillwater better prepared.
From an X’s and O’s standpoint, ASU could struggle in the turnover battle. Oklahoma State’s aforementioned second-best steals per game rate, coupled with its 10th-place turnover margin position, fares well compared to an ASU team that turns the ball over at a 13.4 giveaways per game rate.
On the plus side, Hurley’s team's matchup with Kansas State proved that the maroon and gold can take care of the basketball at a high level. On Tuesday, the Sun Devils had just seven turnovers, marking the fewest turnovers the team has had this season.
The Super Bowl Sunday matchup is unlikely to be the first sporting event on most Televisions. However, a matchup toward the bottom of the Big 12 conference standings has monumental benefactors for both sides in the tail end of the 2024–25 regular season. For ASU, showing a necessary level of resilience on the road could pump some life into a team that has consistently fallen just short on most of its hurdles this campaign.
The game will tip-off Sunday, February 9 at Noon Arizona time and air on ESPN+
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