Arizona State's regular-season contest total is down to just three games (13-15, 4-13 Big 12) after a tumultuous week in which senior guard BJ Freeman was dismissed for conduct detrimental to the team, as more injuries and illness plagued the starting lineup, ASU played with just one starter for the majority of the contest, senior forward Basheer Jihad, in its 91-81 defeat to No. 25 BYU.
The team will remain without much depth in its next matchup against Utah (15-13, 7-10) for its penultimate road game of the 2024-25 season. ASU head coach Bobby Hurley announced that five-star freshman forward Jayden Quaintance will miss a second consecutive game Saturday as the elite rim protector is still dealing with a right knee injury. On the other hand, the Sun Devils could get back senior guard Alston Mason, who was absent on Wednesday night due to illness but could return to the court this evening. Senior guard Adam Miller, who was injured in the BYU contest and played just 13 minutes, should be able to play in Salt Lake City as well.
“[Jayden Quaintance] was certainly out tonight, and he's going to be out on Saturday as well,” Hurley said. “He's got a right knee injury, and his family is just doing their due diligence with the medical staff, so we're not sure and won't put a timetable on when he'll return.”
“I shut Adam Miller down because he wasn't moving well, so in the second half, he got a couple of minutes out there, and he wasn't looking right,” Hurley added. “Yeah, it just kind of adds to everything. The universe is telling me something right now, and I don't know what.”
The Utes' inaugural season in the Big 12 has not been smooth sailing either, with back-to-back losses to No. 21 Arizona and UCF. However, they have done an impressive job defending home turf, boasting a 14-3 record in Salt Lake City.
Despite a respectable performance to this point in the season, on February 24, Utah dismissed Craig Smith, 52, who had been the program's head coach for the last four years. Assistant coach Josh Eilert has taken over as the program’s interim head coach. Smith’s tenure saw the Utes post a 65-62 record with zero NCAA tournament appearances.
Offensively, Utah is a mediocre side, ranking ninth in the conference in points per game, averaging 74.8 points per game. The program shoots at an under-par rate, placing ninth in field goal percentage (45%) and 11th in three-point percentage (33%). Where the Utes stand out is their assist rate, as they share the ball at a high level, generating 17.75 assists per game, the second-best mark in the Big 12.
On the defensive side of the ball, Utah also remains relatively subpar, allowing 71.2 opponent points per game, which ranks 12th. With a defensive margin of +3.6, it exceeds ASU’s -0.3 but still fails to impress in a standout way.
Utah excels in rebounding, ranking second in the conference in rebounds per game with 39.3. While the Utes only rank fifth in offensive rebounds per game, they dominate defensively, pulling down over 27 defensive rebounds per contest.
Utah’s leading scorer is fifth-year guard Gabe Madsen. The 6-foot-6 combo guard averages 15.6 points per game and is one of just two players on the roster to score in double figures nightly. Madsen combines craftiness and slippery handles to score from all three levels.
The team's second-highest scorer is Ezra Ausar, who averages exactly 12 points per game. Using his 6-foot-8 frame, Ausar averages 4.8 rebounds per game and shoots 51.4%. While Ausar doesn’t shoot the three-ball at a high level, he makes up for it with interior dominance and mid-range scoring.
The team’s leader in assists is sophomore guard Miro Little, who averages 3.3 assists per game despite averaging just 5.2 points per game. Little shoots just 26.8% from three-point range but uses a combination of speed and quick decision-making to be a productive player for Utah.
The leader in rebounds is 6-foot-9 forward Keanu Dawes, a sophomore who collects 5.7 boards per game. Dawes also connects on 35.5% of his three-pointers, making him a viable threat from beyond the arc. The Utes do an impressive job spreading the ball around to most of their players.
The Sun Devils will certainly face a challenge against the Utes on the road. Despite some consistent performances away from home, ASU will need its freshman core to rise to the occasion without the help of its stars.
Freshman guard Joson Sanon has become an increasingly vital piece for the Maroon and Gold as the season progresses. He scored 18 points Wednesday night, shooting 7-of-17 from the field. He also leads the team in assists with four, along with five rebounds.
More importantly, 17-year-old freshman guard Trevor Best had his coming-out party against the Cougars, scoring a career-high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including two three-pointers. Best, a midseason acquisition, wasn’t even slated to play in the 2024-25 season, having been a high school player until December. He attended Word of God Christian Academy in North Carolina alongside Quaintance. For Hurley, the growth of Best and the other freshmen has been a lone bright spot in a season filled with uncertainty and frustration.
“He was a bright spot. I usually don’t talk positively after a game, singling somebody out, but it was easy today,” Hurley said. “That kid was in high school in December and got to us and hasn't had a lot of time to really adjust to being here and playing at this level. So that was certainly a bright spot.”
“We had guys playing who haven't really played much or aren't in these roles, or haven’t been all year, and that’s just the circumstances we're in, but they all stepped up. They gave us something and fought, so it was a physical battle in that aspect as well.”
ASU matchup at Utah tips off this evening at 5 p.m. Arizona Time and will air on ESPN+
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