Appearing in just one of Arizona State’s (11-7, 2-5 Big 12) last six games, freshman guard Joson Sanon will return to the lineup on Saturday, barring any setbacks. Head coach Bobby Hurley announced the team's second-leading scorer (12.8 points per game) looked his best at practice Friday since suffering a mild ankle sprain on New Year’s Eve against BYU.
“Joson looked fantastic today,” Hurley said following practice Friday. “It's as good as he's looked since prior to the injury, so he's going to be green-lighted tomorrow. He responded well to what he did today in practice, and there's nothing that would make me think anything will hold him back at this point. He's excited to play, and we're excited to have him back.”
Sanon’s return comes at a pivotal time. After defeating No. 23 West Virginia on Tuesday in their first road victory of the season, the Sun Devils are carrying a newfound momentum into Saturday afternoon’s contest against No. 3 Iowa State (16-2, 6-1 Big 12), one of the top teams in the country.
The return of ASU’s scoring spark could help in what may be a high-scoring affair. Iowa State leads the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 85.1 points per game, while the Sun Devils rank 11th in the conference, averaging 74.2 points per contest. However, that rate dipped to just 69.3 points during the six-game stretch following Sanon’s injury.
The Sun Devils are gaining moral victories in quick succession. After snapping their four-game losing streak on Tuesday, Hurley noted the benefits his team gained from winning a close battle against a ranked opponent, holding West Virginia to its worst shooting night of the season. The Mountaineers converted just 31% of their field goals in the 65-57 loss.
“There was just an incredible connectivity, a collective pursuit of just winning the game, whatever it would take,” Hurley said. “Some plays, rewatching them, kind of reconfirmed that for me. It was how locked in we were defensively. [Javon] Small is one of the best players in the country right now, not only in the Big 12, and how we were in gaps, being disruptive, and up on ball screen coverage. We just didn't have any breakdowns. That was impressive to see.”
Defensively, the task was simple: hold off senior guard and Big 12 scoring leader Javon Small. He averages a conference-best 19.5 points per game and is coming off a 27-point outing against Iowa State in an upset 64-57 win. Hurley needed to find the blueprint to slow him down.
Who better to call on than senior guard Adam Miller?
Known for his three-point shooting and three-level scoring ability, Miller showed his versatility on Tuesday, taking the assignment of guarding Small. He limited him to just 14 points on 2-of-11 shooting, with the 6-foot-3 playmaker tallying the majority of his total from the free-throw line.
What makes ASU’s task against Iowa State particularly challenging is the sheer volume of scoring threats head coach T.J. Otzelberger has at his disposal. The Big 12's second-leading scorer, senior guard Curtis Jones, averages 17.8 points per game, while senior guard Keshon Gilbert adds 15.7 points per contest and leads the team with 4.9 assists. For Hurley, slowing down the conference's most prolific offense will require a more comprehensive defensive approach than the one employed against West Virginia.
“It starts with building your transition defense, getting back quickly, getting matched up fast regardless of what happens on offense, and making sure that we're identifying the threats right away,” Hurley said. “They can score in transition, and then we have to help and get back. They can shoot the three, attack the paint, and their big guys are physical inside. It's hard to find a real weakness on their team, which is why they're No. 3 in the country.
“We have to play with aggression. We have to make sure that we’re active on defense. If you just sit back and let them dictate the terms, you're in trouble. We have to make sure we’re trying to be the aggressor tomorrow.”
Five-star freshman forward Jayden Quaintance will be crucial to ASU’s defensive plans on Saturday. He ranks third in the nation in blocks per game (3.17). The program’s highly touted recruit is already making his mark in the ASU record books. With 57 blocks this season, he’s surpassed the freshman blocks record set by Mario Bennett in the 1991-92 season.
His recent play has shown glimpses of his immense potential. After setting a career-high 20 points against UCF, he’s scored 15 points in each of the last two games—a significant uptick compared to just one 15+ point performance in the previous 15 contests.
“His teammates are starting to find him well,” Hurley said. “[Alston Mason] found him twice on dump-offs. When he's open in that way, he's going to be able to finish. He’s just relentless on the glass, too, so he's doing a lot of great things on the floor.”
For Quaintance, his upward trend in scoring is closely linked to his assertiveness on the offensive end. He’s begun limiting his three-point attempts and instead using his athleticism and ball-handling skills to score at the basket. Over the last three games, the 17-year-old has converted 72.4% of his two-point attempts, dominating inside both offensively and defensively.
Quaintance’s former high school teammate at Word of God Christian Academy and midseason acquisition, freshman guard Trevor Best, played his first collegiate minutes against West Virginia. At 17, Best showed flashes on both ends in just three minutes of action. Despite not having an offseason to acclimate, Hurley is excited about the future growth Best will show.
“He played a few minutes, but it's unfair to him at this point because he hasn't practiced enough,” Hurley said. “But he's ready. He's not afraid of the moment. He went right in there and competed, and I like a lot of what I’ve seen from him and the future he’ll have here.”
The Cyclones will be ASU’s toughest test to date. With six players averaging over nine points per game, Otzelberger’s team is strong on the defensive end as well. Iowa State leads the Big 12 in steals per game at 9.94, a rate good for 11th in the nation. On the flip side, turnovers have become a troubling hallmark of ASU’s season. The Sun Devils average 13.4 turnovers per game, are second-worst in the Big 12 and rank poorly in turnover margin and assist-to-turnover ratio.
If the Sun Devils are to come out on top against one of the best teams they’ve faced thus far, it will be due to the high level of execution the players bring to the contest. Taking care of the basketball is priority No. 1, as limiting easy baskets in transition against Iowa State is never as simple as it seems.
“We just can't afford to give away easy points,” Hurley said. “That’s been something we’ll continue to harp on—getting our transition defense better. This team is going to try to push it, and if they create a turnover, they're going to try to score early. Gilbert is one of the best transition guards in the country, and if we don’t bring a commitment to getting back, we’re going to be in trouble.”
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