After losing 56-76 on New Year’s Eve against BYU to open conference play, ASU wanted to avoid a 0-2 start in their Big 12 slate with a pair of top-25 contests looming large next week. On Saturday in Tempe, they did exactly that as the Sun Devils (10-3, 1-1 Big 12) trounced Colorado (9-4, 0-2 Big 12) 81-61 for their first-ever Big 12 conference win.
“It was a good bounce-back game with what our schedule looks like in the near future,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said. “I told the guys after the BYU game that this was a must-win game coming home. Looking at our next two games, you want to make sure you get this game, and you don’t put more internal pressure on yourself to get your first conference win.”
The Sun Devils started with an early offensive barrage while forcing the Buffaloes to take tough shots on the other end as they led by as much as 23 in the first half. The visitors struggled for a majority of the opening half, but a 10-0 run by Colorado saw ASU’s lead fall to just 13, holding a 40-27 advantage after the first 20 minutes.
Conversely, the Sun Devils wasted no time to expand their lead, starting the second half on a 7-0 run, as they enjoyed a comfortable margin on the scoreboard the rest of the game. Senior guard Julian Hammond III came into this game leading the Buffaloes in scoring, averaging just over 13 points per game. A smothering ASU defense, which collectively held the visitors to 34.8% scoring and 12.5 % from 3-point range, held him scoreless throughout the entire game, going 0-7 from the field and looking frustrated.
“I didn’t think they had a lot of clean looks tonight,” Hurley voiced. “I think we did a good job playing together at that end of the floor, and we were very active with our hands. I felt like I was pulling a string, and everybody was connected, especially in the first half. We have to commit to playing that type of defense in this league with all the tough and physical teams because some nights it’s going to be hard to score.”
Freshman guard Joson Sanon did not play tonight due to an ankle injury he suffered against BYU. He was on the bench in street clothes tonight. According to Hurley, his status for next week’s games is undetermined. The next couple of days will allow Sanon to test his ankle to see if he can play.
“He’s moving fairly well and doing a little more each day, but I don’t want to put a timeline on it,” Hurley announced. “He’s been working very hard and didn’t think it would be likely that he would have a chance to play against Kansas, but he’s improving. I think it’s going to be determined by how he does over the next couple of days.”
With Sanon unable to suit up, the Sun Devils had to find a way to replace his team-leading 13.5 points per game. It came in a number of ways, but most notably, it was from senior guard BJ Freeman, who exploded for 19 points. Freeman was on a roll in the second half hitting multiple threes in a short time frame (was 3-7 overall), and scoring 12 points in the second stanza. Yet, a flagrant-2 foul ejected him from the game with eight minutes left in the second half.
“He played very well, and we could have used him in the last eight minutes with their ball pressure,” Hurley noted. “ I think we would have been taking care of the ball better, but I’m glad to see him break out offensively. He made shots and was very impactful at the end and with Sanon out tonight, we definitely needed that from BJ tonight.”
In the play where Freeman was ejected, he was in the action of fighting over a screen before he made contact with a player in the midsection. The call on the floor was originally just a common foul, but after review, the referees deemed it a more severe foul, and Freeman was ejected for the first time in his career.
“I accidentally hit the player somewhere that nobody wants to be hit at,” Freeman recalled. “I apologize, and it wasn't anything intentional. It’s just me trying to fight through a screen so I don’t have to hear Coach Hurley chew me out for not fighting through a screen. So, I apologize to that player, and it was not intentional.”
The Sun Devils finished the night shooting 52% from the field, just the third time all year they’ve shot 50% or better. Outside of Freeman, the Sun Devils received aid from freshman forwards Jayden Quaintance (11 points) and Amier Ali (10), as well as senior forward Basheer Jihad (17), who all finished in double figures. Quaintance, who has now scored in double figures in five of his last six games, also tacked on 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season as the offense was moving on all cylinders tonight thanks to the airtight defense on the other end of the court.
“There was a better commitment to getting stops on defense,” Hurley mentioned. “We didn’t have to call a ton of set plays early in the game. We were just able to get the ball down the floor and move the ball, and we got some quality shots. We executed well in the half court in the second half when we had to, and most of our turnovers were when they started pressing us.”
The Buffaloes finished the game shooting a hair under 35% from the field and went 3-24 from three. Their poor shooting, as well as the number of players on the court who simply don’t shoot the ball from beyond the arc, allowed ASU to rotate smoothly throughout the game. With fewer players to worry about on the three-point line, the Sun Devils were able to clog the lane and force turnovers and blocked shots.
“The biggest reason was there were a lot of non-shooters on the court,” Jihad expressed. “We were able to have that freedom to rotate inside the line. Obviously, when we play a team that has more shooters we’ll have to adjust and limit our rotation, but it played into our hands today the way Colorado runs its offense.”
Jihad was torrid behind the arc, converting 4-6 from 3-point distance. He’s now shooting just below 39% on the season as he’s continued to threaten defenses with his long-range shooting, adding to his already impressive game in the paint and the midrange.
“It’s always been a part of my game, there’s not much to it,” Jihad stated. “I create open looks for me and my teammates based on my position, and it’s something I’m continuing to do throughout the season.”
The Sun Devils were down to a seven-man rotation in the absence of Sanon and, at one point, six players that Hurley trusted after Freeman was ejected. The players showed no signs of fatigue throughout the game, though, as the defensive effort never swayed. Junior center Shawn Phillips Jr. saw a heightened role with the extra minutes handed out and provided a serviceable game, notching a season-high eight points along with five rebounds and a block.
“I was sick to my stomach because I didn’t think Shawn would play,” Hurley added. “His foot was sore, but he sucked it up and gave us really good minutes despite not practicing yesterday. He was moving great, rebounding, and getting second-chance points. He was a real plus today, but I thought I was going to have six guys out there today.”
The Sun Devils started nonconference play strong in November before sputtering in December, splitting the four games they played. Those games resulted in a lack of offensive efficiency, as the Sun Devils shot 42% from the field in December. Tonight’s game looked like a step in the right direction, as they’ll begin to play much tougher opponents in conference play.
“We talked about putting December in the rearview mirror,” Hurley explained. “We were 7-1 in November and then 2-2 in December. I think we had two good halves in those four games, so now we’re going to be in a more regular routine of playing games. We’ve got to get back to being that team we were in November, and I think we showed signs of that.”
The Sun Devils will travel to play Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, one of the most iconic college basketball stadiums in the country. It is the pinnacle of the term ‘home court advantage,’ with Kansas owning the best winning percentage at home since 2005 at 94.3% with a 282-17 record. Hurley was one of those 17 losses back in 2017 when the Sun Devils stunned the No. 1 team at home 95-85, and he’ll look to repeat history with the Sun Devils getting the best of Kansas both times they’ve faced off in the Bobby Hurley era.
“It’s in the same range of all the great venues with the tradition there,” Hurley remarked. “As a basketball guy, you just love the opportunity to go and compete in a place that has so much history in college basketball. It’s our first conference game there, and I’ve had some good memories there, so hopefully, we’ll be ready to play on Wednesday.”
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