Sun Devils prepping for a historic stretch against ranked opponents

Things seemingly can’t get any tougher for Arizona State than they already have, but a Sun Devil squad that will enter Saturday’s matchup with No. 3 Arizona (16-2, 6-1 Pac-12) four games under .500 and searching for just the third win in conference play through eight tries.

Arizona State goes into the trip to Tucson knowing it will likely be without junior forward Alonzo Gaffney, who took an elbow to the face during Monday’s loss to USC. Super senior forward Kimani Lawrence also is questionable for the contest due to a non-COVID illness.

Hurley said the coaching staff was more optimistic about Lawrence’s status than Gaffney’s.

The absences of Gaffney and Lawrence could set up another short-handed Sun Devil group in the midst of a five-game stretch against ranked opponents. Rescheduled contests due to COVID postponements have set up Bobby Hurley’s group to become the first Pac-12 men’s basketball team to play five ranked opponents in consecutive games since the same Arizona State program played six straight against ranked foes to end the 2001-02 season.

“We’ve just got to focus on one game at a time,” said junior forward Jalen Graham. “That’s what we’re going to keep doing. We’re not looking too far in the future.”

“I like the fight of the team. I like the grit of the team,” said Hurley as the Sun Devils sit at 6-11 overall and with a 2-5 record in Pac-12 play. “We’re playing – I think we played the best game of the season on Saturday. Sometimes that can get lost in what happened in the aftermath, but to see our team play and perform on offense, I think, is a positive sign for the health and condition of the program in terms of competing. If things break a little differently in the Stanford game, then you feel a little better about your record as well.”

Saturday’s trip to the McKale Center will be the first matchup between Arizona State and a Tommy Llyod-led Arizona squad. Under the former Gonzaga assistant, the Wildcats have made great strides this year, beginning the season 16-2 and 6-1 in Pac-12 play.

“They are an improved team, and that’s what happens when you have really good young players that get better and take steps,” Hurley said. “They have a lot of really good pieces, and they are a heck of a basketball team. There are a lot of different ways that they can hurt you. Arizona is statistically really good in a lot of different categories.”

Arizona leads the nation in assist rate while playing at an incredible pace. The Wildcats rank 11th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency measure while playing at the second-fastest tempo in the country. Despite the up-tempo style, Arizona is also a top 10 defensive efficiency team. But perhaps the most significant disparity comes in the quality of looks between the two teams.

While Lloyd’s group is the nation’s best team in the country in ShotQuality.com’s adjusted shot quality statistic, Hurley’s team is 127th in the country. The lack of great shots and lack of consistent offensive execution could be a contributing factor toward a consistent disparity in free throws shot by ASU and its opponents.

“They kind of remind me of my 12-0 team from a couple of years ago in how quickly they can put points on the board,” Hurley said. “I think they are just a little bigger and have more size than my team did a few years ago, but they are very impressive.”

The seventh-year Sun Devil head coach was asked about whether ASU’s free throw disparity (the Sun Devils shot 32 fewer free throws against Stanford and 14 fewer than USC) was indicative of a greater issue for his team but declined to continue speaking on the subject.

“Each game is its own, and I let everyone else that watched it or reviewed it or looked at the stats that’s for everyone else to make their own judgments about,” Hurley said. “I’m not going to go back to that. I’ve got peace of mind; I’ve got peace in my heart and have regret that I wasn’t there Monday night. That’s it.”

Hurley watched the Sun Devils’ 78-56 loss to USC Monday night alongside sophomore guard Jay Heath after the two were suspended for their actions following ASU’s Saturday loss to Stanford.

“It felt surreal. I felt enormous regret to not be there with my team,” Hurley told reporters Thursday afternoon. “I loved how hard we were competing, especially in the first 15 minutes or so in that game. The energy that we had I thought we were building off of how well we played on Saturday night.”

Shooting over 50 percent for the game and over 60 percent in the second half against the Cardinal, Hurley reflected upon the performance as the best his team had produced this year.

“Getting 12 more made field goals than our opponent, it was just great to see multiple guys putting the ball in the basket,” Hurley said. “Jalen Graham, the way he has been playing, coming through at the end of games on the offensive end.”

Graham produced 15 points in Monday night’s loss to the Trojans, the fourth consecutive game in which the Sun Devil junior had tallied double figures in scoring for ASU.

“My role is going to be big,” Graham said ahead of Saturday’s game against Arizona. “I feel like I just have to stay focused, stay out of foul trouble and keep going. It’s a big rivalry. I’m from Arizona and know some guys on their team. It’s going to be a big game, and we’ll just try to have fun and go out there and win.”

Graham’s stretch of four straight games of double-digit scoring matches his career-best. Graham had four games in a row with over 10 points last season in January and has repeated the performance once again.

“Staying healthy and eating well. Having fun and competing,” Graham said, were the reasons for his superior play during the recent stretch. “Really trying to give my all when I’m out there.”

Sophomore forward Marcus Bagley continues to rehab in hopes of returning at some point during the season, Hurley said. Still, a definitive timetable for his return is unclear.

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