Sun Devils ready for tough final road trip to defend first place in Pac-12

This year’s Arizona State Sun Devils find themselves in a position that feels foreign to even it’s longest, most loyal fans: sitting in first place in the Pac-12 with four regular season games remaining.

ASU has never captured a regular season conference title, or tournament title for that matter, last finishing the regular season in first place in 1975 when it was part of the WAC conference.

Of course, the Sun Devils current standing is little more than a reflection of their impressive turnaround since starting 1-3 in conference play, winning nine of 10 since then and currently on a seven-game win streak. Going forward, they are not even close to locking up a top-four finish to guarantee a first-round bye, as three teams (Oregon, Colorado, UCLA) sit a half-game back while fifth-place Arizona is one full game behind.

Even sixth-place USC has a chance to pull within a half-game of ASU if both Los Angeles schools win Thursday and they beat the Sun Devils Saturday night.

So, to say the least, this final road series of the season will be a big one for ASU, as it’s their last chance to play two of the six teams they are still competing with for that conference tournament bye.

For a few guys on the team—most notably junior guard Remy Martin and sophomore forward Taeshon Cherry—this trip to southern California is an annual homecoming, and their families and friends get the chance to watch them play at the top college level right in their backyard.

What would make this trip even sweeter for Cherry is the possibility that he could return for Saturday’s matchup against USC for the first time since he injured his ankle against…USC, when they lost a nail biter in Tempe on February 8, thanks in large part to Cherry’s strong defense on the game’s final possession.

“He’s making really good progress and he’s had a great attitude about it,” coach Bobby Hurley said. “I would say based on him not practicing leading into UCLA, that he wouldn’t play versus UCLA. But there would be an outside chance, I think, that he could see some action on Saturday.”

That would seem to be just the boost ASU could use down this stretch run, as it sounds like he’ll see the court at some point in the final pair of home games if not Saturday to get tuned back up ahead of the postseason.

Team taking no satisfaction in standing at the top of the conference

As alluded to earlier, the Sun Devils have no business sitting and admiring their conference-best 10-4 record in Pac-12 play, which is something they understand all too well.

“It’s the same, man, I don’t really know,” Martin said when asked how it feels to be in first. “I don’t really care as long as at the end of the day, when we are officially first place at the end of the regular season, that would make me feel probably a lot better. But as of right now, my mindset is just like we’re last, honestly.”

As the team’s point guard and trusted, established leader, what Martin says and how he carries himself through the team’s success likely trickles down to the rest of the team. Not that he’s ever given people any reason to question him from the outside, but it’s certainly reassuring for fans to see and hear his understanding that the team’s work is just getting started now that they’re on top.

By Hurley’s account, the success has only given the team more energy and motivation, if anything, in practice and their day-to-day approach to things.

“I just think it’s more enthusiasm and enjoying the work we put in,” Hurley said. “I didn’t get any sense that we’re satisfied. I’ve been on some bad teams in the NBA, where this time of year everyone’s just hoping for the last game to be over. We are the polar opposite of that right now, just the energy, the enthusiasm, so everyone’s in a good frame of mind at the moment.”

For Martin, it’s never been a secret how much he values the ecstasy of winning over any personal stats or success. Therefore, he believes that all the good things that come with victories—especially going undefeated for damn near a full month—serves as motivation in and of itself.

“Everybody’s bought in because they’ve felt the way of winning,” Martin said. “When we start winning, you start feeling the love, and how much fans are starting to come out more, and all the attributes that come with winning. You start to feel that as a player, and you don’t want it to stop. So, you try to do whatever you can to maintain it, so that’s been a huge part.”

Those who have followed the team all season have a sense of Hurley’s constant belief in this team and its potential, despite the ups and downs of the first three months. He admitted he hasn’t always been the most upbeat with them but says that came from that very belief that they could accomplish something great.

“I would love to say that I’ve always been super positive, and I haven’t after certain games in Pac-12,” Hurley said. “I’ve challenged them. But I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it was there, it doesn’t make sense to just beat your head against a wall if you don’t have (potential).

“I just really felt that if we put it all together, that we’d have a chance to be really good, and it’s been great to see the contributions from so many people. And Remy, just allowing other guys to grow and develop, even though he’s having an all-American-type season. He’s really allowed other guys to have their space to shine within our offense.”

Emergence of Verge started with Hurley’s continued belief in him

Speaking of other guys who have shined in ASU’s offense, it’s no coincidence that junior guard Alonzo Verge Jr’s streak of consecutive games scoring double-digit points practically coincides exactly with the start of the team’s winning run 10 games ago.

Although he has come off the bench, Verge has become the most consistent number two scorer behind Martin, playing starter minutes and validating Hurley’s early-season belief in him more and more with each game. Getting comfortable in his current role has played no small part in this

“I’m the most comfortable I’ve ever been at this role right now throughout the whole year,” Verge said. “I’m the type of player where I don’t realize when I’m going, I’m just in the zone, really. So, I don’t realize it, I just play basketball, that’s when I’m mostly at my best.”

Verge also opened up about how key Hurley’s constant belief in him was. The JUCO transfer out of Chicago always understood the business side of things when it came to his on-and-off starting and benching, and said that never changed the way Hurley continued to instill confidence in him.

“He was my number one supporter,” Verge said. “He knew what I was capable of from the jump. He knew that I was a good player, he knew I was a good scorer, so he was just waiting on me to show those capabilities to everybody, and that’s what I’m starting to do now.

“He believed in me, that was the main thing. When you have somebody like that knows the game, and played at the highest level that you want to play at telling you that he believes in you and that you’re going to be fine, that just gives you the most comfort. Even though I work hard every day, that gives me more comfort, knowing that I work hard, that it’s going to pay off.”

Now, it’s certainly not a trying task to discuss how good Verge is, unlike earlier in the season when he was struggling with consistent shooting efforts from game-to-game.

“His dynamic ability to create offense,” Hurley said about what Verge has brought to the win streak. “He’s fearless out there, he’s a playmaker. You can get him in space, and then he can make it happen. It’s really difficult when Remy and he have it going, we’re really hard to defend. ‘Zo has played at a really high level.”

Sun Devils playing pressure free, trusting hard work in letting the game come to them

When asked about pressure that stems from increased expectations and hope that has come from the team’s recent success, the players seem to be brushing it off as something that doesn’t affect them.

It’s certainly not hard to believe given their proven ability to be even-keeled and close out tight games down the stretch, but Martin also noted how after what the team has gone through this season, it isn’t hard to block out any outside noise.

“I don’t see it as pressure, to be honest,” Martin said. “We’ve been through every emotion. We’ve been at the highs; we’ve been at the lows. So, we kind of understand the balance of how it could end up, and we’ve been playing really well.

“So, we’re just going to take it one game at a time and go out there and try to play our hardest. But there’s really no pressure, at the end of the day we’ve been putting in a lot of work, and I feel like that will pay off and everything will take care of itself.”

From Hurley’s end, he’s been doing his best to channel his emotions and express them accordingly to what he sees appropriate in any given situation. For a guy who’s garnered a reputation over the years as someone who can find the right balance of getting on his guys and being a supportive figure they can lean on, this season could just be one of the best coaching jobs of his head coaching career.

“Part of my job is to bring urgency,” Hurley said, “and to bring passion, and to bring composure, and to know when to use any of those things. So, I have to figure that out. My messaging with my team, the tone of our practices, how hard we’re preparing to get ready.

“These games are won and lost in the days leading up to the game, not as it’s happening. How you get yourself ready, how hard you practice, and how hard you prepare.”

Martin added some insight into what makes Hurley unique compared to some other coaches at the division one level, based on insight he’s gotten from friends who are playing for other programs.

“A coach that has so much confidence in every single individual on the team is very rare,” Martin said. “You hear players from other teams say, ‘coach really only has confidence in one or two guys.’ You start to hear those things from other guys, and you start to cherish and you start to value where I’m at. How coach is so positive, and always wants what’s best for not only myself but the whole team. When you have a coach like that who wants the best for literally every single person on the team, it ups the level.”