James Harden, Sun Devils Escape from L.A. with a Split
In our weekly Arizona State men’s hoops update, James Harden and the Sun Devils get a huge split in Los Angeles. But one Sun Devils’ jammed thumb is causing all kinds of concern going forward. Oh, and it’s UofA week!
Last Week (1-1, 15-3 overall, 4-2 Pac-10): 61-49 L vs. USC, 61-58 W vs. UCLA
What Did We Learn: The Sun Devils’ stout defense and methodical offense will keep them in games no matter who they play as long as James Harden is James Harden. ASU runs the most efficient offense in the country with 118.3 points per 100 possessions according to kenpom.com. The grinding pace didn’t pay off when Harden went cold against USC, but it worked to perfection as the Sun Devils ground their way back from an 11-point second-half deficit against UCLA.
On the negative side, Ty Abbott has scored just two points on 1-of-11 shooting in three games since jamming his left thumb late against Oregon State. The Sun Devils are 2-1 with Abbott ailing, but they’ll need his reliable shot if they are to maintain pace with Cal and UCLA in the Pac-10.
Star of the Week: Big man Jeff Pendergraph averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in two games in Los Angeles. His offensive output was thanks in large part to some precision passing from point guard Derek Glasser off pick-and-roll plays.
The combination has been a lethal second option for the Sun Devils. Pendergraph described one such play in the Arizona Republic: “I didn’t think he was going to throw it, because I didn’t think I was open. Then I see this little orange ball floating in there and I thought, ‘I better go get this.’ DG’s really turned into that upperclassmen point-guard leader that we need.”
What’s Next: The Sun Devils have a huge road game against Arizona on Wednesday. The Wildcats have had an up-and-down season, but the trio of point guard Nic Wise, wing Chase Budinger and big man Jordan Hill make them dangerous. We like ASU’s chances in a close game though, as the Wildcats clearly haven’t mastered endgame execution.
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Awesome defense by the Devils down the strech, just awesome. Holding UCLA to only 1 fg the last 12 minutes of the game, including ot, wow. Especially the last play of the game when they didnt even allow a shot to get off. As for the UofA game, i say the point for the wildcats will probably be under 50
ASU just gave itself a legit chance at its very first Pac-10 title. How is the tiebreaker determined if ASU and another team tie with the same Pac-10 record and split their two head-to-head matchups?
This was a very nice effort; it needs to be bottled and then opned up in Tucson. If so, ASU will win.
My concerns about the UA game: stopping Hill without Pendergraph getting into foul trouble; Budinger has really stunk up the court against ASU of late and is due for a better performance.
I think UA should be favored in Tucson but ASU can certainly win this game (as they should have won at USC and at Stanford).
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