Analysis: How the Sun Devils Survived a 3-Game Road Trip from Hell
Facing the toughest three-game stretch of its season, the Arizona State basketball team upset a three-time Final Four participant on its home floor and posted the second of back-to-back wins in Tucson for the first time in 25 years. Here’s how the Sun Devils did it.
1. Zoning Out the Competition
ASU’s zone defense stifled the opposition, which shot just 38.1% (56-of-147) from the field and 26.7% (16-of-60) from 3-point range. We won’t soon forget the Bruins fruitlessly passing around the perimeter for 12 crunch-time minutes without a field goal and then failing to get off a shot in their final overtime possession.
The D was crucial considering Ty Abbott’s injured left thumb and Rihards Kuksiks going ice cold against Arizona. Abbott has scored just five points on 2-of-19 shooting in four games since jamming the thumb late against Oregon State.
2. You Can Bore Us—As Long as You Win
The Sun Devils slow pace and offensive efficiency ground down the opposition. Heading into the UA game, ASU was averaging just 61.5 possessions per game to rank 330-out-of-334 nationally according to kenpom.com. However, the Sun Devils were making the most of limited possessions by scoring 117.8 points per 100 possessions.
ASU leads the country in offensive efficiency—thanks in large part to No. 13, our duo of usually reliable gunners on the perimeter and the steady work of Jeff Pendergraph who averaged 14 points and nine rebounds on the trip.
3. King James, Wait that’s Already Taken
After scoring just four points against USC, James Harden responded with 24 points against UCLA and 21 points against Arizona. In each win he converted as many free throws as he attempted against USC. Harden’s scoring numbers represented 40% of ASU’s total offensive output against UCLA and Arizona.
Harden’s hard fall at the end of the Arizona game seems to be a non-issue. Asked by the Associated Press after the game how he felt, Harden said, “Great. We won.”
What’s Your Take, Sun Devils?
What did you see from ASU on this road trip? Let us know in the comments below.
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Wow that one of the most painful games I have watched since the days of Rob Evans. It was torture watching Kuksiks toss up brick after brick. But we did beat UofA, and that is usually all that matters. And their band looked ridiculous. Were they really going for the “Where’s Waldo” look?
I am SO relieved about the win against UA last night! I was getting a little nervous when they were up at the end of the second half.
@ Karnivore, their band and students always look ridiculous at sporting events.
Winning on an off night is the sign of a good team. As horribly ugly as the game was, we won.
@ Sun Devil Girl, Well I knew their students look ridiculous, but the red and white striped shirts were really bad. If only the had the matching sock hats.
Who’s this duo of reliable gunners? Please don’t say Ty Abbott. I want him to do awesome, but he’s really not making anything of consequence, and hasn’t just about all year.
Also, I would have singled out (or at least mentioned, for pete’s sake) Derek Glasser, who has suddenly come on to play a steady PG and score the basketball when needed. He’s come a long way from a guy two years ago who couldn’t get the ball into the frontcourt without a struggle!
Ty’s definitely struggled this season, even before the thumb injury.
Glasser shot 6-for-22 on the trip and had six turnovers against USC. He went turnover-less against UCLA and hit some big shots in both wins. I’d rather have him than Jason Braxton.
[...] Wednesday it was James Harden attempting to leap over Chase Budinger — and nearly injuring himself in the proce…. On Saturday it was Houston’s Aubrey Coleman who mistook Budinger’s goateed face for a [...]
So, the unsportsmanlike conduct behavior was awarded with a high five followed by an ejection.
The act of stepping on his head was an escalation from the last in game unsportsmanlike assault by the same player against the same victim player all in the same play.
The Arizona team came from behind to win the game and the individual player responsible for deliberately charging and knocking down the same Arizona player whose face he latter stepped on was ejected not just from the game but potentially from academics and the entire sports world.
Why?
Societal Psychology experts and futurists need to fully weigh the potential negative effects of not only too harsh but too lenient a disciplinary action for the unacceptable in question activities near obviously committed by the at least rude and maybe not clumsy, adult, prime time, US, scholarship athlete!
Well, I guess most of our country and soon at least much of the outside world will learn about this case.
What do you guys think the judicial system should do about rude sports behavior committed with potential deliberate criminal and/or racial implications?
[...] the Sun Devils survived that three-game road trip from hell, they slogged their way to ugly wins and had too much go right for them to truly look impressive. [...]