21-0 run crushes Sun Devils’ chance of upset against No. 6 Iowa State in final regular season game

(Photo: Courtesy Des Moines Register)

Drowning– to be overwhelmed by a large amount of something– those caught in the struggle against drawing can be pulled down and their breaths become shallow and erratic.

Arizona State men’s basketball was drowning in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday afternoon. After leading 41-37 at halftime, the Sun Devils got sucked under the water with no lifejackets in sight. They gave up a 21-0 run from 16:10 to 8:38 left in the game that put Iowa State ahead for good.

ASU (16-15, 7-11 Big 12) ended its regular season on Saturday with a lopsided 86-65 loss to No. 6 Iowa State (25-6, 11-6 Big 12).

The Cyclones have maintained their top-25 ranking since the preseason because of their ability to take over games. They have gone on monster scoring streaks that completely take opposing teams out of contention.

Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, preventing large runs has been one of their biggest struggles all year. Iowa State came into the game with an NCAA-leading 38 double-digit runs. They added to that total with the 21-0 run in the second half.

That eight-minute drought gave the Cyclones the exact lead that won the game. During that stretch, senior Joshua Jefferson and junior Milan Momcilovic each scored six points. The forwards joined Tamin Lipsey in scoring a team-high 16 points.

Lipsey shined on his senior night. He is 20th in the country with 2.1 steals per game and added a career-high six against ASU.

Dominykas Pleta was perfect in the second half, making all four of his shots and scoring all 11 of his points after the break. The freshman joined the aforementioned trio as double-digit scorers and helped force ASU’s collapse.

Against No. 14 Kansas, the Sun Devils nearly fell to the same trap. The Jayhawks closed a 20-point halftime gap to just two points before ASU finally regained their demeanor and finished with a 10-point win. Perhaps the late-game collapse was what compelled Hurley to make an offensive change on Saturday.

Most coaches would be hesitant to change their strategies after pulling off their second biggest upset of the season, but that is exactly what ASU head coach Bobby Hurley did. In the win over No. 14 Kansas, senior point guard Moe Odum led the game with 23 points and ran point for nearly all of the 36 minutes he played.

In Ames, the plan was different, keep Odum off-ball and allow Noah Meeusen and Anthony “Pig” Johnson more control of the offense. They rewarded Hurley’s decision in the first half. Johnson led all players with 10 points and Meeusen added three assists before halftime.

The schematic shift helped Odum, too. Throughout the season, he has been defenses’ top focus, often being guarded the entire length of the floor. With the chance to move freely, he shot an efficient 60% on five attempts, two of which were beyond the arc.

Odum also had six assists in the first half, triple any Cyclone player’s total. At halftime, Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger made the necessary adjustments.

The Cyclones applied defensive pressure that the Sun Devils rotational guards were not used to. Meeusen and Johnson had more turnovers than points after Otzelberger’s adjustments. Junior Bryce Ford contributed in a limited role, but struggled as well. He shot one-of-five from beyond the arc.

With the other guards struggling, Odum was forced to resume his role of point guard, but he fared no better. The senior scored just two points with one assist in the final regular season half of his career.

Arizona State has allowed 77.6 points per game, the sixth-most in all of the Big 12. Recently though, it has shown improvement. The Sun Devils have kept five of their last six opponents under that mark, most impressively No. 14 Kansas and No. 13 Texas Tech who averaged 63.5 points in Tempe.

That defensive growth has come behind discipline in the zone scheme. Massamba Diop and Santiago Trouet’s length combined with quick footwork allows them to rotate from the paint to the 3-point line effectively. Senior Allen Mukeba has also shown the ability to guard one through five, often picking up guards at the arc.

Against Iowa State their defense was effective early. The Cyclones scored 16 points in the paint and 37 total on 38.2% shooting. Diop and Trouet had a pair of blocks each and the team grabbed four steals.

In the second half Iowa State scored 49 points. That was a stark difference from the first half, but just over half of those points came from half-court offense. The Sun Devils 13 times in the second half and surrendered 17 points off turnovers.

Diop posted a career high, seven turnovers. His reckless passes and lost dribbles are uncharacteristic. Coming into the game had more career blocks (67) than fouls (59).

The Senegalese center was a large reason why Iowa State was so effective in transition, but his half-court defense was as good as ever.

Cyclone star forwards Momcilovic and Jefferson each finished within a point of their season averages but faltered in efficiency.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the Sun Devils are more than a long shot to make the NCAA Tournament, but the Big 12 provides a chance at redemption for even the worst teams. ASU will be the No. 12 seed in the Big 12 tournament and will play Baylor on Tuesday.

Over the past month the Sun Devils have proved that they can compete with and win against the best, but late game collapses are unacceptable for a chance at success in the conference tournament.