(Photo: Alyssa Buruato/WCSN)
LAS VEGAS — The 2022-23 Arizona State men’s basketball team can be described as feast or famine. When the Sun Devils are shooting well, they become a very difficult team to beat, but when the opposite happens, it causes many to question whether or not they are an NCAA tournament team.
In ASU’s (22-12) 78-59 loss to rival Arizona (26-6) in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament, the Wildcats feasted on another poor Sun Devil shooting performance.
With 7:06 left in the game, senior forward Devan Cambridge laid it in to cut Arizona’s lead to four points, the lowest it had been since the beginning of the second half. The layup was the final field goal the Sun Devils would convert, leading to a 22-7 Arizona run that saw the ASU offense miss its final eight shots.
Failing to convert on their final eight shots was representative of the second as a whole, as playing three games in three days might have finally caught up to the Sun Devils.
“We played three games in three days. It feels like the fatigue kinda set in the second half,” senior guard Desmond Cambridge said. “Playing a team like that. And especially with [junior forward Azuolas] Tubelis and [redshirt junior forward Oumar] Ballo running back so quick. Trying to keep up with him takes a lot of energy, so exerting so much energy on defense, we might lack some on offense. We’re getting good shots. They just weren’t falling and just a little short on a lot of them.”
Trying to keep up with Tubelis and Ballo characterizes a lot of what the Sun Devils’ struggled with on Friday night. As the Sun Devils slowly exhausted themselves, the talented front-court duo began to assert dominance in the paint. Tubelis led all Arizona scorers with 17 points adding nine rebounds, and Ballo recorded a double-double tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds while also adding three blocks.
Not only did they dominate, Tubelis and Ballo dominated at a highly efficient rate, combining for 71.4% from the field on 21 shots. By the time the final horn rang through T-Mobile Arena, the Sun Devils were outscored 40-22 down in the paint and were also outrebounded 44-30.
“I got to give credit right away to Arizona and how they played,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “Their interior players were outstanding tonight. There’s a reason why they’re considered maybe the best tandem on the front court in the country, and they were really good.”
Although Arizona ran away with it at the end, the beginning could have reminded fans of the last time these two teams played. Out of the gate, the two hated rivals went back and forth, but the source for a lot of the ASU offense was unexpected.
Continuing his excellent play in the Pac-12 Tournament, sophomore guard/forward Jamiya Neal led all first-half scores with 10 points, hitting two crucial threes. In fact, it was the last game against Arizona that Neal really started to come into form.
“It’s about seizing opportunity,” Hurley said. “With Austin’s unfortunate concussion, I saw the week of practice coming into Arizona at Arizona, and he knew he was gonna have a bigger role, knowing that Austin was going to be out. To his credit, he’s always stayed ready.
“It was unfortunate because he was one of our best players in the offseason, and he had a lower leg injury. So, he was set back early in the year, and so he had to work and climb his way into the rotation, and he’s done it, and he’s been very productive. He had a great tournament.”
Although the Pac-12 Tournament has ended for the Sun Devils, their March might not be over. Entering Friday, the Sun Devils were the last team in many different brackets. The resume for ASU is strong, but a 19-point loss could leave the Sun Devils on the outside looking in.
“I truly believe that if you take our three best wins, and you compare them to other bubble teams, I don’t think it’s close,” Hurley said. “We’ve demonstrated that we could go away from our home court and win, and that’s a major priority in the NCAA tournament. We have seven true road wins. We’re five-and-one on a neutral court. We won 122 games in a power conference. I mean, how much more do you really have to do.”
