ASU Men’s Basketball: Takeaways from exhibition vs. Northern State

(Photo: Jack Harris/WCSN)

Well, that was something.

ASU basketball beat Division II Northern State 98-90 in a double overtime exhibition on Thursday. Here are five takeaways from an ugly, confusing contest:

1. ASU’s rebounding has to be better.

The Sun Devils were without forward Romello White on Thursday due to a violation of team rules. That’s no excuse to lose the rebounding margin by 14, even in an exhibition game. Kimani Lawrence and Vitaliy Shibel showed promise in this area, but the Sun Devils will need a better effort on the boards going forward.

2. Remy Martin is going to be a major contributor.

Martin was a scrappy supplement to Tra Holder and Shannon Evans all night. His speed on both ends opened up the floor for ASU’s offense and made up for lapses in rotation by his teammates on defense. Martin is a talented defender whose effort and tenacity will be an asset for the Sun Devils this season.

3. Vitaliy Shibel is finally healthy.

After an ACL injury kept Shibel sidelined for his entire first season in Tempe, he returned to the court on Thursday and delivered a solid performance. He ran the floor well, finished inside and hit a clutch three-pointer to force double overtime. Shibel’s versatility makes him an intriguing part of a replenished Sun Devil frontcourt.

4. ASU no longer lives and dies by the three.

Last season, the Sun Devils were heavily reliant on the three-pointer in an offense built around volume scorer Torian Graham. With Graham gone and guys like Kodi Justice no longer forced to play center, this team has a more fluid offensive attack. It remains to be seen what ASU can do when it’s at full strength and cleans up the mistakes it made Thursday — particularly the turnovers.

5. Don’t freak out; it’s an exhibition in late October.

There was plenty to be critical of in a game that ASU should’ve won by 20+, but save your panic for December. This was the first “game action” this Sun Devil team has had this season and there are more than two weeks until the season opener. Bobby Hurley said in his post-scrimmage presser that he’s “going to reach deep for positives.” ASU fans shouldn’t read too deeply into a preseason scrimmage, however.

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