(Photo: Rebecca Striffler/WCSN)
LAS VEGAS — Under head coach Bobby Hurley, Arizona State men’s basketball has only won on the first day of the Pac-12 Tournament three times, resulting in an early departure from Las Vegas and sometimes leaving as teams with first-round byes arrive for their quarterfinal contest. During Hurley’s eight-year regime, the Sun Devils are 3-6 in six Pac-12 Tournament appearances, losing an opportunity to improve the record in 2020 with the cancelation of the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Historically, ASU has struggled in the tournament, appearing in the title game once in 2009. The furthest Hurley had led the Sun Devils was to the semifinals in 2019, where his squad fell to the Oregon Ducks.
On Wednesday night, the Sun Devils (21-11, 11-9 Pac-12) extended their stay in Las Vegas by one game, defeating the Oregon State Beavers (11-21, 5-15 Pac-12) 63-57.
“I thought it was a gutsy win — just kind of like our games [in the] prior two matchups — Slower paced game, less possessions in the game,” Hurley said. “I think the differences were our ability to generate points off of their turnovers. And also, usually, when we win the paint — do a good job in the paint — then we get a pretty good result.”
Senior forward Warren Washington provided the offense with a dominant performance, scoring 15 points and making seven of his nine free throws in 34 minutes. Washington was also effective around the rim, making four of his 10 shots. The 7-foot forward also contributed on the boards, grabbing nine rebounds.
Although the total rebound numbers were identical, ASU separated itself on the offensive glass, securing 12 boards. Freshman forward Duke Brennan also contributed to the cause, extending possessions by battling for offensive rebounds.
“I think crashing the offensive glass is one of my great suits,” Brennan said. “If I can do that to help the team, I’ll crash the boards 100% of the time.”
Redshirt junior guard DJ Horne was pivotal to the offense, scoring seven of ASU’s first 13 points. Horne finished the game with 13 points but didn’t rely on his 3-point shooting ability. Instead, Horne, who was 1-of-5 from deep, focused on attacking the basket and mid-range jumpers. The change of play proved effective, concluding the night with a 50% performance from the floor.
Off the bench, sophomore forward/guard Jamiya Neal provided the offense with a second-half spark, scoring seven points in the final 20 minutes. Neal buried a 3-pointer to help extend ASU’s lead over Oregon State, following a dunk, which gave the offense a lead that lasted the rest of the way.
“I’m pleased with contributions from a lot of guys and the bounce back from a tough week in LA,” Hurley said. “These tournaments [are] survive and advance, no matter how you get it done, and just move on to the next round.”
With an NCAA Tournament bid in play, the Sun Devils will participate in games in rapid succession for the first time this season. If ASU makes the title game, players will have endured four consecutive postseason games, with more on the horizon. In an effort to keep his players fresh, Hurley had opted for different rotational pieces.
“We know it’s not going to get any easier,” Horne said. “We got tougher opponents, the more you win, and we want that. We just have to be ready to answer the call when those games come. I think that guys being rested and having fresh legs will give us that advantage.”
With a victory over Oregon State, the Sun Devils will advance to the quarterfinals, where they meet up against the USC Trojans (22-9, 14-6 Pac-12), who swept Hurley and company in the regular season. The Trojans are arriving in Las Vegas with a first-round bye, yielding them additional rest time.
Both sides ended the regular season against one another in Los Angeles, where ASU dug itself out of a 14-point hole before losing by three points. USC was led by Boogie Ellis, who torched the season finale with 28 points. The proximity of Saturday’s loss and Wednesday’s win allows Hurley and his team to reflect on the game and adjust.
“I needed to do a better job of making bunnies and just easy shots,” Washington said. “That something I can’t control, but I do feel like there’s some things I could adjust just within my game, that can help me make those types of shots. I feel like personally, I just need to do a better job of making those easy bunnies. Also, I could do a better job of getting more blocks.”
