(Photo Credit: Alyssa Buruato/WCSN)
One could feel the unbridled indignation emanating from the podium. One of college basketball’s greatest floor generals sat visibly quivering from anger that stemmed from the belief of a visceral injustice done to his team.
Arizona State Men’s basketball (10-7, 4-2 Pac-12) head coach Bobby Hurley must now rear his head from a disappointing 68-66 loss to UCLA Wednesday night — during which ASU players were issued four technical fouls down the stretch that ultimately made the difference — to a Saturday midday tilt against USC (8-10, 2-5 Pac-12).
Following the recent loss, Hurley admitted through gritted teeth that in order to regroup for USC, there were silver linings his squad could look at before facing the Trojans in Tempe on Saturday.
“Realize there was a lot of quality basketball that was played by our team,” Hurley said. “I was pleased we were able to generate offense against a very good defensive team. Just (have to) look at the bright side of this someway, somehow.”
There were positives the Sun Devils can take moving forward as they now face a relatively permeable USC defensive unit that ranks 79th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency according to Kempom. That ranking is just the seventh-highest in the conference.
ASU has yet to score over 70 points in their past two matchups since scoring over that mark in all four of their four wins to open conference play. They will likely have to rely on the duo of junior guards Frankie Collins and Adam Miller to offensively drive the team back into the win column.
It will be the prerogative of Miller’s dangerous outside shooting touch (2.25 three-pointers per game) and Collins’ slashing play (46% of his attempts are at the rim) to right the ship in Tempe.
The Sun Devils will unleash an already-vaunted (44th in the nation and third in the PAC-12 in adjusted defensive efficiency according to Kempom) but now additionally motivated defensive unit against a severely depleted Trojan offense.
Head coach Andy Enfield, in his eleventh season at the helm of USC, will likely have to find offense without his two leading scorers. Fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis and freshman guard Isaiah Collier both suffered injuries against Washington State on Jan. 10 that have kept them off the floor in the two games since.
The offensive load will be dispersed amongst a roster with only one double-digit scorer remaining in junior wing Kobe Johnson, who averages 11.5 points per game. ASU can expect a heavier amount of shots coming from a pair of NBA sons — graduate forward DJ Rodman and freshman guard Bronny James. Both players, generally known for their defensive acumen, tied their season-highs in shot attempts in their last game Wednesday night, a 82-67 loss to No. 12 Arizona.
The Trojans may also seek a spark off the bench in sophomore guard Oziyah Sellers. Sellers has shown flashes of being a pure shot-maker versed in shooting off the catch and creating off the dribble. While he only averages six points a game, he’s displayed an ability to catch fire in a new surplus of minutes vacated by the injuries, scoring 18 and 10 in his last two games.
Off the bench, ASU will continue to rely on the size, athleticism, and general inside presence of sophomore center Shawn Philips Jr. Since returning from a foot injury earlier this season the seven-footer has been a consistent pick-and-roll lob threat offensively and a disruptor inside defensively.
Phillips Jr. will battle with USC senior big man Joshua Morgan, whose 2.3 blocks per game lead the Pac-12 and ranks 14th in the nation.
Wherever the premier matchups in this game lie, Collins is ready to reset from a dispiriting loss on Wednesday night before their weekend matchup against USC that will tipoff at noon MST from Desert Financial Arena in Tempe.
“We just got to let our game do the talking,” Collins said. “We have to go out there and play and leave everything else behind.”
