(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
Few coaches in college basketball schedule tough non-conference opponents like Arizona State Men’s Basketball head coach Bobby Hurley does.
Since Hurley took over in 2015, ASU has played 12 ranked-teams in non-conference play and has won five of those matchups.
Hurley’s No. 23 ranked Sun Devils will look for another win against a top-25 out-of-conference opponent when the No. 24 ranked San Diego State Aztecs come to Tempe Thursday night.
“They don’t get rattled,” Hurley said of the Aztecs. “They just really grind you up, they stay in the game, they are mentally tough and they are a very good defensive team.”
SDSU was one of the premier teams in all of college basketball last season. The Aztecs won 30 games during the 2019-2020 season and were the longest-standing undefeated team in the country after winning its first 26 games.
However, SDSU lost guard Malachi Flynn – who was an AP Second-Team All-American and Mountain West Conference Player of the Year – to the NBA. Along with Flynn, the Aztecs lost forward Yanni Wetzell and guard KJ Feagin who were key contributors on both ends of the floor.
Even after losing a couple of key players, SDSU returned talent from last year’s squad and has continued its success from a year ago to start 2020-2021. The Aztecs are currently 4-0, which includes an impressive win over then-ranked No. 22 UCLA.
The two standouts who return from last year are senior forward Matt Mitchell and senior guard Jordan Schakel. The two 6-foot-6 players both average just over 12 points per game while providing length and versatility for the team’s stout defense.
“San Diego State does a great job of getting in gaps on defense,” Hurley said of the Aztecs, who rank 25th in adjusted defense per KenPom. “They have active hands and they are very good at getting deflections.”
It may be a tough matchup, but ASU has the offensive firepower necessary to breakdown SDSU’s defense.
Senior guard Remy Martin and freshman guard Josh Christopher have been dynamite to start the 2020-2021 campaign. Martin and Christopher spearhead the Sun Devils’ offense which ranks ninth in KenPom’s adjusted offense. Both players are averaging a little over 17 points per game.
A key for ASU against the Aztecs will be limiting turnovers and rebounding the basketball, according to Hurley.
“We have to limit our dribbling and if we can’t go by our guy we gotta move the ball – the ball can’t stick,” he said. “We have to rebound, and that’s something we didn’t do well in our last game against Cal.”
In the Sun Devils’ first four games, they have lost the rebounding battle three times. Second chance opportunities for the Aztecs could be a troublesome formula for ASU, as SDSU’s gritty defense will make scoring any points a challenge.
The Sun Devils will get an extra boost for their offense Thursday night though. Senior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. is expected to play against the Aztecs after missing the past two games.
ASU was able to win both games during Verge Jr.’s brief two-game absence, but that was with freshman forward Marcus Bagley on the floor.
Bagley went down late in the second half during the Sun Devils’ victory over Cal a week ago with a lower left leg injury.
Hurley said that Bagley’s injury isn’t a long-term issue, but that “it’s not looking like he’s going to go,” for the matchup against SDSU.
Thursday’s game against the Aztecs is a measuring stick game for the Sun Devils. Hurley knows it and is ready.
“It’s an exciting game to be a part of, and it’s going to be a challenging test for our young guys,” Hurley said.
