(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
LAS VEGAS- In the first game of the new year, then third-ranked ASU suffered a shocking 90-81 overtime defeat at the Colorado Buffaloes, the team’s second straight loss after starting the season 12-0.
The Sun Devils were serenaded with chants of “overrated” by the rowdy Buffaloes fans, who stormed the court after closing out the victory.
Two months later, the same team proved its fans right as the Colorado Buffaloes (16-14, 8-10 Pac-12) defeated Arizona State (20-10, 8-10 Pac-12) 97-85 in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament, handing the Sun Devils their first double-digit loss of the season.
“I’m proud of my guys for the entire season, you know what they’ve done here at Arizona State,” coach Bobby Hurley said. “It’s been my most enjoyable year, and now it’s time to get back to work when we get back home and get ready for postseason.”
For a team that calls itself ‘GuardU,’ ASU was outclassed in free throws and three-point shooting by Colorado.
The Sun Devils shot 13-32 (41 percent) from beyond the arc and went 12-21 at the free throw line (57 percent).
The Buffaloes countered with 13-21 (62 percent) three-point shooting and 18-20 (90 percent) at the charity stripe.
“I thought we had too many breakdowns on defense,” Hurley said. “We allowed the percentages that Colorado shot…those percentages were excellent. You know, so great for Colorado they shot that well today from three.
“We missed a number of free throws, again uncharacteristic of what we do as a team.”
As lopsided as the end result was, the Sun Devils started strong- shooting 4-7 while Colorado went 3-10 to build an early 14-9 lead.
The Buffaloes responded with a 10-2 run to take a 19-16 lead into the second media timeout.
From there, the remaining 11 and-a-half minutes of the first half went back and forth.
The Buffaloes were led by Lucas Siewart’s 10 points on 4-4 shooting from the field, while co-Pac-12 sixth man Remy Martin led ASU with 9 points and 2 assists.
Colorado got in the final punch of the opening frame though, making seven of its last eight shots and finishing on an 8-0 run to lead 41-37 at halftime. ASU didn’t make a basket in half’s final two minutes.
The Sun Devils rallied and built a small lead that they were able to maintain for the first part of the second half, powered by forward De’Quon Lake’s 8 consecutive points for the team between the 16:05 and 13:36 marks.
After that point, ASU gave way to a Colorado team that could not be stopped.
Just under the 10-minute mark, freshman D’Shawn Schwartz hit a three to give Colorado a 61-60 lead.
The Sun Devils couldn’t even tie it after that, as the triple started a 15-1 run by the Buffs, one of many scoring runs throughout the game.
“They put us in ball screens where (George) King and (Tyler) Bey with (Dallas) Walton where our coverages were different every time,” senior forward Kodi Justice said. “Sometimes it was miscommunication, it was our attacks were too low, our rotations were too low and they were able to throw it back and they made shots, they shot the ball well, they played well.”
ASU hung around, and probably had the best chance to win after senior guard Shannon Evans II’s three-pointer cut the deficit to eight with just under three minutes to go.
The Buffs finished the job though, as a McKinley Wright IV (20 pts, 11 ast, 8 reb) three-pointer and a Tyler Bey (14 pts, 10 reb) dunk in back-to-back possessions just about sealed it, giving CU a 13-point lead with two minutes left.
Senior guard Dominique Collier (17 pts), Martin’s co Pac-12 sixth man of the year, scored seven of the team’s final nine points, all via free throws. The exception was a garbage time dunk by Bey, which provoked senior guard Tra Holder to shove him to the ground.
Holder was ejected in the game’s final seconds as a result.
Arizona State will find out if they make the NCAA tournament during the selection show on Sunday at 4 p.m. on TBS.
