ASU Men’s Basketball: Creighton preview

(Photo: Josh Orcutt/WCSN)

After a shaky performance in last week’s win over UC Santa Barbara, the Arizona State Sun Devils look to bounce back against the Creighton Blue Jays in their third away game this season.

Arizona State (4-2) looked out of sorts at times in their last game against UCSB. It shot very poorly from the field at just 34 percent. In the last decade, this was the third-lowest shooting percentage in an ASU win. Where it won the game was at the free-throw line. The Sun Devils went 23-for-26 from the stripe during the game and 14-for-15 just in the second half. A layup by senior forward Eric Jacobsen as time expired gave ASU the slim 70-68 win.

Creighton (5-1) turned in a dominant performance in its last game out over Western Illinois. The Western Illinois Leathernecks were an undefeated 5-0 before coming into Omaha to face the Blue Jays of Creighton. From tip to buzzer, Creighton never trailed and pulled away in the second half for an astounding 97-67 win. Four Creighton players scored in double-figures led by freshman guard Khyri Thomas with 18 points.

Creighton has no definite star on their team. In fact, four of its five starters average between 13 and 10 points per game. The Blue Jays play a balanced offense and run with whoever is playing best that night. It will be important for ASU to maintain strong defense across the board to ensure they do not give up a big performance from any one player tonight.

Keys to the Game

Sun Devil Shooting Woes

Through the first six games of the season, the Sun Devils have been a shaky shooting team at best. Their best shooting performance this season came in a 91-53 win over Kennesaw State where they shot 52 percent. Even in that game, they shot just 6-for-20 from behind the arc. In its two losses, ASU has gone a combined 6-for-35 from downtown. They have games where they shoot decently well and then games where they cannot seem to get anything to fall.

The best solution to this seems to be to get the ball down low into the paint. The two ASU big men, Jacobsen and junior forward Savon Goodman, are shooting 63 and 61 percent for the season, respectively. They are ridiculously productive from around the basket. To alleviate some of its shooting issues, ASU should do its best to force the ball into the post and get some easy buckets in the paint. This leads to opportunities for open jump shots if the big men decide to kick the ball out to the perimeter. Running the offense inside-out might be a way for the Sun Devils to shoot well against Creighton.

Consistent Guard Play

The other inconsistency this season has been in the backcourt between starting guards. Earlier this season against NC State, sophomore Tra Holder had his best career game, scoring 22 points and nailed a huge three in the final minute of regulation to give ASU the win. Against UCSB, Holder went 0-for-5 from the field with just two points in 28 minutes of action. He has been decisive and confident at times coming off the pick-and-roll and finding the open man and other times he struggles to find open looks for himself and the offense when the pressure is tight on him. Holder’s play will have a lot to do with how the Sun Devils perform against Creighton.

Senior guard Gerry Blakes is the clear vocal leader for the Sun Devils, but his offensive play has been inconsistent. Blakes has gone 3-for-11 from the field in each of his last two games, but has produced well enough from the free-throw line to provide an impact in both games. Where Blakes excels is on the defensive end by being tasked to guard the opposing team’s best perimeter scorer. With quick hands and an eye for the ball, Blakes is able to put his stamp on the game from both ends of the court. If he can manage to score at a somewhat respectable rate, the Blue Jays will have their hands full trying to deal with him.

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