(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devils played a near-perfect game for about 14 minutes against the Utah Utes, but the other 26 minutes went the other way and ASU fell 96-86 in its Pac-12 opener on Thursday in Wells Fargo Arena.
The Devils (9-4, 0-1 in Pac-12) uncorked a 22-6 run on Utah with the game tied at 3-3, but the Utes (7-6, 1-0 in Pac-12) turned ASU’s run back on them. Utah went on its own 30-9 run at the end of the first and beginning of the second half, sparking them to a double-digit win against an opponent who has been in or around the top 25 most of the season.
“It’s fragile,” ASU coach Bobby Hurley said. “When you have a team down, especially at home, you’ve got to give them no hope and we let them back in.”
For much of the first half, the Sun Devils looked perhaps the best they have in any game this season. Remy Martin hit his first six shots and dished four assists in the first half, guiding ASU to a 17-point lead.
Most impressive of all was the defense. The Utes only made three field goals in the first 10 minutes and committed two shot clock violations within a few possessions. They also had nine turnovers in the half.
Similar to how ASU got out of jams from time to time in seasons past, the Utes washed away their other miscues in a sea of threes. A pair from Sedrick Barefield stopped the bleeding for Utah. After that, ASU’s defensive prowess started to waver, allowing the Utes to walk into halftime trailing 43-39.
The Utes continued to wear down ASU in the second half. Utah hit five threes in the first 5:26 of the second half, turning a potential Devils blowout into a big problem for Hurley and his team. Utah shot 10-of-16 from three in the second half, warding off any potential ASU comeback.
Utah also worked well in transition, pushing the pace when ASU defended them in the half court. The Utes had 19 fastbreak points, a figure which Zylan Cheatham thought was the biggest thing ASU needs to clean up.
“They got entirely too many runouts and easy, quick transition points,” Cheatham said. “We let them get in rhythm and once you give a team like that confidence, they just keep going.”
While Utah was able to shoot their way back into the pole position, ASU is not that kind of team to the extent they used to be. The Sun Devils entered Thursday shooting 32.5 percent from three, down from 36.3 percent a season ago. While the Devils had a good night from beyond the arc at 11-of-28 (39.3 percent), Utah outshot them, going 16-of-30 (53.3 percent). The 16 threes ASU surrendered is tied for second-most in program history, a mark set by Utah in Salt Lake in 2016.
More concerning for Hurley was that both teams tied in points in the paint at 26. With less long-range shooters and more length, that has been a key to ASU’s offensive success.
“We were tied for points in the paint,” Hurley said. “We’ve been hanging our hat on points in the paint all year. With their team and how it was built, we couldn’t afford to be tied.”
In other facets, where ASU normally has an edge over opponents, Utah matched or exceed the Devils. The Utes had the rebounding edge 38-34. Despite improving their ball movement, the Devils also ended up behind Utah in assists 19-15.
The Utes’ effective team attack paid off with multiple players have strong scoring nights. Barefield scored 24 on 8-of-15 shooting to lead Utah’s four double-digit scorers, including 17 from Mesa native Timmy Allen.
Since defeating No. 1 Kansas, ASU has lost two games to around .500 opponents, and the Sun Devils know they need to shake off any Christmas break rust and quickly. They are still maintaining a belief in themselves through the struggles.
“If anything I think we might have too much confidence, with some of the shots we take or some of the possessions we have,” Cheatham said. “That’s that double-edged sword of recruiting guys that are great one-on-one elite players and trying to confine them and make them five guys that are in rhythm.”
ASU will have another chance to find that rhythm Saturday when ASU hosts Colorado at 4 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena.
