ASU Men’s Basketball: Local battle with GCU looms as ASU looks for back-to-back wins

(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)

In what surely will be an emotional game, GCU will make the 25-minute drive from their campus in Phoenix to Tempe’s Desert Financial Arena as the Lopes and Sun Devils will do battle Thursday night.

“I want our guys to just realize how important it is to Grand Canyon and what this game means for that team,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said Wednesday.

Some may want to take the “just another game” approach but sophomore guard DJ Horne understands that the crosstown rivalry means a little more and has some extra juice to it.

“There’s a lot of hype behind this game. They’re a good team coming in at 8-1,” Horne said of the Lopes, who made the NCAA Tournament last season as WAC champions. “Just being out here, I’ve seen their fans and how they get up for their games and everything so I know it’s gonna be a good crowd, and I’m ready for it.”

Arizona State’s roster has many new faces in part due to a pair of transfers to GCU: Senior forward Taeshon Cherry and senior guard Holland Woods. Both departed following last season’s disappointing 11-14 campaign.

“Holland [Woods] was one of my favorite players to coach even though I only had one year with him. He’s a great kid,” Hurley said. “Tae [Taeshon Cherry] and I have had a lot of good moments together as well, so it’ll be different.”

Last year’s contest in Phoenix went down to the wire, but the contributing faces for the Sun Devils are now in different uniforms. Remy Martin, now at Kansas, hit a game-winning 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining to give ASU a 71-70 lead and himself a 31-point contest. The Sun Devils would eventually hold on as GCU junior guard Jovan Blacksher Jr.’s shot rimmed out at the buzzer.

The two Valley Metro schools have had contrasting starts to their seasons. Since starting with wins in the opening two contests, it’s been nearly all downhill for the Sun Devils. They lost all three games in the Bahamas, two of them by double digits. Then, in the Pac-12 opener versus Washington State, ASU put on its worst offensive display in nearly 75 years. ASU shot just 21 percent from the field and 11.5 percent from beyond the arc in the loss.

On Sunday, a competitive and resilient ASU squad showed up against Oregon. ASU more than doubled their shooting percentage to 46 percent with Horne scoring 23 points including a game-tying 3 to send it to overtime. Sophomore guard Jay Heath sealed the road win by hitting the game-winning 3 with 11 seconds remaining in the 69-67 victory.

“Getting that win it felt like we were back on the good side where we needed to be and just taking that win and enjoying it and not trying to get too big headed about it,” Horne said. “We still know that we have work to do.”

Hurley commended his players for their resilience after Horne and Heath hit clutch shots.

“It was a tough couple of weeks. So, to get a win and the way we did it, I think the guys fought really hard to get it and had to make really tough shots and big plays,” Hurley said.

Senior forward Kimani Lawrence says the win in Eugene was an identification of what team ASU is going to be the rest of the way.

“After everything we’ve been through, you know, it’s definitely helped us and helped us figure out who we were, and show each other a lot, being able to fight back,” Lawrence said.

On the other hand, it’s been nearly all smiles for the Lopes. Bryce Drew’s squad is 8-1 and have dominated their competition. It’s the best start for GCU since they became a Division I program in 2013-14. Their eight wins have come by an average of 24 points. On Saturday, they downed Mississippi Valley State by 47 points. In that win, GCU saw four players score 11 points apiece: Blacksher, Woods, Cherry and senior guard Walter Ellis.

“[Jovan] Blacksher can really push it and he’s the engine for those guys just with how good he is off the dribble and his decision making,” Hurley said.

When you look at the numbers a little closer, it’s still a pretty black and white contrast between these two teams.

The Sun Devils rank in the bottom half of Division I in nearly every defensive category – scoring defense, turnovers forced, rebounding, 3-point defense and steals. You pair that with a ranking of 305 out of 350 in scoring offense, and it’s easy to see why ASU is off to a 3-6 start.

GCU is ranked in the top half of Division I in nearly every offensive category – scoring, 3-point percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio, fewest turnovers and rank seventh in the nation in offensive rebounding.

“We have a lot of respect for GCU and that program, especially with what they did last year, and right now at 8-1 so they have a lot of good pieces,” Lawrence said. “It’s gonna be a great atmosphere.”

ASU has lost the rebounding battle in seven of its nine games this season and the two times they won it, they won the game. In their last win over Oregon, the Ducks grabbed just one more rebound than the Sun Devils. Much of that could be attributed to not having sophomore forward Marcus Baggley since they last won the rebound battle against North Florida on Nov. 15. He’s been nursing a knee injury since the first half of that game and has not played since.

The schedule doesn’t get much easier with a GCU opponent that can score at will. The Lopes are led by Blacksher in scoring at 16.3 points per game with Woods right behind him at 13.4 points per game. In six of its nine games, GCU has broken 70 points. ASU has only accomplished that feat just three times in the same amount of games.

“We got a chip on our shoulder too so you know we’re going with the same kind of mindset. They made a tournament last year and they got off to a better start in their season. We haven’t so far,” Lawrence said, “so, we have some big games and this is a chance for us to get a good win.”