(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
For the first time since 2003, the No. 18 Arizona State Sun Devils will play host to the top dog in Division I basketball when they welcome the Kansas Jayhawks to Tempe on Saturday.
The 2018 Jayhawks are no joke. Coming into Saturday’s showdown, they are among the top scoring teams in the nation, averaging a staggering 81.7 points a game added by a 37.6 shooting percentage from behind the arc. As if the firepower on offense was not enough, KU’s defense is far better than just a “fallback plan”. In 2018, the Jayhawks have held their first 10 opponents, all of whom they have beaten, to an average of just 69.5 points per game.
“That is a team of guys who have played in big games,” coach Bobby Hurley said at practice Thursday. “They know how to show up for sure.”
That team of guys that knows how to show up just so happens to be comprised of some of the best talents in the country. Luguentz Dort, ASU’s best freshman by preseason ranking since James Harden, will have to pilot not only the team’s offense against Kansas, but a defense tasked with guarding Legerald Vick.
Vick has been the magic-maker for Kansas in 2018. Through 10 games, the 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 17 points per game with a season-high of 33 points, a mark set on November 16 against Louisianna Lafayette. In addition to his size, Vick’s trademark is his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. On the year, he has connected on 54 percent of his three-point attempts.
Oddly, this is where the Devils will need to capitalize. They will need to force Kansas to the perimeter and lock down the paint. This season, ASU has defended the three ball well, limiting opponents to a 31.9 three-point percentage. On the contrary, the Sun Devils have struggled to maintain a strong defensive presence in transition and on offensive possessions that end in shots being taken from two-point range.
Despite being an unsung hero this season, ASU’s DeQuon Lake could prove to be a key to a victory in a potential statement game from the Devils. The 6-foot-10 junior has been a shot-blocking machine this year as he is the only Devil with double-digit blocks on the season (11).
In addition to Lake, ASU will look for a resurgent shooting performance from Dort after poor shooting performances against Georgia and Vanderbilt.
Remy Martin and Rob Edwards are also healthy heading into the game. Edwards’ shot-creating ability is worth defensive attention, a perk that could draw the defense away from Dort and Kimani Lawrence, the team’s best scorers this year.
This is the 10th time ASU will play the nation’s top-ranked team and the second time it will be on their home floor. ASU is 1-8 in these matchups, with their only win coming in 1981 when the No. 5 Sun Devils defeated the No. 1 Oregon State Beavers 87-67.
The team knows they have a big challenge ahead, but in the words of Hurley, they “just want to see two heavyweights go at it.”
If the Devils can continue the offensive pressure they have shown all year and step up on defense in a way that they have struggled to do in 2018, the game should be a fight with large punches being traded back an forth. Hurley is ready. The Devils are ready. But the question will remain, is Kansas, the best team in the nation, ready to take on what could easily be the Pac-12’s best squad? The answer will be revealed tonight.
