(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)
On March 12, 2020 the Pac-12 Conference announced that, due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, the postseason tournament would be cancelled. Arizona State Men’s Basketball was the No. 3 seed entering the contest, and were eager to play Washington State in the quarterfinals.
“Some teams at the end are not playing well,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said as he reminisced over learning of last year’s tournament being cancelled. “I think we were on the other side of that. We had been playing the best basketball we had played all season and had things to play for moving forward, so it was a tough day.”
A year later, the Sun Devils enter the Pac-12 Tournament as the No. 7 seed and are preparing to face the Washington State at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas yet again, two days before the one-year anniversary of the season’s shutdown.
ASU’s starting lineup will be missing two essential players, both highly-touted freshmen, in forward Marcus Bagley and guard Josh Christopher.
“Marcus had some pain after the Colorado game and it has not quieted down to the point that is necessary to have the ability to play,” Hurley said. “There just isn’t enough time and too much risk involved for me to ask Josh to play after not having played in over a month.”
The Sun Devils faced the Cougars only once this season in Tempe. The game ended with a clutch three-pointer from senior guard Remy Martin in overtime. Washington State faced the Sun Devils short-handed though, as it was without senior guard Isaac Bonton. The veteran averages 17.7 points per game and four assists, leading the Cougars in both categories.
Throughout a season of highs and lows, ASU ended the year in a pit with two straight losses to Colorado and Utah. Martin hit a slump, finishing the final two games of the regular season with single-digit scoring performances.
As the conference’s top-scorer entering the tournament and the beneficiary of All-Pac-12 First-Team honors for the second year in a row, Wednesday’s outcome for the Sun Devils won’t affect Martin’s legacy in Tempe. Some of his most notable achievements include: First-Team All-Pac-12 (2019-20, 2020-21), Second-Team All-Pac-12 (2018-19), Co-Sixth Man of the Year (2017-18), sixth in Sun Devils all-time scoring and second in Sun Devils all-time assists.
ASU will likely need the accoladed Martin to be its savior on Wednesday and throughout the tournament – not the one who struggled against the Buffaloes and Utes.
Hurley is confident the former will show.
“I think he’s been about the right things,” Hurley said. “There’s been a lot of examples of high-level performance in big games, in meaningful games. He’s that type of player.”
