ASU Men’s Basketball: On senior day, Sun Devils narrowly miss comeback against Stanford

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

In their final game of the regular season, the Arizona State Sun Devils (20-10, 8-10 in Pac-12) narrowly missed depositing a senior-day win at The Bank, falling to the Stanford Cardinal 84-83.

A procession of emotions made their way through fans in Tempe. It started with the both sadness and gratitude at seeing a beloved senior class take the floor for the final time. That eventually gave way to frustration with the officials in what proved to be a physical contest. The game featured 43 total fouls and multiple instances of ASU players being hit in the face with limbs.

That frustration found its way onto the floor as well. Technical fouls by Mickey Mitchell and head coach Bobby Hurley and an intentional foul by Shannon Evans gave Stanford several technical free throws, which proved decisive in a one-point game.

“Me getting a technical in a one-point game is every bit the same as Kodi missing free throws,” Hurley said “There are so many things that go into winning and losing. You can’t just point to free throws at the end.”

There was also concern for the Devils, who at times looked far from the 20-win team the record shows they are. Between the end of the first and beginning of the second half, Stanford strung together a 22-1 run, taking a 55-36 lead barely three minutes after halftime. At various stretches, the Cardinal simply put forth the stronger effort. Stanford collected 45 rebounds, including 12 offensive, outrebounding ASU by 22.

“I thought the difference could be as simple as the last four minutes of the first half,” Hurley said. “We had empty possessions where we didn’t make shots and some of them were open and shots we could usually make. To start the second half we didn’t have enough energy and they were able to generate the lead we did.”

The later game presented the brand of excitement that only a close fight can deliver. ASU fought its way to an 82-82 tie with 1:13 to play before giving a bucket to Stanford. From there, madness ensued. Kodi Justice took a foul and missed both free throws. Stanford got a chance at the line on the following possession, also missing both as well as the putback attempt.

With 5.3 remaining, Justice returned to the line. Once again, he couldn’t quite get there, splitting the free throws and leaving ASU trailing. With one chance left, ASU managed to force a turnover on the inbound from Stanford.

In a game that came with many feelings, the closing one was disappointment. Prayers under the basket by both Tra Holder and Remy Martin could not find the net, and Stanford escaped Tempe with the victory.

“It’s gonna sting,” Justice said. “This one hurt. This is my last game here and it means a lot to me. These people, this crowd, so it’s going to sting.”

The Sun Devils gave up leads and threatened comebacks throughout the course of the game. Trailing by 11 in the first half, ASU chipped back to take a 35-33 lead. The tables would turn on ASU in the ensuing minutes, but the Devils would very nearly turn them back.

While the seniors were the focus of the day, the player that really gave a ASU the jolt it needed was freshman Remy Martin. He finished with 14 points, seven assists and three steals, and his defensive energy helped ASU create the scoring runs that got them back in the game.

However, ASU’s old guard also put on one last show. Holder led the Devils with 19 points, Evans added 17 and Justice put up 14 including the three that tied it up at 82.

On the other side, Reid Travis became a nightmare for the Devils, putting up 24 points and 14 rebounds. Arizona State has more size around its senior guards than in years past, but the Devils still struggle to defend against the best bigs in the Pac-12.

Overall, ASU defended very aggressively throughout the game, to mixed results. The full-court presses and ball pressure helped ASU create runs, but the Devils struggled to make all the right rotations and gave Stanford several open shots.

Despite the darker spots, Hurley and the team are focused on the future. The Sun Devils have the Pac-12 tournament and likely the NCAA tournament on the horizon, and their coach is confident they can hold up against any opponent.

“We’ve proven that we could beat some of the best teams in the country handily,” Hurley said. “We’ve already won a championship in Vegas. That’s a positive. I know the guys remember how that felt.”

The Sun Devils will head to Sin City for the conference tournament starting on Wednesday, closing the book on a regular season that was memorable for its high points as well as disappointments, one of them being Saturday’s loss.