(Photo: Haley Spracale/WCSN)
Arizona State men’s basketball head coach Bobby Hurley has simplified his program’s vision when looking ahead to its next games – to take one game at a time.
“We talked about last week, just focusing on the next game and just concentrating on Oregon,” Hurley said. “It’s a hard place to play. Not many teams have had success in that in that building since I’ve been coaching in this league, and they’re a very talented roster. And [Oregon head coach] Dana Altman, I think everyone has a lot of respect for him and the basketball community for what he does and how he gets his teams playing better. They had a momentum win at Utah. We’re just preparing for that game. And then I know we’ll get ready for Oregon State on Saturday.”
The sentiment has been reciprocated by the players, who have emphasized the idea. Senior guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. went as far as to explain how he doesn’t look ahead to wins because other schools’ wins and losses have a “bearing” on ASU’s placement.
But as the Sun Devils venture further into conference play, they’ll be tasked with two-game series every week, forcing a focus on multiple teams. The journey continues Thursday when ASU (13-3, 4-1 Pac-12) travels north for matches against the Oregon Ducks (9-7, 3-2) and then on Saturday against the Oregon State Beavers (7-9, 1-4).
Oregon Ducks 7 p.m. AZ Thursday
The Ducks are led by Altman, who has found a plethora of success in the Pac-12 since taking over in 2010. Altman, who has not had a losing campaign in 25 years, has created a staple program in Eugene, which has become a marque Pac-12 program under his regime.
“We have a lot of respect for our opponent,” Hurley said. “And then what Oregon has done over the years. They’ve been one of the top programs in our conference for years now. So, it should not be that difficult for guys to see that. And they watch a lot of basketball. So, they know over the years how good Oregon has been. It’s a brand. It’s a name. I think motivation won’t be an issue, just focusing on what we do well and finding our ways to attack them on Thursday night.”
Oregon’s defensive schematics have proved effective, accumulating a 95.8 adjusted defensive efficiency rating, slotting the defense at 51 in KenPom’s rankings. The Ducks have two 7-footers at their disposal; senior center N’Faly Dante and freshman center Kel’el Ware. Both big men act as the final wall at the basket, utilizing their large frames to reject 44 shots.
“Well, they definitely have length and they’re very athletic,” Cambridge Jr., said. “But at the end of the day, they’ve lost a lot of games and so I always look at what other teams did to beat them. And to be honest, I really feel like we can beat literally any team. We just have to come with the right mindset, right approach.”
Senior guard Will Richardson will also pose threats to ASU’s guards, as the 6-foot-5 guard averages 1.6 steals per game, good for third-best in the conference.
“It’s tough to simulate that in practice. We don’t play that style of defense, but we’ll see some 1-2-2, 3-quarter court,” Hurley said. “They’ll play some 2-3 matchup, and I’ve seen it shift into more of a man defense kind of even mid-possession. So, I think we got to have movement. We got to take advantage of our opportunities, getting in gaps – can’t just stand around against the zone. But they do a very good job of it. It’s a unique style of defense.”
The use of 7-footers is a facet of ASU’s gameplan, as senior forward Warren Washington has played crucial roles on both ends of the floor. Washington enters Thursday’s contest averaging 8.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Freshman forward Duke Brennan – who stands at 6-foot-10 – has proved effective in relief for Washington, providing the Sun Devils with another option to man the paint. Washington and Brennan’s statures could be useful when Altman sends his big men onto the floor.
“We should have been giving [Washington] the ball,” said Cambridge Jr., who spent last season in Nevada with Washington. “And I feel like this a little bit on me too, especially with me coming from Nevada, especially when we would struggle at Nevada, we would give the ball to him because regardless if he’s scoring or not – if you haven’t noticed – he’s a great passer as well. And so, just running through him and just having trust in him. That’s real important. And he literally can do it all.”
Oregon State 2 p.m. AZ Saturday
After its game in Eugene on Thursday, ASU will travel about 50 miles north for its match against Oregon State.
Leading the offensive attack for the Beavers is freshman guard Jordan Pope, who averages a team-high 12.3 points per game on 43.5 percent shooting. Pope’s shooting ability is best between the 3-point line and the paint. The California native shoots 45.5 percent from midrange, which is 10.6 percent above the average at the Division I level.
Lending a hand to Pope is sophomore forward Glenn Taylor Jr., who averages 11.4 points per game. The Arizona Compass Prep alum lives in the paint, taking 76 of his 124 shots from the key.
The road trip to Oregon marks the first away Pac-12 series of the season. The Sun Devils’ last away conference game was a one-game road trip to Colorado, which ASU won 60-59 thanks to a Cambridge Jr. game-winning shot. Despite their success in Colorado, Hurley and his squad are only 2-2 on the road, losing to Texas Southern and a 37-point blowout against San Francisco.
However, Hurley has confidence in his team’s chances on the road this time.
“It makes you feel a little better that we’ve had that experience doing it,” Hurley said. “And, you know, three nonconference road games, two road games, and then the Colorado game. So, hopefully, we build off what we’ve been able to do this past week. And that helps us as we hit the road.”
