ASU Men’s Basketball: Sun Devils head up to Washington for late-night showdown against the Huskies

(Photo: Nicole Hernandez/WCSN)

The Arizona State Sun Devils begin the final road trip of their regular season schedule on Thursday, heading north for a game against the Washington Huskies.

In their first match-up of the season on January 25th, ASU snapped a four-game losing streak with an 86-75 win over the Huskies. The star of that game was junior guard Tra Holder, who scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Devils to victory.

Huskies star freshman guard Markelle Fultz finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in that contest. Fultz leads the Pac-12 in scoring at 23.2 points per game, five more than second-best Torian Graham.

The battle between Fultz and ASU’s guard rotation, especially Holder, will be critical. ASU relies so heavily on guard play, but Fultz can be a one-man wrecking crew. The Sun Devils will need to defend him aggressively on the perimeter and double him when necessary.

Aggression could very well be what wins the day for ASU, given the differences in free throw shooting. In their last game, ASU went 23-34 from the stripe, compared to 6-13 for Washington. Overall, ASU is third in free throw percentage in the conference, while Washington is 11th. Given ASU’s defensive deficiencies, fouling may be less costly in this game if ASU can draw whistles for themselves.

Outside of free throw shooting, ASU was able to win the three-point battle, shooting 44 percent to Washington’s 35 percent. The Devils also scavenged 17 points off turnovers, dwarfing the Huskies two.

That same formula should be how ASU approaches this game, because the Huskies have the advantage in halfcourt sets. They had 20 assists on 29 made shots and are able to pick apart ASU on both ends in a slow-paced game, thanks in large part to the diverse skill-set of Fultz. ASU can counter by playing fast and a bit crazy to disrupt the Huskies flow.

The other factor against ASU is its struggles on hostile ground, as they are 3-6 in away games this season. However, the Huskies have not been phenomenal in their home arena either, boasting a 7-7 record.

The key to the game really is stopping Fultz, who seems to draw more and more NBA hype with each game he plays. If ASU can prevent Fultz from approaching 30 points and block his ability to kick to teammates, they can win. However, sometimes some of the best college basketball players can carry a team to victory through sheer willpower. ASU will have to key in on the opposing star to get this win.

The game tips at 9 P.M. Arizona time on Fox Sports 1.

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Troy Tauscher

Recent Posts

Skinner’s career night propels ASU to narrow victory in season opener

(Photo credit: Aishling Cavanaugh/WCSN) TEMPE — With Desert Financial Arena buzzing, Arizona State found itself…

7 hours ago

Sun Devils prepare for Big 12 debut in Adair’s third year

(Photo credit: Marina Willams/WCSN) Excitement is brewing for Arizona State women’s basketball as the Sun…

19 hours ago

Sun Devils put up complete performance in fall exhibition against GCU

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN) As warmup music echoed throughout GCU ballpark, baseball bats pinged and cleats…

2 days ago

Takeaways: Sun Devils Clinch Bowl Eligibility With Win Over Oklahoma State

With 22 seconds remaining in the first half Arizona State football found itself a single…

2 days ago

No. 13 Sun Devils Extend Win Streak to 10, Earn Season Sweep Over No. 22 Utah

(Photo: Katherine Gore/WCSN) In a match one month ago, No. 13 Arizona State Volleyball won…

3 days ago

Sun Devil arms against pros in exhibition against USA Baseball

(Photo: Austin Hurst/WCSN) PHOENIX - Senior right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez walked off the mound in…

3 days ago