ASU Men’s Basketball: Sun Devils look confident heading into NAU game

(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)

With two victories already under their belt, the Arizona State Sun Devils seem to have momentum growing, which they hope to ride into a contest with Northern Arizona on Friday night.

The Devils defeated Idaho State by 20 and San Diego State by 22 to start their season, but head coach Bobby Hurley feels his team has no right to be cocky heading into this or any other game.

“There is no time for victory laps at this point in the year,” Hurley said after practice on Thursday. “We haven’t done anything really, to this point or last year, to earn the right to, no matter who you’re playing, just show up and expect you’re going to win.”

However, Hurley and the team certainly appear energized after a 2-0 start, especially after making a comeback against the Aztecs. ASU outscored SDSU 56-28 in the second half to pick up that victory.

That energy will help them against a Lumberjacks team that has had a less pleasant start to the season. NAU is 0-2 after a 34-point loss to Arizona and a 12-point loss to Embry-Riddle. NAU finished last season 9-23, with an effective offense but a defense that could never quite keep up.

If there is trap game potential for the Devils, it’s in the depth. NAU has 11 players who have averaged double-digit minutes over the first two games. ASU has seven, and that number is not likely to rise until freshman forward Kimani Lawrence returns. If the Sun Devils tire out, they may get the rug pulled out from under them.

Still, ASU has several major advantages, especially given the hot start of some key players. Senior guard Tra Holder has excelled in the first two games, averaging 21 points, 8.5 rebounds and seven assists per game while only averaging two turnovers.

“I haven’t seen every team play this year, but it would be hard to give me a college basketball player that has had a better two-game start than what Tra has had,” Hurley said.

For his part, Holder prioritized working on his defense heading into the season. The Sun Devils posted the worst defense in the Pac-12 last year, giving up 81.7 points per game. The perimeter players stepping up on that end has played a major role in a good start to the season.

“I worked a lot on my legs,” Holder said “Lateral quickness, stuff like that. Court work, and I guess watching people. Patrick Beverley, Avery Bradley, stuff like that.”

In the past, ASU would’ve had to rely on guards like Holder to compete with forwards in the 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-9 range, of which NAU has plenty. This season is different. ASU has two frontcourt players who have been excellent in the early going.

Junior De’Quon Lake is averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting an absurd 88 percent from the floor. Redshirt freshman Romello White put up 16 points and 15 boards in his debut against SDSU. Both have been managing the interior for an ASU team that desperately needed someone to do that.

“We were really trying to kill everybody in the paint,” White said of the game. “Rebound, blocks, we were just trying to control the paint. Coach was really big on that. When the guards get beat, you’ve got to help them, and that’s what I feel like we did.”

Between evening the playing field in terms of size, progressing defensively and continuing to work hard, Arizona State has its third victory in sight if it sticks to what has been working. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe.

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