ASU Men’s Basketball: Sun Devils look to make statement at Thanksgiving tournament

(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)

While the Arizona State Sun Devils are off to a hot start, sitting at a 4-0 record at a plus-24.5 scoring margin, their biggest test of the season comes this weekend in Las Vegas at the Continental Tire Invitational in Las Vegas.

They’re hardly alone though, as ASU is one of four undefeated teams in the Pac-12 who have played at least four games while 24 other power-five conference teams meet the same criteria.

Many of these unbeaten teams have yet to face another power-five opponent, including the Sun Devils. That all changes this weekend. ASU will play two games at this tournament. Two other teams are undefeated, and one is ranked.

Thursday, Nov. 23 @ 5:30 p.m.: Kansas State (4-0)

While fans will be at home enjoying a holiday meal with friends and family, the Sun Devils will face the best opponent they’ve seen so far. The Wildcats not only have the same record as the Sun Devils, but have gotten similar results against similar opponents.

“Their mindset I would imagine would be similar to ours,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “I think they’ve shown early in the season that they can dominate some teams and just especially stifle them defensively.”

The one obvious difference between the teams are the numbers on offense and defense. The Sun Devils have allowed 70.5 points per game, 20 more than K-state. ASU is also averaging 95 points per game, which is nearly 20 more than its counterpart. The Sun Devils rank 13^th nationally in points per game, as of Wednesday night, while the Wildcats’ 50.8 points allowed per game is the third lowest in college basketball.

Kansas state will challenge ASU’s veteran backcourt to control the game. The Wildcats will look to disrupt their flow, and they can do it well. K-state is tied for sixth nationally in steals and ranks 11th in turnovers.  This should leave the Sun Devils to rely on big men junior De’Quon Lake and freshman Romello White.

“Those guys are going to have very difficult matchups,” Hurley said, “As will our guards. Kansas State is very formidable on the perimeter as well. Good size, athleticism, and they really defend well.”

The two have proved they can dominate in the paint, both separately and together. The biggest reason for their success has been efficiency. Lake has the second highest field goal percentage in the nation at 82 percent, while White is still an impressive 70.4 percent. They are one of only two sets of teammates both in the top 25 nationwide in field goal percentage.

They both boast strong numbers as well, with White averaging a double-double at 18.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, and Lake averaging 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. The Wildcats don’t have a big man averaging more than 6 points or 6 rebounds per game.

Overall, ASU looks much better than Kansas State on the stat sheet. Each of the Sun Devils top four scorers would be the leading scorer on K-state, and reigning Pac-12 player of the week Tra Holder, averaging 22.3 points, 7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game would be leading the Wildcats in all three categories. The game isn’t always about numbers though.

“They got a lot of athletic players, they have good guard play and they can shoot the ball as well,” Holder said. “It’s going to be a good challenge facing a very good team, you know they’re a very good defensive team and got a great coach.

Friday, Nov. 24 @ TBD: George Washington (2-2) or No. 15 Xavier (4-0)

The Sun Devils will play another game Friday whether or not they beat Kansas State. GW and Xavier play each other Thursday, and whichever team gets the same result as ASU will play them Friday.

Since an opening night win against Howard, the  George Washington Colonials have scored 65 or 67 points in each of their three games since, losing two of them. The biggest threat GW poses is its dynamic backcourt, led by senior guard Yuta Watanabe. In 2014, the 23-year-old became the first Japan-born player to earn a division-I basketball scholarship and hasn’t disappointed. Listed at 6-foot-9, he leads the Colonials with 13.5 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game and 3.5 blocks per game, the most by any guard in the nation.

The Colonials leading scorer in the frontcourt is senior forward Patrick Steeves, putting up 12.8 points per game. Their leading rebounder outside of Watanabe is sophomore forward Arnaldo Toro, putting up 7.3 rebounds per contest. Both marks fall short of White and Lake’s averages. The bottom line is if ASU can contain Watanabe, it should have enough talent to overpower this mid-major school should they match up Friday.

On the other hand, No. 15 Xavier would present a next-level challenge for the Sun Devils and their first chance to make noise on a national level. The Musketeers return two of their top three scorers from a year ago when they upset Arizona en route to the elite eight. Those two players, senior guards Trevon Bluiett and J.P. Macura, would present a serious mismatch for ASU’s backcourt. Bluiett is 6-foot-6 and Macura is 6-foot-5, while ASU’s only guard over 6-foot-1 is senior Kodi Justice.

Bluiett is the face of the team, scoring 24.3 points per game which is tied for 12^th in the country. His 6.8 rebounds per game are also tied for the most on the team with sophomore big man Tyrique Jones. Macura, the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.5 points per game, is more of an all-around threat as he averages 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game, both team-highs.

Xavier has a post presence as well, as Jones and junior forward Kaiser Gates average 12.5 and 11.3 points per game, respectively, with Jones also posting two blocks per game. Xavier’s biggest strength is in its passing though as the team averages 20.8 assists per game, tied for 14^th, and a 1.73 assist to turnover ratio, which falls inside the top 20. ASU’s top players may have numbers comparable to that of Xavier’s, but the Musketeers size and ability to create scoring from ball movement give them an advantage over ASU.

Friday’s game will tip off at either 5:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. depending on ASU’s result Thursday.

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