ASU Men’s Basketball: Sun Devils open conference play with the Territorial Cup

(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)

 

Arizona State opens conference play traveling to Tucson to take on the No. 8 Arizona. Not only are the Sun Devils looking to start off conference play with a win, but they are also still searching for their first win away from Wells Fargo Arena.

Their most recent game was a 56-46 victory over Harvard, their eighth win of the season and second-straight heading into Pac-12 play. Senior forward Shaquielle McKissic scored 15 points, and four of the five starters were in double-figures.

Arizona, on the other hand, is coming off of their first loss of the season, losing to UNLV 71-67, who lost to ASU on December 3. The high-point man for the Wildcats was senior guard T.J. McConnell with 14 points and seven assists.

UNLV’s Christian Wood and Rashad Vaughn had themselves a day versus Arizona, combining for 45 of UNLV’s 71 points

Keys to the Game

Stay Sound on Defense

Arizona has the 14th best field goal percentage in the nation at just over 50 percent, so ASU is going to have to be strong defensively all over the floor. When Arizona played UNLV, they left a lot of points at the free throw line, only going 16-for-27 from the charity stripe. Arizona’s starting big-men both shoot less than 70 percent from the line, but they are also very capable of scoring in the paint, so junior center Eric Jacobsen and sophomore forward  Savon Goodman will have to commit themselves to the defensive end more than usual.

Contain Stanley Johnson

Arizona has talent all over the floor offensively, but four of the five starters tend to be one-dimensional. True freshman Stanley Johnson is the one exception as he has shown the ability to score from all over the court. Being one of the hottest recruits in the nation last year, the 6-foot-7 guard can be a tough mismatch for the typical perimeter-stoppers that ASU has, most notably junior guards Gerry Blakes and Roosevelt Scott.

Share the wealth

In ASU’s loss to Marquette, they only had 14 assists as a team. In the Sun Devils’ win against Detroit, the team combined for 21 assists. The Wildcats’ defense is one of  the best in the country with their length, athleticism, and experience, which is why ASU’s backcourt will have to play as a team and move the ball around the court.

Prediction

Considering Arizona is coming off of a loss, opening conference play at home versus their in-state rival  and sitting on 12 days of rest, it seems like ASU couldn’t have walked into a worse situation for this game. Unless the Sun Devils display an identity on offense that we have yet to see this year and cn contain the inside scoring, the Wildcats should win this one easily.

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