(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Last weekend, No. 18 Arizona State Men’s Basketball prepared to face No. 2 Baylor in its season opener. Come Monday, the Sun Devils chances of playing were in doubt. Whether they’d be traveling to Connecticut and competing in the 2K Empire Classic was questionable after Baylor head coach Scott Drew contracted COVID-19.
Despite the unknowns of who their first opponent of the season would be, the Sun Devils flew cross-country, and earned their first win of the season against Rhode Island 94-88 Wednesday night.
After being ranked in the top 20 of the AP preseason poll and adding highly-touted freshmen recruits Josh Christopher and Marcus Bagley to the roster, all eyes honed in on ASU as it looked to confirm preseason speculations.
The Sun Devils arguably lived up to the preseason hype by showcasing its star power and depth against the Rams.
What looked to be an easy win for the Sun Devils in the first half turned out to be a nail-biting offensive frenzy. With less than a minute left in the game, Christopher’s defensive intensity sealed the victory over the Rams as he forced an offensive foul on Rhode Island junior forward Antwan Walker.
“It was a winning play for us,” Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley said.
Hurley said that defense overall was something the Sun Devils needed to improve on.
“I wasn’t pleased in the second half the way we came out,” he said. “Our help defense wasn’t there.”
Nevertheless, ASU forced 17 turnovers.
On the other end of the court, the offensive firepower from the Sun Devils remained a constant throughout the night.
Preseason All-American and senior guard Remy Martin led ASU with 26 points – boasting his explosiveness and dynamic presence on the floor. Martin, Christopher and Bagley produced a combined total of 53 points as starters.
“To finally be out there with ASU across my chest… it felt amazing.” Bagley said.
The versatility of the two freshmen was highlighted by their ability to get to the free throw line. Bagley was 10-14 from the stripe, and Christopher made all but one of his six free throw attempts.
The Sun Devils led by as much as 16 points with the Rams plagued by turnovers and lack of discipline on defense. By the second half, though, Rhode Island had found its rhythm. The Rams began to be active in the paint and attack the basket.
Senior guard Fatts Russell – the Rams floor general and leading scorer last season – ran into foul trouble early in the game. With less than nine minutes remaining in the first half, Russell earned his third foul of the night and frustratingly took a seat on the bench while ASU went on a 10-0 scoring run.
Without their main offensive weapon, the Rams relied on senior guard Jeremy Sheppard and Walker to carry the offense. Sheppard and Walker each scored 19 points.
Russell fouled out around the six minute mark of the second half.
ASU’s season-opener may not have gone as smoothly as it expected it to. But with a second game in as many days against No. 3 Villanova on Thanksgiving, the Sun Devils will have to put their struggles behind them – and fast.
“There’s a lot of things we have to improve on moving forward,” Hurley said. “We’ll watch the film on that and get ready for tomorrow.”
