(Photo: Alyssa Buruato/WCSN)
Following a comeback win against the Colorado Buffaloes to open Pac-12 Conference play, Arizona State Men’s Basketball (7-1, 1-0 Pac-12) will return home to take on the Stanford Cardinal (3-5, 0-1 Pac-12), a rematch of ASU’s devastating 71-70 buzzer-beater loss to the Cardinal in the Pac-12 Tournament last year.
The Sun Devils have witnessed a roster turnover since their 14-point, three-minute collapse against the Cardinal last March, as plenty of new faces have led the Sun Devils to a 7-1 start, their best since the 2018-19 season.
Despite playing without sophomore forward Marcus Bagley, who announced via Twitter an internal suspension. But ASU has impressed in its first eight games, winning each of its last five games by an average of 16.6 points per game.
The defense has led the way, as the Sun Devils are 17th in Kenpom’s defensive rankings with a 90.4 adjusted defensive efficiency per 100 possessions and are eighth in the country in total blocks with 48.
Defensive physicality was crucial in its previous game against Colorado, as without Bagley and sophomore starting point guard Frankie Collins, the Sun Devils held the Buffaloes to only 59 points on 37.7 percent from the field.
The Sun Devil offense did just enough as with 2.1 seconds left, finding fifth-year guard Desmond Cambridge Jr., who nailed a 3-pointer to defeat the Buffaloes 60-59.
Without Collins, and junior guard DJ Horne having a rough shooting night, Desmond Cambridge Jr. and his brother Devan Cambridge led the way for the Sun Devils. Desmond continued his strong start to the season, along with his game-winning 3, as the Nevada transfer contributed 11 points, five assists, and three rebounds.
In the absence of Bagley, Devan Cambridge has stepped up. Against Colorado, Devan led the Sun Devils with 18 points on 58 percent shooting, his third straight game of 14 or more points.
The Cambridge brothers were not a part of the team in March when the Sun Devils failed to defend a 14-point lead against Stanford. But, the program will see a familiar face in senior forward Spencer Jones, who torched the Sun Devils for 26 points and six rebounds in the playoffs last year.
After a season in which he was the Cardinal’s leading scorer, Jones has followed up his junior campaign with another great season. So far, Jones’ 11.7 points per game are leading all Stanford players. Additionally, Jones has established himself in the paint, tallying a team-high of 9 blocks.
So far this year, the Cardinal have struggled, dropping five of their first eight games, but Stanford has played a difficult schedule featuring games against No. 21 UCLA, No. 24 San Diego State and Wisconsin.
Tip-off between ASU and Stanford is slated for Sunday evening at 5 p.m. MST at Desert Financial Arena.
