ASU Men’s Basketball: Sun Devils welcome tournament bubble-living UCLA

(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)

The Arizona State Sun Devils will take on the UCLA Bruins Wednesday night in Wells Fargo Arena, a team currently tied with Oregon for third in the Pac-12 and vying for an at-large bid into the Big Dance.

ASU is coming off its second road victory of the season in its 78-68 win over the Washington Huskies. Despite some sloppy first-half play, standout junior guard Gerry Blakes racked up 23 points in the victory, one point less than his previous game against the Washington State Cougars. Sophomore forward Savon Goodman established himself early, picking up 19 points and 13 boards to help spark one of the single notable runs that marked the biggest point differential in the final minutes of the game to help his team get the victory.

In a similar last outing, UCLA downed Oregon 72-63 by way of a monstrous game by senior guard Norman Powell, who also collected 23 points. Freshman forward Kevon Looney posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds while sparking his team, alongside Powell, to finally get some separation from Oregon with 16 minutes left in the game, at which point they would maintain the lead for the rest of the contest.

ASU has now won five of its last eight while UCLA has collected eight of its last 11. Fans can expect a bloodthirsty UCLA team, who will be fighting to maintain its third-place tie with Oregon.

The Sun Devils will be retiring ASU alum James Harden’s jersey tonight in Wells Fargo Arena before the game.

Keys to Matchup

Protect the Basketball

ASU had 11 turnovers in its game against Washington. The team nearly handed the Huskies the momentum going into half on a steal off Tra Holder, despite an untimely foul by Washington. This year’s UCLA squad however, is a team that operates with a greater attention to detail, especially when it comes it cashing in on the opponent’s mistakes. UCLA is currently third in the Pac-12 with 6.7 steals per game, which could prove a huge threat to ASU with its inability to be smart with the basketball for a full 40 minutes.

Blakes to outplay Bryce Alford

This game could very well be a matchup of the guards rather than between big men down low. UCLA sophomore guard Bryce Alford is averaging 5.3 assists per game in 26 starts, fourth highest in the Pac-12 and a team-best, while also coming in second on the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game.  For ASU, guards Tra Holder and Gerry Blakes have traded success in the last couple matchups, but it will likely need to be Blakes continuing on his recent roll tonight if ASU stands a chance in battling Alford, especially if fans see the likes from Powell, who very well could have a similar scoring night as in the Oregon game.   

Better First-Half Shooting

ASU’s first-half shooting numbers were abysmal on Sunday. If the Sun Devils come out with that kind of shooting in the first half of this game, UCLA’s up-tempo offense is guaranteed to attack and punish them, something the Huskies were unable to do, sending them into a large early deficit that could prove near-impossible to climb out of if Powell and Alford are both hot.

Prediction

A lot of things have to be working right tonight for ASU to get this win. Blakes has to continue his hot shooting. Goodman has to keep grabbing boards and giving his team second chances. Jon Gilling and Bo Barnes need to help the team from beyond the arc. Without the bench producing nearly as much as the starters tonight, it might not be doable for ASU. However, carrying the momentum from Washington, as well as having NBA star and ASU alum James Harden in attendance, there just may be a greater chance for the Sun Devils to take home the victory.

You can reach the author on Twitter @KristinaV_18 or by email at kvicario@asu.edu

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post