ASU Men’s Basketball: Three takeaways from Sun Devils’ four-game road trip

(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)

Following a three-game trip to the East coast and a short visit to California, the Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2) look to regroup at home after playing five of their first seven games away from Tempe.

The Sun Devils went 3-1 on the road trip, beating the likes of St. John’s, Princeton and San Francisco while dropping the final of the Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Tournament to the defending national champions, the No. 5 ranked Virginia Cavaliers.

Before the Sun Devils take on the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns to kick off a six-game homestand on Saturday, here are some takeaways from their recent trip across the country.

Remy Martin Can’t Do It All Himself

Junior point guard Remy Martin has been stellar for the Sun Devils thus far this season, leading the team in both scoring and assists. His 20.6 points per game puts him at second in the Pac-12 and his 33 points against Princeton on Nov. 26, a game in which he played all 40 minutes, marked a new career high for the standout guard.

Along with his stellar display against Princeton, Martin also scored 21 against Virginia and 17 of his 19 points against St. John’s came in the second half as ASU rode Martin’s performance to a comeback win against the Red Storm.

Martin has established that when he’s on, he is one of the best players in the Pac-12 and is consistent in his role as the main scorer for the Sun Devils, however, when things aren’t going right for the junior guard, there is an absence of a secondary option to step in and lead the charge.

At first glance, the player to support Martin looked to be redshirt junior forward Romello White. The veteran big man from Atlanta, known for his ability to score from the inside and grab anything that comes off the glass is a natural complement to Martin and the other guards on the roster. While White reached double digits in scoring in all four of ASU’s road games, there is still some instability when looking at White as a second option after comparing his performances to those of other Sun Devils.

In the games against St. John’s and Virginia, senior guard Rob Edwards scored 13 and 10 points, respectively. Against Princeton, junior forward Khalid Thomas had a breakout game, scoring 14 points, going 3-of-5 from three-point range, while also hitting the game-winning shot with just seconds remaining on the clock. Finally, sophomore forward Taeshon Cherry scored 10 against the Dons in San Francisco.

Any of the Sun Devils above could potentially fill the role needed to support the performances of Martin, however, none of them have been able to take over when Martin’s game isn’t flourishing.

If the Sun Devils are to continue their winning ways as they head into the bulk of non-conference play in December, they will need to find a consistent scorer behind Martin.

Coming Out Strong In The First Half

One consistency that spanned the majority of ASU’s games away from Tempe was the inability to keep up in the first half, constantly relying on second half comebacks to survive matchups and come out on top.

Against St. John’s, ASU’s first half play was some of the worst seen this season. The team went 4-of-17 in the final 10 minutes before halftime and shot 32.1 percent from the field. White led the team in scoring with just e

ight points after 20 minutes.

Against the Tigers in Princeton, the Sun Devils allowed a 9-0 run for the Tigers after trailing by just a single point. Princeton shot 51.9 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes and led by five at the break.

The Sun Devils, primarily led by the efforts of Martin, put together a pair of second half comebacks in both contests. Martin scored 13 straight to fuel a 20-6 run against the Red Storm and his career high 33 points, along with the notable assist to Thomas’ game winner helped ASU survive against a gritty Princeton squad.

Going forward, it’s extremely important for ASU to come out firing in the first half. The magical second half comebacks are not something to rely on and if the team is to continue its early success, it will have to put points on the board sooner rather than later.

Full Depth Is A Necessity

Health is always strong factor of a team’s success, and for ASU, the offensive inconsistencies and other issues are budded in a revolving cycle of injuries.

Junior guard and community college transfer Alonzo Verge, Jr. missed all three of the East coast games due to a wrist injury and had a minimal impact in his return against San Francisco.

Junior forward Kimani Lawrence looked to be poised for a breakout junior campaign after a solid sophomore year in maroon and gold but has seen his minutes and production progressively decrease after dealing with a lingering tendonitis issue.

For the Sun Devils to diversify their offensive attack, it will need the full support of healthy play from both Verge and Lawrence. With both players seeing reduced minutes after missing games or slowed participation, it’s hindering the Sun Devils from meshing and developing as a team offense.