(Photo courtesy: ASU Athletics)
Arizona State was not supposed to win Friday night.
Sure, the game was nationally televised as the matchup of the night. But then again, it’s rivalry week in college basketball, and ASU versus Arizona is one of the more respected rivalries in college athletics.
In the last three meetings, ASU lost to UA by 17, 15, and 23 points. Despite those blowout losses, there was some thought that the rising play of the Sun Devils meant that they fared a minute chance in Friday’s contest.
The beginning of the contest was as aesthetically displeasing as it gets. However as anyone who is reading these words knows by now, the game picked up, and ASU did what they weren’t supposed to do.
Not only did the Sun Devils execute what should not have been, but that execution arose from numerous basketball occurrences that could have taken the game from bad to worse.
Jahii Carson had not played very well up through much of the second half; however, around 8:56 left in the second half the point guard’s sense of urgency burned through his eyes. Carson drove to the right of the hoop, jump stopped and banked in a tough layup to put ASU ahead 43-41.
On the next possession the ball was turned over, Carson was fouled, and went to the line to knock down two free throws to register the score at 45-41. The Mesa native drove to the hoop again on the following offensive possession, and again threw in a layup off the backboard. This time a shot that looked like it belonged with Cirque du Soleil.
That was the good, and really the string of possessions that implemented Carson back into the basketball game.
As for the bad? Around 6:30 Carson was dribbling just below half court and threw a pass that looked as if he tried to stop it before the ball left his hand. That did not happen. The pass went into the hands of Arizona guard Nick Johnson who was fouled by Marshall before he could rush into transition.
This is where things start to ripple. That foul was Marshall’s third. Johnson missed the second free throw. The rebound was secured by Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski, who was then fouled by Shaquielle McKissic. This foul was McKissic’s third as well.
Although Tarczewski did not make his free throws, the damage of Carson’s errant pass was still not through. Exactly 29 seconds later ASU threw the ball away to the Wildcats and McKissic committed his fourth foul of the game. He eventually fouled out in overtime.
Following the free throws, ASU was ahead 47-46. Exactly six minutes remained in the half, and ASU would only make one more field goal during that stretch.
The field goal came from Mr. Sense of Urgency, Jahii Carson, when he set his feet and knocked down a long two point jump shot in the right corner. After one Jordan Bachynski free throw, ASU went up 51-46.
Minutes later, more costly turnovers threatened to spoil an ASU upset. McKissic, still playing with four fouls, stumbled near the left sideline and attempted to get rid of the ball as he fell to the floor.
It didn’t work.
Arizona guard T.J. McConnell collected the ball, went to the basket and finished with a beautiful left handed layup tying the score at 51-51.
ASU called a timeout to set up its next play, but failed to score with its messy possession.
Arizona then had the chance to win the game, but Aaron Gordon air-balled a more than makable hook shot and Nick Johnson was far off the mark with a wild, last second heave from the corner.
Survive and advance is the name of the game. ASU dodged the massive destruction of its own costly errors and was headed into overtime.
Jordan Bachynski started the first overtime off on the right foot, as well as the right hand. The left-handed center caught the ball far away from the right block, worked his way into the paint, shot faked Tarczewski into the air, and banked in the basket for a beautiful and-one with his off hand.
Ahead by one, the dream was very much alive. Gordon displayed his youth as the overtime continued, committing a silly foul on Carson in the ASU backcourt.
In a double bonus situation, with a one point lead situation, and a four minutes remaining in overtime situation, the point guard missed both free throws.
As more time ticked away in the first overtime and the score tied at 57-57, ASU’s star sophomore flew down the court and committed a charge in transition.
No more points would be scored in the overtime period as ASU again failed to execute on a crucial, last-minute possession following a timeout. However, Johnson also missed a potential game-winning shot for UA, sending the game into a second overtime.
Marshall took the game into his own hands in this period knocking down two confident three-pointers, and another tough layup.
Everyone has already been made aware of the faux pas or two that Carson made after seven-foot-two Bachynski climbed the ladder in order to send away McConnell’s floater.
After the point guard secured Bachynski’s block he advanced the ball and dunked it with half a second remaining even though Gordon was not looking to foul the guard as he pulled up on defense.
Carson easily could have dribbled to either corner and avoided Gordon for that remaining five-tenths of a second, even if the Arizona freshman had been looking to foul ASU’s court general.
However, the dunk was flushed through the hoop, the crowd stormed the court, Carson hung on the rim and a lot of wrong that could have come out of the sequence did not occur.
ASU won a game that they were not supposed to be in contention for Friday night. ASU both played some of their best and worst basketball of the season Friday night.
ASU beat its detested rival and the No. 2 in the country Friday night.
