ASU’s high-court press fueled a 76-74 comeback win over the SMU Mustangs

(Photo Credit: Alyssa Buruato/WCSN)

TEMPE — When a team is down 64-53 with around nine minutes remaining — in their home arena no less — the pressure is on to respond. When that same team’s opponent has made six of their last six shot attempts and is on a 13-2 run, the pressure is amplified even more to respond quickly before the lead becomes insurmountable.

Arizona State men’s basketball (6-2) head coach Bobby Hurley knew the game against the SMU Mustangs (6-4) was rapidly spiraling from his team’s reach and decided the only way to stop the bleeding was with more pressure.

From just over nine minutes remaining until about two-and-a-half minutes left in the game, Hurley’s squad committed to a wholesale full-court press. The head coach believed it was the only method left to salvage the game from defeat.

“We were at a point where there was no other choice,” Hurley said. “The game was slipping away.”

In order to secure what would end as 76-74 Sun Devils’ victory, Hurley deployed a diamond press, consisting of one man guarding the inbounder, three defenders forming a horizontal line behind and flanking the first man — in an attempt to pick off the initial passes — and a deep player prepared to contest any potential shooters that could have broken through the press. From a birds-eye view, the shape is reminiscent of the aforementioned diamond.

The adjustment was spearheaded by graduate center Alonzo Gaffney, who used his extended wingspan — standing six feet nine inches tall — to suffocate the inbound passer. Junior guard Frankie Collins, one of the nation’s leaders in steals per game, took on a free-safety-like role, ready to intercept any wayward passes. Hurley highlighted these two as the main kingpins in his pressing operation.

“When you have Gaffney on the ball with this length… the inbounder doesn’t even know if he can throw the ball,” Hurley said. “And then you have [Collins] as the centerfielder, he’s got really good instincts of shooting a passing lane. Those two guys are where it all starts.”

The tactical alteration brought a near-instantaneous and resounding change in ASU’s fortunes. The following three possessions resulted in a steal, turnover and another steals, and the Sun Devils didn’t capitulate their press from there. What followed was a 19-2 run over the next seven minutes, resulting in a 15-point swing that put ASU up 72-66. At one point, it embarked on a 10-0 run that lasted over two-and-a-half minutes, and held the Mustangs to a five-minute scoring drought during this run.

Graduate forward Jose Perez believed it was the intensity the high press demands and inspires within the group that reignited the Sun Devils’ premier brand of basketball. He explained his team is at their best, at the moment, when they’re on the fast break.

“The press makes us play hard and makes us put in effort,” Perez said. “Right now we’re playing well in transition as a team we’re sharing … better in my opinion.”

Collins, whose 3.43 steals per game ranks third in the nation, said the press is a viable way for ASU to reassert order of a game that is speeding away from reconciliation distance — as it was Wednesday night against the Mustangs. It allows the group to begin to score easy points and reignite a possibly dormant offense.

“It has a lot to do with us trying to take control of the game,” Collins said. “When teams are outsourcing us it’s because we’ve turned them over enough or we don’t have enough pressure on the ball. I think that can get us some easy buckets and turn the whole game around.”

ASU’s fast-paced comeback set fire to the Tempe crowd. With each passing steal, turnover, loose ball and subsequently easy basket, the Sun Devils felt the roar of the fans at their back leading their comeback. Perez attributed the supporters in Desert Financial Arena for the team’s vitality in what ended up being their sixth win of the year

“It was good having the crowd,” Perez said. “I feed off energy… My teammates do as well. The louder it is the more energy we have and it’s good having home-court advantage.”