Zac Pacleb, Author at Cronkite Sports

ASU Men’s Basketball: Season Preview

by Zac Pacleb - November 14, 2014November 15, 2014

(Photo: Zac Pacleb/WCSN) The questions surrounding Arizona State have been well-documented. Roster changes, concept changes and the big losses from last season’s squad landed ASU at ninth in the Pac-12 preseason media poll. After days, weeks and months of projections about what to expect from head coach Herb Sendek’s team, the season

ASU Volleyball: With Willey, Bailey struggling, McDaniel has been filling in

by Zac Pacleb - November 11, 2014November 11, 2014

(Photo: Trey Lanthier/WCSN) A utility player is a term generally used in the sport of baseball, describing a player who has the ability to play a multitude of positions at the same level. However, for No. 19 Arizona State and head coach Jason Watson, they have their own version of a utility

2014-15 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Preview: The bottom four

by Zac Pacleb - November 11, 2014November 13, 2014

(Photo: Zac Pacleb/WCSN) For season previews of Nos. 1-4, click here. For season previews of No.s 5-8, click here. In lieu of the Pac-12 media preseason rankings being released, WCSN will be previewing every team in the conference, starting with the predicted bottom-feeders. These four schools are the teams who lost more than the

Pac-12 Rankings Roundup

by Zac Pacleb - November 11, 2014November 11, 2014

(Photo: ASU Athletics) No. 1: Stanford (last week: No. 1), 24-0 (14-0) The Cardinal remain unblemished on the season after spurning a surprising comeback effort from No. 19 Arizona State in five sets and then fending off a strong game from No. 14 Arizona in another five-set match. The catalyst behind the

Pac-12 Rankings Roundup

by Zac Pacleb - November 4, 2014November 4, 2014

No. 1: Stanford (last week: No. 1), 22-0 (12-0) The Cardinal stayed perfect this weekend after dropping Oregon State in four sets and sweeping No. 11 Oregon on the road. The 22-0 start is the best in program history since 1991. Against the Ducks, junior outside hitter Jordan Burgess led the

ASU Volleyball: Addressing the right side

by Zac Pacleb - November 4, 2014November 4, 2014

(Photo: Trey Lanthier/WCSN) Once again, the No. 20 Arizona State Sun Devils had a chance to come away from a weekend with a sweep, and once again, they came away from the weekend splitting their two conference matches. What may be the most frustrating thing for the Sun Devils is the opportunities

ASU Men’s Basketball: Freshman Tra Holder ready to take on the role of point guard

by Zac Pacleb - October 30, 2014October 30, 2014

(Photo: Zac Pacleb/WCSN) A “true” point guard. The title is an understated byproduct of modern-day basketball that is littered with shoot-first, pass-later ball handlers. Whether the trend stems from the success of current pros like Russell Westbrook and James Harden, or even from the aftershocks of NBA great Allen Iverson’s prime, smaller

ASU Volleyball: What to take away from the first half of Pac-12 play

by Zac Pacleb - October 29, 2014October 29, 2014

(Photo: Trey Lanthier/WCSN) Playing the game better, longer. That has been the motto for the No. 19 Arizona State Sun Devils and head coach Jason Watson during all of the 2014 season. In press conferences, games, and even in previous years, maintaining a high level of play throughout an entire match has

Pac-12 Rankings Roundup

by Zac Pacleb - October 29, 2014November 3, 2014

(Photo: Trey Lanthier/WCSN) No. 1: Stanford (last week: No. 1), 20-0 (10-0) After taking down No. 16 UCLA and No. 20 USC in four sets each, the Cardinal are now on their best start to a season since 1994. Against the Bruins, freshman middle blocker Merete Lutz’s ten blocks led the Cardinal

ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils upset No. 11 Oregon in five sets

by Zac Pacleb - October 24, 2014

(Photo: Trey Lanthier/WCSN) The No. 18 Arizona State Sun Devils travelled to Eugene for their first road match in two weeks and upset the No. 11 Oregon Ducks in five sets (19-25, 26-24, 20-25, 26-24, 15-9). The Sun Devils did well to keep the fast Oregon offense from their usual dominant, efficient