(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN)
Coming off their second loss of the season to No.7 Gonzaga and only playing their third game in a month, Arizona State mens basketball’s faced off with the University of Massachusetts Minutemen in the MGM Springfield Hall of Fame Classic in an attempt to regain momentum following a strong start to the season in its final non-conference game.
Traveling over 2,500 miles from Tempe, Arizona to Springfield, Massachusetts, ASU (9-2) entered UMass’s (5-8) home territory and soared for 47 second-half points, coupled with a career-high 19 points from freshman center Jayden Quaintance, to win this game by a final score of 78-62.
Don’t be fooled by the final score. UMass led at halftime, and this was a competitive game throughout. In fact, ASU trailed for 16:26 minutes of total game time, and the Sun Devils struggled to establish rhythm for much of the game. The game took a different turn after senior guard Alston Mason and senior forward Basheer Jihad combined for 25 points in the second half, thwarting a formidable UMass effort. The Sun Devils won this game handedly after holding the Minutemen to just 29 points in the second half.
Here are three takeaways from ASUs shaky victory in Massachusetts.
Jayden Quaintance’s Career Day
For the most part, this was Jayden Quaintance’s game, the 17-year-old accounted for 12 of the 31 first-half Sun Devil points. Quaintance helped the Sun Devils recover from a sluggish start, keeping ASU close early on while dominating the paint, adding four more blocks to his already power-four leading 3.8 BPG average.
UMass had no response for Quaintance tonight, as a 19-point performance made for his collegiate career high, and the freshman has never looked more at ease on offense. Former Virginia head coach Pete Gillen was on the call for the broadcast and couldn’t stop praising Quaintance and the growth he has seen from Quaintance at such a young age. Exclaiming, “Just give it to the big guy,” whenever ASU needed a bucket, and they needed a few.
Quaintance didn’t have a double-digit offensive game until his fifth game of the season. With another double-digit performance tonight, he now has four consecutive double-digit games and was just one point short of his first 20-point performance. Being the youngest collegiate basketball player and such a raw talent, it was obvious that Quaintance would require time to mature. Now we can clearly see the shift taking place in front of our eyes as he progresses beyond simply being a shot blocker.
Now, his offensive steps should not overshadow his shot blocking, which has been one of the best defensive starts from a freshmen, or players in general, that ASU has seen in a long time. With another four-block performance tonight, Jayden Quaintance is only 17 blocks away from breaking the Sun Devil rookie record for total blocks in a season, and ASU still has 20 games left in the season. Meanwhile, his current rebounds per game would be the highest mark in ASU rookie history.
It’s easy to get excited about all of this, especially after a game like today, but Quaintance has benefited greatly from being the most athletic player on the court by a significant margin in the majority of these non-conference games. This won’t be the case in the loaded Big 12 throughout the season, but it has been more than helpful for a young player like him to gain confidence early in the season, and his improved skill on the offensive end of the ball has demonstrated that.
Defensive Masterclass
The Minutemen did not make a field goal in the final seven minutes of the game, and after taking a lead at the half, the Sun Devils completely shut off UMass in the final 20 minutes. After a middling first half performance in which ASU allowed the 26% 3PT shooting Minutemen to shoot 5-13 from beyond the arc and only forced three turnovers, ASU rebounded with a half in which they forced nine turnovers and allowed the Minutemen to shoot only 36% from the field with just one three-point make.
Usually, Jayden Quaintance is the defensive standout, but Basheer Jihad’s effort tonight deserves a lot of credit. His three blocks set a season best, and his three steals tied a season high. Quaintance and Jihad combined for 11 steals and blocks tonight, and for a Minutemen team that shoots 26% from three and 62.6% from the free throw line, the ability to shut down the interior and force turnovers gave UMass little chance offensively.
ASU’s ability to shut down UMass’s top scorer, sophomore guard Jaylen Curry, was a critical point of the game and can be attributed in large part to a well-executed Bobby Hurley game plan. Averaging 14.3 points per game entering today and coming off a career-high 24 points against Northeastern, ASU limited Curry to just two points in 26 minutes of play, a season low and only the third time he had been held under double digits all season.
The Sun Devils face six AP top-15 teams this season, which means plenty of star power and high-level future NBA potential. ASU’s ability to shut such guys down and allow others to try to beat them will make a significant difference in how they compete in the Big 12.
Coming into today, ASU was 14th in the Big 12 in defense and opponent points per game, owing partly to their difficult early season non-conference schedule, but this still means the defense needs to improve, and today was a step in that direction.
Non Conference Recap
Five of ASU’s first 11 games have been against tournament teams from the previous season, two of which are current AP top-15 teams in the United States. Despite this, ASU has a 9-2 non-conference record and is currently tied for third in the Big 12. Following their victory over St Marys, ASU was ranked in the top ten in average opponent NET ranking; add in a meeting later that month against No.7 ranked Florida, and it’s evident ASU has been extensively tested to start the season.
Wins over last season’s tournament participants St Marys, Grand Canyon University, and New Mexico have all contributed to ASU’s early season success. The Sun Devils’ only two losses were against Gonzaga and Florida, both top-15 teams. Hard looks to start the season, but things don’t get much easier when it comes to the Big 12.
ASU’s one problem when the season began was that they hadn’t meshed together, the team, which was made up of transfers and fresh recruits, hadn’t had much playing time as a unit, as seen by their 56-point loss to Duke or their narrow escape from teams like Idaho State or Cal Poly.
That team, which shot 28% from the field against Duke and scored 55 points against Idaho State, could not be more different from ASU’s current situation. Quaintance and Jihad shot 0-13 in their debut game as Sun Devils, today, they combined for 39 points. Joson Sanon entered today rated sixth among ASU rookies in points per game, closing in on former Sun Devils like James Harden and passing Josh Christopher after a six-game stretch in which he averaged 19.6 PPG.
Coupled with transfers leading a high-level program and freshmen gaining confidence, it’s clear that this team has accepted Hurley’s system, settling into their respective roles. It was initially uncertain how everyone would fit in, but they have come together, winning through a demanding non-conference schedule that doesn’t get any easier when conference play begins.
ASU begins conference play on New Year’s Eve as they travel to Provo to take on BYU.
