(Photo: Emma Jeanson/WCSN)
After recording its worst regular season record under head coach Bobby Hurley, Arizona State men’s basketball is getting set for the last-ever Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday. With the team’s second-leading scorer, graduate Jose Perez, leaving the team due to personal reasons, March Madness has taken off in Tempe.
Perez left the Sun Devils on Friday after scoring a team-high 25 points in an 81-73 loss against Southern California. He then traveled to the Dominican Republic over the weekend to begin his professional basketball career, playing for Plaza Valerio in the Santiago Superior basketball tournament.
Perez made his debut for his new team on Sunday, scoring eight points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out another four assists in 39 minutes of action. The departure came as a surprise for his ASU teammates according to junior guard Frankie Collins, who said Perez had never mentioned prematurely leaving the squad.
For ASU, losing Perez has already caused ripples on the hardwood. His share of offensive scoring was sorely missed against UCLA on Saturday, as the team recorded its second-lowest point tally this season, putting up just 47 points and only 16 in the second half.
“He’s been a big part of our team throughout the season,” Collins said. “So for us going through a drought like that scoring-wise wise, I would say yes, losing him was a big part.”
“This is not the last time you will find circumstances like this,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said. “I had a conversation with Jose. He was considering this a couple of days prior (to leaving) but we talked to him about just staying the course and finishing out the season.”
Now, the Sun Devils need to prepare for their opening Pac-12 tournament contest when they face Utah on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. Despite coming into the tournament as the No. 11 seed, their first matchup is as favorable as possible based on the two team’s season series.
Fortunately for Hurley’s squad, Utah is the only team ASU has beaten twice this season, winning both games by an average margin of 10 points. This matchup also provided two of the four conference games where ASU scored 80 points or more.
On the flip side of the coin, with Perez missing from the lineup, the Sun Devils will be without 28% of their total points scored against Utah this season. He lit up the Utes twice, scoring 26 points in Tempe and another 21 on the road in Salt Lake City.
ASU also comes into the game on a rough stretch losing three straight to close out the regular season and dropping five of its last six. The sole bright spot for the squad since its Valentine’s Day win over Oregon State came in a 73-61 upset win over No. 22 Washington State in Tempe Feb. 24.
Similarly to the Sun Devils, Utah has had its ups and downs as well, finishing the season 14-2 when playing at home, yet going a measly 4-11 away outside Salt Lake City.
A consistent force for the Utes this season has been senior center Branden Carlson who was awarded his second All-Pac-12 First team honors on Tuesday. The 7-foot big man is averaging team highs in points (17.5), rebounds (6.9), and blocks (1.6) while shooting 49% from the field and 37% from beyond the arch.
Wednesday night has the potential to be ASU’s final game of the 2023-24 season while also having the potential to start an unlikely postseason run in hopes of still qualifying for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. While the odds are not in favor of Hurley’s team, Wednesday night’s matchup could alter its fortunes.
“March Madness is starting all over the country,” Hurley said. “There are stories being written right now teams no one projected could do it. I’ve seen it over and over again you get players that step up and do something extraordinary that you just didn’t expect to.”
