(Photo: Max Zepeda/WCSN)
TEMPE – Arizona State men’s basketball offense is a strange conundrum. Throughout the season, the Sun Devils, down the stretch, have struggled with their decision-making. Earlier in the year, ASU (16-8, Pac-12 7-6) shined in clutch time, but many of its recent losses have shown the opposite.
Nothing is more telling of that than the program’s 75-70 loss to Oregon (14-10, Pac-12 8-5). While the offense struggled through the first 30 minutes of regulation, the Sun Devils seemed to find their rhythm by turning defense into offense on the break. However, ASU couldn’t generate any scoring opportunities in the half-court offense.
The 1:18 mark in the second half highlights those shortcomings late, as ASU was down 71-70, and fifth-year guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. got the steal and is pushing down the court. Down a single point, the Sun Devils had the number and could’ve attacked the rim to take the lead. Instead, redshirt senior guard Luther Muhammad got the ball in the corner for a corner three that clanked off the rim.
“It was a broken play. It looked like we had numbers, and it comes down to making the right read,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “If you do it all over again, Luther just checked in, so I don’t know if that would have been the option, but he was open on the pass.”
The missed three also led to senior forward Warren Washington fouling out of the game on the rebound attempt. Despite Muhammad’s solid shooting night – scoring 12 points with two 3-pointers – he’s shooting 19 percent from beyond the arc on the year.
The program struggled to capitalize on its momentum late. From 8:57 to 3:05, ASU scored 21 points and did it by pushing the pace. However, the Sun Devils slowed sluggishly in the final three minutes, and the shot selection seemed to change. It had shifted from free-flowing ball movement to desperation long-ball to try and steal one after being down as many as 12 midway in the second half.
“They built a lead, and we couldn’t overcome it and take the lead back,” Hurley said. “Even though guys were fighting like heck and scrambling.”
Lately, ASU has looked for big plays late in games and has failed to convert. ASU took early shot-clock 3s down late and failed to hit the mark. Instead of going with the ebb and flow of how the offense was producing throughout its late run, the Sun Devils diluted their production by poor shot selection and settling for contested shots.
It wasn’t only the late shot selection that cost the Sun Devils but taking care of the ball was also a struggle point. Junior guard DJ Horne highlighted that against a team like Oregon, it couldn’t turn the ball over as much as ASU did. The 14 turnovers by the Sun Devils gave the Ducks 22 points, making a comeback an uphill battle.
While the questionable decision-making can be infuriating for ASU fans, it does illustrate an encouraging trait from Hurley. The eighth-year head coach has been consistent throughout the year in trusting his players to make the right decision in late-game situations. Many of those moments have had growing pains, but it’s how Hurley tries to instill confidence back into his guys after rough starts.
One of the most prominent examples is Cambridge Jr.’s late shot in Saturday’s game. The fifth-year guard didn’t score a single point until 5:22 left in the game but nailed two late 3-pointers to bring the game within five late.
“He was fighting himself throughout the game,” Hurley said. “He’s had so many offensive games for us that he’s a threat to turn it on as he did, so we’re just going to keep rolling with him.”
