Like Whales In A Fish Tank, Sun Devils Loom Large Over NAU

(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)

TEMPE — Picture an aquarium exhibit with a few small fish darting back and forth. Now, imagine dropping a couple of whales into that same tank. That’s the kind of scene Arizona State men’s basketball created Tuesday night against Northern Arizona.

The size difference was glaring in the frontcourt, with 6‑foot‑11 forwards Santiago Trouet and Andrija Grbović manning the wing and power forward for ASU. The Lumberjacks don’t have a single player listed at 6‑foot‑11 on their entire roster. Redshirt sophomore Zack Davidson, at 6‑foot‑10, is NAU’s tallest player.

Of everyone on the court, nobody stood out more than Sun Devil freshman center Massamba Diop. Diop’s 7‑foot‑1 frame made him impossible to miss as he towered above every player on the floor. And it was those measurements that helped Diop score a career‑high 19 points that led ASU (8‑2) in a 73‑48 win over the Lumberjacks (4‑5).

“Massamba made things look really easy,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “I think he can still score against players comparable to his size.”

On top of his scoring, Diop controlled the glass with a team‑best four offensive rebounds. As a team, offensive rebounding has been a struggle for the Sun Devils through 10 games this season. This made them grabbing six more offensive boards on Tuesday an uncommon sight.

The Sun Devils controlled the defensive glass as well, finishing with a 31‑21 edge over NAU. Combined with their work on the offensive end, ASU posted a 41‑25 overall rebounding margin. But that number isn’t likely to be predictive, as Tuesday’s matchup presented a height mismatch more likely than not to be an outlier.

Even so, Hurley pointed to the rebounding gap as a step in the right direction. After all, for a program that entered Tuesday ranked last in the Big 12 in average rebounding margin at ‑2.8, any progress on the glass is worth noting. Especially considering that Utah, the closest team above the Sun Devils, sat at 0.1.

“To out‑rebound them, I know they were undersized and Massamba had a clear advantage but we out‑rebounded them by 16,” Hurley said. “That’s great because that’s something that’s hurt us throughout.”

Trouet, a redshirt sophomore, anchored ASU’s rebounding effort with a team‑best eight boards. He matched Grbović, a junior, in both height and boards with six defensive rebounds, giving the Sun Devils two towers of stability inside. Together with Diop’s offensive spark, Trouet’s steady presence helped balance the frontcourt.

ASU dominated on the inside, piling up 40 points in the paint compared to the Lumberjacks’ 25. Trouet was a big part of that effort, finishing with 12 points — second‑most on the team — by working effectively around the rim. His play underscored the emphasis Hurley has placed on establishing an interior presence.

“Santiago knows how to play around the basket,” Hurley said. “We’ve got to get points in the paint and that’s where everything starts.”

Graduate Allen Mukeba, a 6‑foot‑8 forward, gave the Sun Devils another reliable option in the paint Tuesday night. He finished with 10 points, the third‑most on the team, using his size to carve out space near the rim. At his height, Mukeba stood taller than all but three players on Northern Arizona’s roster, a mismatch ASU leaned on throughout the game.

Mukeba’s production highlighted how the Sun Devils’ frontcourt depth could overwhelm smaller lineups, especially when the offense flowed inside. His ability to finish around the basket reinforced ASU’s broader emphasis on turning size into a consistent advantage.

“Some games it’s going to be the bigs,” Mukeba said. “Today was the bigs and we took advantage of that.”

Just as whales would overwhelm fish in a tank, the Sun Devils’ frontcourt overwhelmed NAU in every phase Tuesday night. ASU’s size allowed it to pull away in the second half, leaving little doubt about how the 73‑48 result was decided.

“I thought the inside play was really the difference,” Hurley said. “Tonight, we needed to focus on getting the ball inside.”