(Photo: Noah Findling/WCSN)
It’s a battle of the unbeaten.
Arizona State (6-0) will face off against Creighton (4-0) and senior leader Doug McDermott in the first round of the Wooden Legacy.
The Sun Devils are 6-0 for the first time since the 1980-81 season and look to continue their winning ways throughout the weekend tournament.
ASU is coming off a 79-77 victory against Marquette on Monday night thanks to senior center Jordan Bachynski’s monstrous night with 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks.
The momentum coming from the win is huge going into a tournament this weekend for the Sun Devils as they face off against one of the best players in the league.
Last year when ASU played Creighton in the Las Vegas Invitational finale game, McDermott scored 29 points with nine rebounds. McDermott was the tournament MVP and was 10 of 19 from the field as the Bluejays held off a surging ASU to win the game and the tournament.
This season, McDermott is averaging 27.5 points per game for Creighton, continuing where he left off last year in an impressive season.
In Creighton’s last game on Saturday afternoon, it blew past Tulsa, 82-72, with McDermott scoring 33 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. His 33 points and 15 rebounds were his 31st career double-double.
Creighton improved to 4-0 for the third straight season with the win as it shot 51.9 percent for the game, including 11 of 26 from three-point range. In addition to McDermott, Creighton junior guard Austin Chatman had a career-high 19 points and dished out nine assists on the night.
Keys to Victory:
- Stopping Creighton’s Doug McDermott – McDermott is easily one of the best players on the Creighton roster and needs to be contained from all angles on the court. Listed at 6-foot-8, McDermott is a tall forward who likes to shoot the ball often and is recording a 55.1 field goal percentage. With his size, he is a big man who can grab any rebound. He gained national attention last year for his season with Creighton and looks to continue his run of high-scoring games against an up-tempo, high-scoring ASU team.
- Offensive mindset for ASU’s Jahii Carson – Carson has been on fire in the last six non-conference games to start the season for ASU. Averaging 23 points per game, ASU will need Carson to step up and match, if not outscore McDermott from an offensive standpoint. While Carson gained his national attention last year, it was nothing compared to McDermott’s success. Carson is shooting 55 percent or better from both the three-point range and from the field. He needs to be the emotion leader out on the court for the Sun Devils to truly be in this game.
- Getting ASU’s Jordan Bachynski involved early – Bachynski is coming off one of his best performances to date and easily the best this season with 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks against Marquette. He looked physical and hustled up and down the court with ease. The conditioning offseason really helped Bachynski be able to stay in the game for longer spurts of time, helping with his momentum overall. The Sun Devils have no other true big center so it’s crucial that Bachynski gets involved early on the glass and holds onto the ball.
Prediction:
Despite Creighton getting off to a great start behind McDermott, I don’t see the team being able to stop the scoring of Carson from the outside and Bachynski down low. ASU is coming off a big win against Marquette, and with how the team battled it out Monday night, ASU appears confident that it can go into the tournament knowing how to win the close, more competitive, games. ASU wins a close one, 88-84.
