(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:
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.
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