(Photo: Spencer Barnes/WCSN)
The Big 12 hasn’t been the kindest to Arizona State men’s basketball. Opening up the season 2-4 against league foes, the Sun Devils currently sit tied for 12th in conference play. However, the benefit of playing in a conference as difficult as the Big 12 is that you just have to tread water to remain in contention for a spot in the NCAA Tournament come March.
At one point last week, it seemed like the Sun Devils were drowning, riding a four-game losing streak capped off by a road loss to Cincinnati, one of the teams ASU is tied with near the bottom of the conference. However, a road win against No. 23 West Virginia staved off a total early season collapse.
Avoiding a five-game losing streak by beating the Mountaineers was crucial given ASU’s next opponent, No. 3 Iowa State. The Cyclones (16-2, 6-1 Big 12) come to Tempe as one of only two teams in the country with a top 10 ranking in both offensive (10th) and defensive (6th) rating, according to KenPom.
Their versatility on both sides of the ball has led them to pick up huge double-digit victories over No. 12 Kansas, Baylor and UCF — all teams that ASU has lost to.
“We have to play with aggression,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “We got to make sure we’re active on defense. If you just sit back and let them dictate the terms, then you’re in trouble, so we have to make sure we’re trying to be the aggressor tomorrow.”
In just four years as the Cyclones’ head coach, T.J. Otzelberger has completely turned the program around, taking Iowa State to heights it has not seen before. Three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, including two Sweet 16 appearances, have catapulted the Cyclones to becoming one of the most consistent teams in both the Big 12 and the country.
Owning one of the most stingy defenses over the last three seasons, Otzelberger’s squad has now taken the leap offensively in 2024-25, jumping from 75.3 points last season to now averaging 85.1 points per game.
“I remember watching this team when we went to the NCAA tournament two years ago. They played really hard, and they really defended, but they really couldn’t score,” Hurley said. “Fast forward it, they still really guard, they defend, they play hard, and they’re no one of the better scoring teams in the conference.”
Known around Ames as the ‘sixth starter,’ senior guard Curtis Jones has shed that title in 2025, entering the Cyclones starting lineup and making a huge impact. Jones’ 17.8 points per game ranks second in the conference. The Minneapolis native has been a sharpshooter this year, hitting 39.5% of his threes on 6.9 attempts per game.
The only player scoring more than Jones in the Big 12 is West Virginia senior guard Javon Small. ASU limited Small to his worst performance of the season, forcing him to go 2-for-11 from the field. Another defensive performance like that will be crucial in limiting Jones.
“I wish (Jones) stayed at Buffalo, so we wouldn’t have to guard him tomorrow,” Hurley said, giving a shoutout to his former school.
Jones isn’t the only problem facing the Sun Devils on offense. The Cyclones have an additional four double-digit scorers outside of Jones. Senior guard Keshon Gilbert joins Jones in the backcourt and adds an additional 15.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while leading the team in assists at 4.9 per game.
Redshirt senior center Dishon Jackson and junior forward Joshua Jefferson are the Cyclone starters in the front court after transferring from St. Mary’s. This offseason, Jefferson is having a career year, averaging new career highs in points (12.8), rebounds (8.2) and assists (2.7).
“We got to do it all,” Hurley said. “They can shoot the three. They can attack the paint. They got big physical interior guys, so it’s hard to find a real weakness on their team. That’s why they’re the number three team in the country.”
The Sun Devils will have a tough test to pass in Iowa State. However, West Virginia handed the Cyclones their first Big 12 loss just before playing the Sun Devils, and the game might be able to paint a picture for Hurley to be able to blueprint a game plan around.
The Mountaineers held Iowa State to a season-low of 57 points, and there is a glaring reason for this. The Cyclones had their worst three-point shooting performance of the season, hitting just one of their 17 three-point attempts for a putrid 5.9% three-point field goal percentage.
It will be difficult to force the Cyclones to shoot that bad again, but they have had some off nights shooting the ball, totaling six performances where they shot under 30% from deep.
On the flip side, Hurley announced on Friday that the Sun Devils would be getting their own sharpshooter back. Freshman guard Joson Sanon, who missed four of the last five games with injury, will finally return to the court after Hurley deemed his Thursday practice as ‘fantastic.’
Sanon will be given the full ‘green light’ on Saturday and will hope to give ASU’s three-point shooting a boost. In the five games they played either without Sanon or had him limited, the Sun Devils shot just 32.4% from three after previously hitting 37% of their threes with Sanon in the game.
Sanon will also lengthen out the Sun Devil rotation, which was sitting at just seven men for the five-game stretch, making every player that much more exhausted.
“There’s nothing I think would be holding (Sanon) back at this point, and he’s excited to play,” Hurley said.
