Short-handed Sun Devils earn first road Big 12 win over struggling Utah

(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)

After giving up a lead with under a minute left against the University of Central Florida two games ago, the Sun Devils have seen the script before, and deja vu began to reign its frightening head on Wednesday. Against Utah, they once again found themselves with a slim lead in the game’s final moments.

As the game clock dwindled to 20 seconds, Arizona State men’s basketball held onto its four-point advantage. Needing just one clean inbound to preserve his lead, head coach Bobby Hurley went deep into his arsenal of tricks with a creative baseline out-of-bounds design. He lined four potential passers behind the baseline before having three of them sprint out after the whistle, resembling football receivers.

His unique call paid off. Moe Odum found Noah Meeusen, who was intentionally fouled, leading to two made free throws.

ASU (12-11, 3-7 Big 12) would hang on for a 71-63 win over the Utes (9-13, 1-8 Big 12) on Wednesday night, picking up its first conference win away from home in the process.

The Sun Devils played their cleanest game in months. They were tied or leading for all but 20 seconds early in the first half. A 12-0 run in the first half set them apart. Utah went 7:19 without making a field goal before Seydou Traore scored two of his 16 points on a shot over Andrija Grbović.

Traore used his physicality to attack Grbović all night. The Utes outscored ASU 26-24 inside the paint, one of the only stats in which they were successful.

Ultimately, it was the 3-point shots that put the Sun Devils ahead early. They made three shots beyond the arc in the first 10 minutes. Odum would add one from the edge of the Utes logo before the shooting barrage slowed down. In the second half, ASU had just one 3-point make, coming off Odum’s right hand.

Each of the Sun Devils’ players finished between four and 15 points, rounding out a solid team win. Here’s where they were able to elevate themselves over Utah.

Short-handed Success

Santiago Trouet was one of five players ruled out for ASU. This left them with just seven total available players. Despite the bare bench, the Sun Devils led bench points by a comfortable margin.

Guards Anthony “Pig” Johnson and Meeusen combined for 23 points. The Utes’ five reserve players totaled just five points in 43 combined minutes. Johnson was second on the team in points and assists, but the brunt of his impact was felt in his physicality. He tied for the team lead with five defensive rebounds.

Without the luxury of a rotation, Odum, Meeusen, Grbović, and Massamba Diop all played over 30 minutes. Every player except Bryce Ford exceeded their average minutes per game. Allen Mukeba was primed to have a larger role than usual, but foul trouble limited him to just 19 minutes.

To preserve energy, the Sun Devils relied on a 3-2 zone, with the guards defending up top while Diop and Grbović prowled the paint. Although it is not standard for them to play zone the whole game, the strategy proved effective against Utah. The Utes came into the game averaging 79.5 points and 11 turnovers per game.

ASU’s defense caught them off guard. It forced seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes alone, and 14 total. Many of the lost balls were caused by Odum’s quick hands disrupting the passes of Terrance Brown. Diop matched Odum’s three steals with three blocks of his own.

Taking Away the First Option

Brown’s five turnovers were just a footnote on his abysmal night. The Utes’ leading scorer averaged 22.1 points per game, and had more 30-point games, two, than games under 10 points, one.

That all changed against the Sun Devils. Not known for their defense, they held Brown to just six points on 2 of 16 shooting. All night he struggled inside against the length of Diop and the relentless pressure of Meeusen.

Brown was scoreless for the first 32 minutes of the game, but Don McHenry stepped up in his wake, putting aside his usual role as sidekick to keep his team competitive.

McHenry led both teams with 23 points and four 3-pointers. His consistent scoring was a lone brightspot for a team that made just a third of its shots beyond the arc, and 39 percent from the field.

The one place the senior guard struggled was as a passer. He tallied zero assists, choosing instead to feed off of Brown’s playmaking abilities.

Isolating one scorer was the key for ASU, a feat they will hope to repeat against Colorado after giving up nearly 20 points to three separate players last time they faced off.

Defend the 14th seed

If you search #CHAINSNATCHED on the social platform X, you will find a thread of fans rooting for teams near the bottom of the NBA standings. Desperate to find a storyline for their struggling teams, fans created the chain snatched trend. It emphasizes rivalries between teams like the Pelicans and Kings, who often alternate holding the worst spot in the Western Conference standings.

ASU and Utah fans were in a similar predicament. They were ranked 14th and 15th in the Big 12 respectively. With tournament chances looking bleak, games like this are important to win.

The Sun Devils handled business in the first game of what looks to be the easiest stretch remaining in their season. After Wednesday’s win, they will take on Colorado and Oklahoma State, two teams ranked in the bottom half of the Big 12. Half of their six remaining matchups are against ranked opponents. Taking advantage of the more winnable games is crucial for the team to stay afloat in the NCAA’s most difficult conference.