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(Photo: Marina Williams/WCSN)
Coming off of a late loss to No. 3 Iowa State that saw them give up a 19-3 run over the final five minutes, Arizona State men’s basketball hit the road, traveling up to Boulder in search of a pivotal win to keep them alive and on the bubble.
The Sun Devils have already faced off against the Buffaloes once this season and came away with their first conference win as members of the Big 12, beating Colorado 81-61. ASU has four scorers in double figures, and it looked like head coach Bobby Hurley and his squad were ready to compete in a more difficult conference.
However, since that debut win, the Sun Devils have dropped five of six and now sit among a clump of teams at 2-6 in conference play. The only team below them? Colorado, who has yet to win its first conference game this season.
Despite missing freshman center Jayden Quaintance and losing leading scorer senior wing BJ Freeman cutting their short rotation down even shorter, the Sun Devils (12-8, 3-6 Big 12) narrowly survived in Boulder, narrowly defeating Colorado (9-11, 0-9 Big 12) 70-68.
Here are three takeaways.
Sun Devil rotation shortened again
With Quaintance missing his first game of the season, Hurley and his staff knew entering the game that the rotation would be limited once again. Over the last few weeks ASU has struggled to put together a full healthy roster. Freshman guard Joson Sanon returned against Iowa State, but the day prior Quaintance twisted his ankle in practice, resulting in a limited performance against the Cyclones.
As Colorado projected to be a weaker opponent, Hurley took the opportunity to get Quaintance his rest before potentially returning for Arizona on Saturday, and the 17-year-old didn’t even make the trip for the team. With no Quaintance, his impact would obviously be felt on the defensive side, but his offensive game has evolved over the past few weeks.
To make matters even worse for ASU’s limited depth, just under three minutes into the game, Freeman drove at the hoop and fell awkwardly. The injury didn’t seem too serious at the time, but Freeman immediately exited the game and didn’t return. Any game plan Hurley had to deal with the Quaintance injury was scrapped before the game really even got going.
The result? A lot more three-pointers until the team got into more of a rhythm. In the first half, the Sun Devils shot 16 three-point attempts compared to 13 from two.
However, by the end of the game the seven-man rotation took its toll, resulting in Colorado working its way back into the game. The Sun Devils held on against a struggling Colorado team, but if Freeman is out for an extended period of time and ASU can’t get Quaintance back, each game will just get more difficult. — Sammy Nute
Senior saviors
After the matchup with Baylor earlier in the season, senior guard Adam Miller said he likes to “lead by example.” During that game, he hit a game-tying shot that sent the Sun Devils to overtime with the Bears. As the Sun Devils rotation currently is hanging on by a thread, Hurley needed a player to step up. Miller answered the call.
The senior tied his season best in scoring with 18 points against the Buffaloes but shot a season-best 70% from the floor. He shot 7-for-10 from the field with six assists and two steals. He was aggressive on the defensive end and was finding his timings on the offensive side of the floor.
He wasn’t the only senior who answered the call for help. Senior center Shawn Phillips Jr., undoubtedly had his best game of the season in Boulder. His 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting with nine rebounds were both season-highs. He added two blocks to his stat line and he and Miller connected a couple times throughout the game, as Miller was able to give him excellent passes deep in the paint to dunk the ball easily for two.
With Quaintance hurt for the previous two games — he played agianst No. 3 Iowa State but later revealed he got hurt the day earlier — Phillips Jr. found his rhythm with in the past two outings. The traditional big has been a commanding presence around the rim and has been able to alter six shots on Tuesday and Saturday combined. Hurley mentioned that the Quaintance injury should be short-term, but frankly, Phillips Jr. seemed to struggle to find that continuity within the offense with Quaintance out there with him.
Phillips Jr. getting more playing time could’ve been the spark that he needed to get him going to potentially achieve a two-headed monster with him and Quaintance on the low block. — Daniel Rios
Tale of two Halves
The defense has been an identity of a Hurley-led squad for the past 10 years in the Valley. With a matchup in Boulder, that identity had a chance to blossom, as the Buffaloes came into the matchup averaging the most turnovers a game in the Big 12 with 15.1. It’s plagued Colorado all season long and is a significant factor in their nine-game losing streak.
Miller has previously said that ASU plays with “their hair on fire” when ASU has a full-court pressure defense — tonight he backed up that statement even more, as the Sun Devils were able to create chaos when the team played aggressively for the length of the hardwood in the first half. Colorado fell into its habit of giving away the basketball, giving it up 10 times in the first half.
When the team settled into its half-court defense, it limited Colorado senior guard Julian Hammond III. Hammond is the leading scorer for the Buffaloes with 13.9 points a game, and in the first matchup with ASU, the Sun Devils held him to zero points. In Tuesday’s first half, he still couldn’t find a field goal against the Sun Devils, as he was scoreless at halftime. Miller was a big thanks to that, as he was aggressive even in the half-court defense. Jumping passes, being assertive and overall leading by example, even with a limited bench, he helped the Sun Devils take a seven-point lead into halftime.
During the break, Tad Boyle seemed to give his team answers. In the second half, it was completely different, as Hammond returned to his usual aggressive mindset as he attacked the basket with tenacity. He finished the night with 13 points (all in the second half) on 5-for-16 shooting and five rebounds.
A player who didn’t struggle in the first matchup but succeeded again Tuesday night was senior forward Trevor Baskin. The forward shot 7-for-11, scoring 19 points to help keep the Buffaloes in it. On top of failing to limit Hammond in the second half, the Sun Devils also couldn’t create turnovers. The Buffaloes came out like a completely different team, as ASU could only muster up two forced turnovers in the second half. Colorado outscored ASU 42-37 in the second half.
Fatigue could’ve played a part, as the Sun Devil rotation is on thin ice. But some fans will have to wait another game for the Sun Devils to play a cohesive 40 minutes of basketball. — Daniel Rios