Sun Devils unable to deal with Wildcats physicality in Territorial Cup Finale

(Photo: Spencer Barnes/ WCSN)

TEMPE—All-black clothing is typically associated with sorrow or mourning, often symbolizing an absence of light. On Saturday, it symbolized an absence of hope in the waning moments between the 48th state’s biggest rivalry.

The Sun Devils debuted their uniform collaborations with NBA superstar James Harden, featuring black jerseys, pants, and shoes, but what was supposed to be a celebration of a program legend ended as a somber finale to the Territorial Cup.

Relying on its physicality, No. 1 Arizona (22-0, 9-0 Big 12) kept its undefeated streak alive with an 87-74 win over Arizona State (11-11, 2-7 Big 12) in Tempe.

“We could not deal with their strength, their size, and their ability to do things physically that our roster could not,” head coach Bobby Hurley said.

Hurley’s southern counterpart, Tommy Lloyd, built his team around physicality and athleticism. Many of the Wildcats’ players look more like linebackers than guards and forwards. Arizona had an average weight advantage of 22 pounds per starter over ASU, and they wasted no time using it to their advantage.

In the first half, U of A scored 28 of its 38 points inside the paint. Center Montiejus Krivas led the way with 11 points while holding the Sun Devils’ star, Massamba Diop, to six points in the first 20 minutes. More importantly, Krivas and Wildcats kept the Sun Devils out of the paint and away from the free-throw line.

“We just weren’t able to stand up to the challenge on the interior,” Hurley said. “Whether that meant stopping their drives or getting a big defensive rebound when we needed to.”

While Krivas’ scoring slowed in the second half, freshman Koa Peat picked up. He finished the game with 21 points, 15 in the second half. After spurning hometown ASU for the Wildcats in his commitment, his return to the valley was sweet.

Coming into the game, ASU was second in the Big 12 in free throws attempted. High pace and energy attacking the rim have been its calling cards all season, but it was a different story on Saturday. The Sun Devils instead chose to make the midrange their home. They made just four layups all game and did not get to the free-throw line once in the first 15 minutes.

Despite coming off the bench most of the season, Anthony “Pig” Johnson is fourth in the Big 12 in free throw attempts. His athleticism and fearlessness make him ASU’s best slasher. Ultimately, his demeanor fell to the same fate as his teammates, and he finished with seven points, none of which came from free throws.

The Wildcats were able to slow the scoring of the Sun Devils’ backcourt while restricting their playmaking as well. Moe Odum, Bryce Ford, and Johnson combined for five assists and turned over the ball six times, five of which came off the hands of Odum.

If the turnovers weren’t enough, Odum also committed an uncharacteristic four personal fouls. After the fourth, Hurley was forced to pull his point guard to the bench for nine minutes.

Odum said he was disappointed by what he saw as a lack of consistency in the officiating.

“When I get guarded, I get baby fouled all game,” Odum said. “So I feel like it should be called both ways.”

As it often does, the polarity in physicality showed up strongest in the paint. Arizona ended the first half with a one-rebound edge. In the second half, they grabbed 24 boards compared to ASU’s 10.

Even playing the two-spot, Brayden Burries was able to secure seven rebounds, the same amount as ASU’s leading rebounder, Santiago Trouet. Tobe Awaka was matched up with Trouet for much of the game. He outdueled his fellow forward and finished with 13 rebounds.

ASU had to rely on different ways to stay competitive, but ultimately, Arizona’s physicality was too much for the undersized Sun Devils to handle. With only 10 guaranteed games left with this roster, Hurley took the chance to clarify that effort was not the problem; presence was.

“Whether it’s they are just too big and physical that they wear you down and eventually, you know. Or the encouragement of having our defense in front of us in the first half and now down at the other end, we just weren’t able to stand up to the challenge on the interior,” Hurley said.