The Mountaineers controlled the pace of play, conquering ASU’s momentum

(Photo: Aiden Longbrake/WCSN)

TEMPE – Senior guard Moe Odum popped up behind West Virginia senior guard Jasper Floyd and left with the ball in his possession.

It was Arizona State men’s basketball’s second steal in a matter of seconds, as the Sun Devils’ defense displayed its power and intensity on the press.

Amidst the two turnovers, West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge turned his back to the play, firing his fist into the air, and his face looked to have been set ablaze when sophomore guard Noah Meeusen converted a difficult tip-in.

Yet with his moment of fury, Hodge ignited a quick 7-0 run from his team, as they took the lead and never looked back at the destruction caused.

“I thought they were the more aggressive team to start the game,” Hodge said. “They had us on our heels. They beat us to loose balls; (we) didn’t do a good job rebounding the ball. Slowly, but surely, we were able to get our footing.”

Hurley’s team’s poor finish led to West Virginia emerging victorious, 75-63, over the Sun Devils (10-9, 1-5 Big 12), for West Virginia’s (13-6, 4-2) first road win of the season, on Wednesday night.

“We got punked down the stretch,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said. “Couldn’t get key rebounds. Where we needed to rebound, we made them miss somewhere, and we just couldn’t come up with a rebound. It’s been a consistent theme throughout.”

ASU was held to only 26 points in the second half en route to a season-low 63 points on the night. In the second half, the Sun Devils failed to convert their five 3-point attempts after nailing 5-of-10 in the first half.

Meanwhile, West Virginia made 11-of-24 3-pointers, with an even split across the two frames. However, West Virginia’s second-half 3-point shooting featured multiple back-breaking makes to pull away from the hosts.

“They suck the life out of you,” Hurley said. “If you can’t guard their shooters, and you lose guys, and they start hitting threes, they’re going to slow the game down and they’re very methodical.”

Hodge and West Virginia have become known for their slow tempo on both ends of the floor – ranking 358th out of 365 teams in adjusted tempo. As for ASU, its tempo ranks 64th in the nation, a margin that would dedicated how each side attacked the matchup.

In the battle of two antithetical paces, West Virginia controlled the pace of play, as the Sun Devils only had 63 total possessions, another season low.

“It speaks to the maturity of our players and their buy-in,” Hodge said. “We didn’t feel like coming in here and getting into a track meet with these guys was going to give us our best chance to win.”

With the lack of possessions, ASU only managed to score seven total fastbreak points, less than half of the 15 points it averages in transition.

While the Sun Devils couldn’t produce turnovers at their preferred rate, they also failed to avoid turnovers at their preferred rate.

“They don’t do anything they can’t do,” Hurley said. “They play a very tight game, so we can’t afford to turn the ball over 13 times in a lesser possession game.”

The 13 turnovers immediately led to 15 fastbreak points for West Virginia, with the contrast in transition largely making the difference.

“We were focusing on defense,” redshirt sophomore forward Santiago Trouet said. “But if you don’t make shots, you’re not going to win in the Big 12.”

Wednesday night’s loss also marked ASU’s fourth home loss of the season, with the West Virginia faithful making themselves heard throughout Desert Financial Arena.

“We have not played well here in years,” Hurley said. “We had this place cooking before COVID. Now it’s a sterile environment. We don’t win here. We don’t give our fans any reason to show up with enthusiasm.”

While the loss continued the struggles at home, it also put a heavy dent in the Sun Devils’ quest for postseason play.

“We approached this game like it was a season-breaking game,” Trouet said. “We couldn’t get it.”

The loss was ASU’s first Quad Two loss of the season, something it would have aimed to avoid after already losing once against Quad Three and Quad Four opposition this season.

The Sun Devils’ best bet at a berth in March Madness now features a lengthy winning streak with multiple upset wins.

“We’ve always stayed together,” Trouet said. “This is going to be a key point to see how the group moves forward.”

While the immediate future holds so much uncertainty for this team, the Sun Devils will return to Desert Financial Arena Saturday night for a clash against Cincinnati, who have the eighth-best defensive rating in college basketball.

“The light and the [end of the] tunnel. It’s hard to see a lot of light,” Hurley said.