(Photo: Joshua Eaton/ WCSN)
TEMPE – Following Arizona State men’s basketball’s road loss to Colorado on Feb. 7, head coach Bobby Hurley didn’t mince words when asked about his team’s rebounding.
“We’ve got seven games left, so if we can’t rebound now, chances are we’re not going to be able to rebound,” Hurley said after his team lost the rebounding battle 40-26.
Three days later, against Oklahoma State, and it looked like the Sun Devils had pulled off the unthinkable – winning the rebounding battle. ASU grabbed its most rebounds of the season, as it won the rebounding battle 45-34.
Once Hurley sat down for the postgame press conference, he first said: “looks like we figured out how to rebound.”
The Sun Devils (13-12, 4-8 Big 12) “figuring out how to rebound,” was enough to muscle past Oklahoma State (16-8, 4-7) 85-76
However, it was Hurley’s prior press conference statement that sparked this rebounding wildfire from his team.
“I took it personal when I heard,” redshirt sophomore forward Santiago Trouet said. “I think (Allen Mukeba) did too, and Massamba did as well.”
Trouet was the leading force in ASU’s rebounding effort, as he finished the night with 10 rebounds.
“It’s just ‘go,” Trouet said. “In my opinion, it’s a mentality. I don’t know where the ball is going, I just go.”
It was the fourth time this season that Trouet finished with double-digit rebounds, but also his fourth double-double of the season, as he tallied 16 points.
Tuesday night was also Trouet’s return to the starting lineup after being limited against Colorado due to an ankle injury.
“He takes that personal,” Hurley said. “That’s probably the skill that he possesses that is a separator for him when he is really focused.”
Trouet’s scoring also came on efficient shooting, as he finished the night 7-of-11 from the field.
However, it wasn’t just Trouet that was fired up by Hurley’s message, as graduate forward Allen Mukeba finished the night with seven rebounds.
“That’s our head coach, everything he says goes straight to the heart,” graduate forward Allen Mukeba said. “We take this personally, not in the wrong way, obviously. Always trying to get better and improve.”
Against Colorado, the Sun Devils had only eight offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points. ASU used Hurley’s words to “get better and improve,” finishing Tuesday night’s game with 19 offensive rebounds and 24 second-chance points, tied for the most all season.
“We watched the film of the Colorado game,” Hurley said. “I talked a lot about that in practice, and the guys really internalized focusing on rebounding.”
The high production of second-chance points also led to plenty of time at the free throw line. The Sun Devils converted 28-of-36 free throw attempts, tying the most they’ve made this season.
“We just said ‘don’t take bad shots in key moments,’” Trouet said. “‘Go to the rim, get fouls.’”
As for Oklahoma State, they only had four second-chance points off 10 offensive rebounds. Despite the nine-point loss, Oklahoma State’s last lead came at the 16:41 mark of the first half, when they led 7-6.
“It’s an unforgiving league,” Lutz said. “If you’re not going to fight, and you’re not going to scrap, if you’re not going to rebound, you got no shot.”
ASU’s rebounding wasn’t the only reason they had a shot in this game – it was also down to its production from its bench.
Even with a thin rotation, as six players remain listed on the injury report, the Sun Devils’ bench scored 28 points. Senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson and sophomore guard Noah Meeusen combined for 22 points, with 14 coming from the line.
“We had to turn that around and that’s what we did,” Mukeba said. “Everybody was really hyped and ready to play. When it was our turn, we did our job.”
The Sun Devils will need to continue to do their jobs, as the road ahead doesn’t get any easier. Currently, they’ll face three teams ranked inside the top-20 of the AP Poll, with No. 16 Texas Tech next on the docket.
“It’s a great game to jump up in the conference,” Trouet said. “It will be a great upset for March Madness.”
