ASU climbs into Top 10
Improved senior guards lead way for Sun Devils
Arizona State’s undefeated men’s team vaults into the Top 10 in this week’s college basketball polls, ranking No. 5 by AP, and No. 6 by USA TODAY.
In his third Arizona State season, coach Bobby Hurley is ahead of schedule. The Sun Devils this season were expected to contend for an NCAA Tournament bid, the program’s first since 2014.
Instead, they’re unbeaten and ranked fifth in the country.
How did this happen? How did ASU – coming off consecutive losing seasons – go from an early season feelgood story to the top story in college basketball?
Here are five reasons that explains their surge: 1. ASU’s senior guards have improved
Much of the attention this first month has focused on the new guys. And no doubt, redshirt-freshman Romello White, junior-college transfer De’Quon Lake and freshman guard Remy Martin all have been terrific. But senior guards Tra Holder, Shannon Evans and Kodi Justice all are playing their best basketball. Holder is the Pac-12’s third-leading scorer and an emerging All-America candidate. He’s playing with an edge, almost a nastiness, that we haven’t seen before. Evans isn’t far behind. He averaged 20 points and 5.5 assists against St. John’s and Kansas, turning the ball over once in 74 minutes.
Meanwhile, Justice is among the
best shooting glue guys you’ll find. He had an off day against Kansas, missing shots he usually makes. In fact, he missed one so badly the Kansas students chanted “Air ball!” every time Justice touched the ball. The senior’s response: Grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. Combined, the trio produces 54.3 points per contest. They’ve also hit 78 3-point shots, which is more than Michigan State, North Carolina and Arizona have made as a team. 2. ASU’s inside production
At Pac-12 Media days in October, a Pac-12 Networks analyst asked me about ASU’s chances this season. I told him that with Romello White inside, the Sun Devils should have better balance and compete for an NCAA Tournament bid. “But didn’t they have that last season with (Obinna) Oleka?” the analyst asked. It was a solid point. Last season, the 6-8 Oleka averaged 12.5 points and 9.9 rebounds. But White, even though he’s the same height, is different.
Just one example: In Sunday’s second half, Holder noticed White posting up against Kansas sophomore Mitch Lightfoot. Holder fed White and the redshirt-freshman went up for an easy two. Next dead ball: Kansas coach Bill Self brought back 7-0 center Udoka Azubuike. Last season, the Sun Devils rarely
ASU often runs four-guard sets that open penetration lanes for drive-and-kick opportunities. This suits their personnel.
forced such an interior substitution decision. That’s why Hurley calls White (averaging 16.1 points and nine rebounds) a game-changer. “Obi was really good for us – he put up great numbers – but he was like a (small forward or power forward) playing (center) because he had to,” Hurley said. “It wasn’t great for the guards, but now they have that interior game, too.” 3. Remy Martin
Late in last Friday’s win, as St. John’s prepared to in-bound the ball, guard Shamorie Ponds peeked over his shoulder at Martin, who stood just a few feet away, ready to pick up Ponds fullcourt. You could almost read Ponds’ expression. “Can’t you let me dribble the damn
ball up in peace one time?” In his first season, Martin has turned into a ball-hounding nuisance.
After Sunday’s contest, Self said ASU has the ability to make opponents play bad because “they can tell Remy Martin to go guard the ball and he can get a deflection or a steal.” Self added: “We don’t have people that can do that.” Through nine games, no exaggeration, Martin has produced four or five extra possessions per contest through rebounding, steals and taking charges. Self said Martin would be a three-year starter at ASU. The freshman might be an AllPac-12 defender this season. 4. ASU gets to the foul line
Basketball has changed. Today’s game is all about spacing and 3-point shooting. ASU often runs four-guard sets that open penetration lanes for drive-and-kick opportunities. This suits their personnel. But the Sun Devils also make it easy on themselves by drawing contact and getting to the foul line.
They do a great job of shot-faking to get defenders in the air or off-balance. Entering Monday, ASU led the nation with 29.9 free-throw attempts per game.
The Sun Devils have gotten to the foul line more than their opponent in each of their nine contests. (After losses to the Sun Devils, Kansas State coach Bruce Weber and St. John’s coach Chris Mullin both pointed out the disparity, which was not to their liking.)
On average, ASU attempts 13.2 more free-throw attempts than its opponent per game. That’s huge.
White leads the charge, drawing an estimated 8.2 fouls per 40 minutes.
His 112.7 free-throw rate – which measures how often a player gets to the foul line – ranks third nationally. 5. Bobby Hurley
The ASU coach always has let his guards play with freedom. Sometimes the past two seasons it appeared that maybe that leash was too long, players taking quick shots without much consideration for time and score. But over time, that freedom has turned into confidence. In basketball, confidence is everything. It’s why Justice can miss his first six shots in a tough environment like Kansas and not hesitate to fire – and hit – a 3-pointer in the second half. It’s why Evans hits a deep 3 to silence 16,000 fans and squash a potential rally.
Then there’s Hurley’s intensity. During a preseason exhibition contest, he spent almost an entire timeout debating a call with an official. Keep in mind, the game did not count. In a November blowout of Northern Arizona, Hurley received a technical foul with ASU up 36 in the final two minutes. Some might roll their eyes, but this is how Hurley competes.
There’s no on-off switch. Even in postgame news conferences, 20 minutes after the final buzzer, it’s clear the intensity has not completely worn off. This rubs off on the Sun Devils. Perhaps the best example: Four times this season ASU has trailed at halftime – against San Diego State, Kansas State, Xavier and Kansas. Each time the Sun Devils came back to win.