Devils have ‘unfinished’ business
Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley admits the atmosphere at his home was a little tense Sunday afternoon. The Sun Devils gathered there to watch the NCAA selection show, just as they did a year ago. It wasn’t until the last few teams of the 68school field were announced that ASU heard its name called.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
No. 11 ASU vs. No. 11 St. John’s
NCAA Tournament First Four. 6:10 p.m. University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio. TruTV.
Ever the superstitious one, Hurley sat in the same spot he did last year while waiting for word. So did the returning players.
“You could hear a pin drop,” he said. The Sun Devils (22-10) don’t care that for a second straight year they will compete in the play-in game. They’re just happy to be part of the postseason festivities.
The ASU contingent practiced Monday morning, then headed off to Dayton, Ohio, where it will square off Wednesday against Big East at-large representative St. John’s (21-12), which is playing in the tournament for the first time since 2015.
During Sunday’s show, senior forward Zylan Cheatham sat off to the side by himself, looking up at a television. The minute he heard the team called, he leaned forward, burying his head in his hands and tried, with only a little luck, to hold back the tears.
The Phoenix native transferred back home nearly two years ago after starting his career at San Diego State because he wanted to help put the local school back on the map and he has done just that.
“He wanted it so bad. It was upsetting for me to watch him as we weren’t being called and just seeing how he was reacting because I know how much winning means to him,” Hurley said. “That guy has got tremendous qualities of a winner and intangible things that he brings to our team. I’m very excited solely for that, that he has this opportunity to play in the tournament, just with everything he’s had to go through this year.”
Cheatham, who led the Pac-12 in rebounding and notched 13 double-doubles this season, sat out last year after the transfer so this opportunity was long overdue for him. The overtime loss to Oregon in a Pac-12 Tournament semifinal in Las Vegas didn’t sit well with him or his teammates and they’re eager for a chance at redemption.
The Sun Devils have had a few disappointing losses this season but they have been resilient, winning eight of nine games after a loss. Their only back-to-back losses this season came at Wells Fargo Arena against Princeton in the final nonconference game and Utah in the Pac-12 opener.
“We just didn’t want it to end like that,” he said of the Pac-12 Tournament. “We’re excited about this opportunity. We felt like we let one get away and we have unfinished business. There are no more second chances now. It’s win or go home and I’m not ready.”
The concern after Friday’s overtime loss to Oregon wasn’t necessarily about the chances of getting into the NCAA field. It was more about sophomore point guard Remy Martin who sustained a groin injury in the first minutes of the contest. He was in and out of the lineup, spending some time on a stationary bike in the tunnel when not on the floor.
Hurley said Martin had an MRI that revealed there was no tear so the diagnosis is a mild groin strain. He did not practice Monday, but went through drills Tuesday and is expected to play Wednesday.
Last season, the Sun Devils lost the play-in game to Syracuse 60-56, but Hurley thinks that his team learned from that trip and is better suited for the postseason.
“We have a lot of winners in the locker room,” Hurley said. “We’re more athletic and have more ability to score in the paint than we did last year. The guards were terrific and we just couldn’t get the balance we now have at both ends of the floor, being bigger and more athletic.”
The winner of Wednesday’s game advances to play No. 6 Buffalo on Friday in Tulsa, Okla., in a first round West Region contest. Buffalo is the school Hurley left to take the ASU job so the possibility of the teams squaring off is compelling. Of course Hurley was asked about it in his weekly press conference right before the team boarded buses for the airport. He didn’t bite.
“This is my challenge,” he said. “Everyone come to Dayton or if we’re lucky enough to get through, then follow me to Tulsa and I’ll be happy to talk about that. But I’m really going to let that one go until we see what happens on Wednesday.”