ASU basketball hits the road for Pac-12 opener vs. Cal
Many wondered how the Arizona State Sun Devils would fare with two returning guards who like to have the ball in their hands as well as a pair of highlytouted freshmen newcomers who were used to being the marquee player as well.
But the players’ willingness to share the basketball is what coach Bobby Hurley likes the most about his team three games into the new season.
The No. 25 Sun Devils (2-1) will open Pac-12 play against California (2-1) at 8 p.m. on Thursday at Haas Pavilion. The game will air on the Pac-12 Network.
The Sun Devils rank 29th among Division I teams in scoring (89.3 ppg) but10 of the schools ahead of ASU have played just one game. Moving forward Hurley is looking for progress on defense.
“This group is embracing playing unselfish and looking for each other,” Hurley said on a Zoom call with the media. “I’m not noticing an ounce of selfishness on offense right now. We’ve got to be a little tougher defensively. We got a lot of work to do to get better at that end of the floor but I like what I’m seeing overall from the offensive end.”
The conference is moving from an 18game to a 20-game schedule, thus an earlier start.
Last season ASU’s conference opener was on Jan. 4. That was the conference plan even before the coronavirus pandemic but the earlier start has led to a sense of urgency.
“We were going to play two games in December. That was part of our plan anyway so certainly it’s a change of pace from some of the other nonconference games up to this point. You hope to get off to a great start and you know this is the beginning of the conference schedule. You have to take that with a serious mindset,” Hurley said.
The two freshmen have been as advertised with guard Joshua Christopher averaging 18.7 points and 4.7 rebounds and Marcus Bagley at 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds, with Christopher named the reigning conference Freshman of the Week. Senior catalyst Remy Martin is at 15.7 points and 3.2 assists and is the third of five Sun Devils averaging double figures.
The Sun Devils played on Sunday against Houston Baptist without senior guard Alonzo Verge (15 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Hurley offered no other information as to whether Verge, the Sixth Man of the Year in the conference last year who has since moved into a starting role, would be available although it does not seem likely. Hurley only said that Verge is not injured and is no way in disciplinary trouble.
Other reports have surfaced that Verge is in contract tracing protocol and he last played against Villanova a week ago.
“I can’t really go into a lot of detail about Zo’s situation that he’s in,” Hurley said. “But it is completely, 110 percent
nothing related to team discipline, violating team rules, or doing anything inappropriate at all. And also, he’s completely healthy. So I know that’s hard for me to sit here and tell you guys that and then you’re like, ‘So what’s the problem?’ But I can’t really discuss it further.”
Junior forward Taeshon Cherry started in Verge’s spot on Sunday which gave the Sun Devils a larger lineup. Hurley added that while rebounding has been an issue the return of Kimani Lawrence from a knee injury should help in that regard.
Cal boasts one of the Pac-12’s premier players in junior guard Matt Bradley (19.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg). He scored 22 points in the only game the teams played last season.