ASU seeking back-to-back conference wins
Arizona State men’s basketball shocked several college basketball pundits early in non-conference play with a 67-54 win over then-No. 18 Texas A&M. It was a landmark win for head coach Bobby Hurley, who knocked off his first ranked opponent as the Sun Devils’ head coach.
It’s been tough sledding for the Sun Devils ever since, falling to each of their next three ranked opponents (then-No. 5 Kentucky, then-No. 8 Arizona and then-No. 23 Oregon). Arizona State’s season has lost its shine, as they currently sit at 13-11 and 3-8 in Pac-12 play (11th in the conference).
Hurley and ASU get a chance to turn around both trends Friday, as they play hosts to head coach Andy Enfield and No. 23 USC (18-5, 7-3 Pac-12). The Trojans, who finished 12th in the Pac-12 during last year’s regular season, have engineered a turnaround and become one of the biggest surprises in the country.
The key has come on the offensive end, where the Trojans have six players currently averaging double figures in scoring and are second in the conference in points per game. They are shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 38.8 percent on 3-pointers (second-best in the conference) as a team.
“Their balance (stands out), and just how many guys potentially can hurt you on any given night,” Hurley said. “They’re very athletic, they can score at the rim and they can also shoot the 3. They’re dangerous in a lot of different areas.”
The Sun Devils will look to avoid a barrage of Trojans 3-pointers early, which helped give USC a 10-point lead at the half during the last matchup between the two teams.
“I thought we had done a decent job against them last time,” sophomore guard Kodi Justice said. “They didn’t shoot the ball like they usually do, but we just didn’t make enough plays. If we rotate like we did, cover like we’re supposed to do and play as a team we have a great chance of winning.”
Helping lead the offensive production for the Trojans has been sophomore guard Jordan McLaughlin, who leads the team with 12.6 points per game while averaging five assists and shooting 41.7 percent from deep.
Redshirt junior guard Katin Reinhardt is their second-leading scorer, averaging 12.4 points while shooting 38.1 percent on 3-pointers.
“He’s a great player,” Justice said. “He shoots the ball well; he’s good off the bounce so he’s another Pac-12 player that we have to key on more than others.”
On the defensive end, they’ve limited opponents to the second-best mark field goal percentage (39.7 percent) and are the best in the conference in defensive 3-point field goal percentage (30.3 percent).
ASU is coming off of a season sweep of Washington State, winning 67-55 in Pullman for just their third conference win.
The Sun Devils have yet to win back-to-back games in conference play, increasing the level of urgency as the regular season closes.
“We’re just trying to win every game at this point,” Hurley said. “We realize that we have limited opportunities, but we’re coming off a victory and are a veteran team at home, so we’ll be ready to play on Friday.”
ASU hosts No. 23 USC at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe on Friday at 6:00 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks. The Sun Devils wrap up their weekend set against UCLA on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
