ASU MBB: Sun Devils to Battle in the Bahamas
After a brief trip home, ASU Basketball is back on the road to face No. 1 Kentucky in the Bahamas. The Sun Devils will look to rebound from a 72-58 loss to the Wildcats in 2015.
Many coaches rebuilding a program wouldn’t think to schedule a marquee team such as Kentucky two years in a row. Then again, most coaches aren’t Bobby Hurley.
Back in his second year as the head coach of the Arizona State men’s basketball team, Hurley has made it clear he wants his team to compete against top-tier talent to help them grow. Starting with Kentucky, the Sun Devils will play three ranked opponents in their final seven nonconference games.
Fro Kentucky, the Wildcats have opened the season on tear, winning all six of their games by at least 21 points. Their closest margin of win? A 21-point blowout over then No. 13 Michigan State
ASU, 4-2 through six games has had a difficult time adjusting defensively to teams that shoot threes often and against bigger teams. In their two losses, the Sun Devils were outrebounded in both games as well as allowing 11 made threes to Northern Iowa and 30 attempted free throws to Davidson.
Make no mistake, this is a much different team than one filled with the remnants of Herb Sendek’s tenure in Tempe. Hurley’s team can score and they score quickly and often when they got hot.
When the ASU offense is clicking, this is a unit that is capable of competing against some of the most talented teams in the country.
Led once again by Tra Holder, the junior guard has taken another massive step forward in his development this season. He’s currently averaging 18 points per game, one of four Sun Devils averaging double figures a night.
In the past few games, ASU has been able to pull out wins or not the game get away becuase of one or two players stepping up when others are off or in foul trouble. Hurley has emphasized that they have a lot of talented guys but need everything to come together.
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Against Kentucky, ASU will need all three of its guards to produce in addition to a continued hot streak from forward Sam Cunliffe. The true freshman netted 23 against The Citadel and looks to have a found a rhythm in the offense after struggling to open the season.
For Kentucky, head coach John Calipari watched Jamal Murray, Skal Labissiere and Tyler Ulis depart for the NBA but quickly replaced them with the tantalizing trio of guards Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox as well as big man Edrice “Bam” Adebayo. All three players have quickly adjusted to no surprise and have the Wildcats looking like contenders.
The Wildcats have tremendous size which will give ASU a lot of trouble inside and on the defensive glass but if ASU can figure out a way to get some of the Kentucky big men in foul trouble then they might have a chance.
For those interested in seeing more of freshman center Jethro Tshisumpa, tonight would be a good time to start watching. In his first two minutes Wednesday, Tshisumpa recorded three blocks and scored in a fluid motion off the pick and roll, two signs that his maturation to the college game is progressing nicely.
Hurley may need to play his size despite a lack of offensive tools. However, his guards should flourish defensively against a Kentucky team that relies almost entirley on Monk and senior guard Mychal Mulder for three pointers as UK has made eight three-pointers not from Monk and Mulder.
It’s another huge test for Hurley and his young team as he continues to build the ASU Basketball program.
Tipoff between ASU and Kentucky will be at 5 p.m. MT from Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The game can be seen on ESPN2.