What We Learned from Arizona-Arizona State Men’s Hoops

Bobby Hurley said it was a mirror image of the first matchup between Arizona and Arizona State. 

The Sun Devils met the No. 1 team in the nation and received every punch they threw. Only for the Wildcats to flex their muscle in the final ten minutes. 

The 87-74 final score did not indicate how close this game actually was, but it was ultimately Arizona providing another data point showing why they are the top team in the land.

Key Takeaways

Rising up to the Rivalry

If Arizona State played every night like they do when the play Arizona (at least in the first 30 minutes of their two matchups), the Sun Devils would be firmly in the postseason picture. 

When faced against the No. 1 Wildcats, Arizona State has been ready to play, but it’s a tall task to do that wire-to-wire on a given night. Bobby Hurley was asked whether that was encouraging or frustrating and he said that the team is deep enough into the season that they can’t make wholesale changes based off this game, but continue to fight. 

This is a team that fits Hurley’s identity. They’re scrappy. They play hard, but in the Big 12 sometimes, you still need to play perfect.

Depth is key

A big reason why that is so hard for opponents is Arizona’s depth. 

It feels like sometimes playing Arizona is like trying to keep a tree from falling. Maybe you can support that tree for a bit, but eventually the wait becomes too much, and it’s going to fall. 

All five Wildcat starters hit double-digit scoring. If it wasn’t Brayden Burries or Jaden Bradley, it was going to be Koa Peat or Moe Krivas. 

The way they’re built can also help in the tournament. If a star has an off night, they can look to plenty of other options. 

There’s a lot of ways that tree can fall, but eventually you’re yelling timber.

Star Freshmen

Koa Peat led the way with 21 points. He’s only had two technical fouls, both against ASU. The often-stoic freshman standout brings a bit more edge when playing his rival. 

Brayden Burries continues to string together great game after great game. He saved the undefeated season against BYU with 29 points but most importantly a game-sealing block.

Ivan Kharchenkov brings physicality and energy. He’s a pest on defense and opportunistic with his scoring. 

Arizona zagged a little bit when most programs are zigging. They opted not to go transfer-heavy this offseason to give these freshmen plenty of runway, and it’s working out. 

Now, the Wildcats take their record-setting 22-0 record back to Tucson to take on Oklahoma State…then four ranked opponents. 

Arizona State heads to Utah to get back on track for the second half of Big 12 play.