Several bright spots among the keys to Arizona State basketball’s resurgence

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Even Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley had to be worried when his team lost by 50 points at Duke. Sure, it was an exhibition contest, and yes, Duke was expected to be one of the top teams in the country but Hurley, entering his 10th year, expected ASU to at least be competitive.

Maybe it was the wake-up call his team needed. The Sun Devils have regrouped and are thriving. Hurley’s squad takes a 7-1 record into Tuesday’s 7 p.m. nonconference game against San Diego (3-4) at Desert Financial Arena.

ASU’s lone loss came against Gonzaga in Spokane, 88-80, on Nov. 10. They have won five straight games since then. The past three games have been decided by two possessions or less.

An influx of new talent has paved the way for the improvement after an abysmal 14-18 showing last season.

Let’s take a look at the factors in the resurgence:

Talented freshman trio

Hurley had a top-10 class led by 6-foot-9 forward Jayden Quaintance, the highest-ranked recruit in program history and the youngest player in college basketball. He’s leading the country in blocked shots with 27 and is a stellar on-ball defender, too. His offensive game is still evolving but he’s a game-changer defensively.

Then there’s sharpshooter Joson Sanon, who first committed to Arizona but flipped to ASU after Caleb Love opted to return to Arizona rather than pursue the NBA. Hurley has called Sanon the best “shooter” he has ever coached. That’s saying a lot. The third freshman, 6-8 Amier Ali has been a valuable contributor off the bench.

Making free throws

The team is coming off wins over New Mexico and previously unbeaten Saint Mary’s at the Acrisure Classic in Palm Desert, California. ASU won both games because they made free throws down the stretch. Free throw failures have been a major sore spot for ASU fans in the recent past.

Last season ASU shot just 65% at the line. This season the Sun Devils are 71%, although that is a bit deceiving. Quaintance is just 11-for-25. Take out his attempts and ASU is at 75%. Four starters are…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/several-bright-spots-among-keys-205837770.html

Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic

Publish date : 2024-12-02 20:58:00

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