When the Arizona State Sun Devils take the floor late Tuesday night in Tempe, all will be looking for a greater sense of urgency out of the gate. That was the biggest flaw the last time out when the Sun Devils lost to Baylor, dropping a game at their home venue for the first time this season.
ASU trailed by 12 at the half, and although they rallied to send the game into overtime, that shouldn’t have been necessary.
The schedule didn’t help matters. ASU played at Kansas on Wednesday and had flight issues complicating travel both ways, but neither coach Bobby Hurley nor his players wanted to use that as an excuse. They said they had to find a better way of dealing with obstacles such as those.
“We’ve got to do it for 40 minutes and we’re not doing it for 40 minutes,” ASU guard Adam Miller said. “And it’s not about makes or misses. It’s not about that. I’ve played on a team where we weren’t the best 3-point shooting team but you’ve got to be locked in and you’ve got to be focused. …
“I feel like sometimes we may take a couple guys or one guy (drops intensity) — and you’re only as strong as your weakest link out there. If one guy messes up, it’s a domino effect.”
Let’s take a closer look at the matchup:
Central Florida (11-4, 2-2) at Arizona State (10-5, 1-3)
Time/Site: Tuesday, 9 p.m., Desert Financial Arena
TV: ESPNU Radio: ESPN 620 AM (KTAR)
About the matchup: Both teams are coming off a Saturday loss: ASU to Baylor in overtime, 72-66, and UCF at Arizona, 88-80. It’s early in the season but the two have played two common opponents. ASU lost at Kansas, 74-55, while UCF lost to the Jayhawks at home, 99-48. Both had home games against Colorado with the Sun Devils beating the Buffaloes more decisively, 81-61, than did UCF (75-74). The game will feature a couple of the country’s top shot blockers as ASU’s Jayden Quaintance (9.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg) has 44, ranking him fourth nationally. UCF’s 7-2 center Moustapha Thiam has 35. Both are true freshmen.
About the Knights: UCF is led by junior guard Keyshawn Hall (16.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg), who is coming off a 22-point showing in the Knights’ loss at Arizona. Senior guard Darius Johnson (14.9 ppg) and fifth-year senior guard Jordan Ivy-Curry (14.7 ppg) are also averaging double figures. This will be just the third true road game for the Knights, who have played 10 games at home, going 9-1. UCF’s best win was a 65-61 decision over then-ranked Texas A&M.
About the Sun Devils: ASU will be looking for some quality minutes out of freshman guard Joson Sanon, who returned Saturday after missing two games with an ankle injury. He is averaging 12.8 points per game but has managed just 24 points in his past four games dating back before the injury, and he is just 4-for-15 from long distance in those four games. Basheer Jihad (12.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg), B.J. Freeman (12.4 ppg) and Alston Mason (11.7 ppg) are also averaging double figures with Adam Miller (9.5 ppg) close.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State, Central Florida basketball set for late-night Big 12 matchup
