There’s a lot of new for Arizona this season, with the move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12, but one thing that remains the same regardless of league is the Wildcats’ dominance over ASU.
The UA holds a 161-86 edge over the Sun Devils in men’s basketball, sweeping last season’s two meetings by a combined 63 points and winning eight of the last nine matchups overall. The only loss in that span required ASU to hit a 70-footer at the buzzer back in 2023.
While Arizona is off to a great start in its Big 12 debut, sitting in second place with an 8-1 league record, the same can’t be said for the Sun Devils. A 2-point win Tuesday at Colorado—which is 0-9 in the Big 12—improved ASU to 12-8 overall and 3-6 in the conference.
To better understand what’s going on with this ASU squad, we reached out to Aiden Blanc of defunct SB Nation sister site House of Sparky (RIP) for some insight and a score prediction. Below are his loquacious answers to our taciturn questions:
AZ Desert Swearm: Injuries have played a big role in ASU’s season to date and that continued at Colorado with one starter sitting out and another hardly playing. What’s the status of the Sun Devils’ walking (or limping) wounded?
Aiden Blanc: “The injuries couldn’t have come at a worse time, with ASU in need of another high-profile win. The first signs of this came all the way back in December when the school officially announced Austin Nunez as out for the season. Although he only averaged 2.0 points per game at the time of his injury, there are some very young players in this group that could have benefitted from another vet in the lineup and Bobby Hurley certainly could’ve used the extra depth. The Sun Devils managed to get through the rest of the month without anything major, but Joson Sanon sustained an ankle sprain and missed a good stretch including three of four straight losses for ASU during the second and third weeks of January. Sanon has been ‘fully’ back for two games now but has yet to return to his old offensive self, scoring just eight points in 25 minutes against Iowa State and two points in 30 minutes against Colorado.
“The news broke earlier this week of Jayden Quaintance sitting out for the first time this year, he injured his ankle last Thursday and is currently being evaluated. JQ is fourth nationally with 3.0 blocks per game and others had to pick up the slack defensively without him in the lineup. Tuesday night’s broadcasters on ESPN insinuated that he will return on Saturday, but no official word has come down on his status. BJ Freeman is the other major piece to the puzzle that is unknown for Saturday, he played just a handful of minutes on Tuesday night before going to the bench with a deep thigh bruise and eventually changing into street clothes before the game was finished. Neither injury has been stated as serious, so there is hope in the Sun Devil locker room that both could be active for Saturday.
“Sanon and Quaintance played in all 11 nonconference games, but have appeared together in just three of nine since then. Given how well this team played when they were gelling, it’s very easy to see why things have gotten far more complicated with each of them hurt.”
ASU has won two of its last three after a 1-5 start to Big 12 play, and in between it led in the second half against No. 3 Iowa State. What’s been the key to the improved play?
“The West Virginia win was almost entirely based on stellar defense, with the Sun Devils holding the Mountaineers to their third-lowest total for an opponent this season and the lowest in conference play (until scoring 49 against Houston on Wednesday). Adam Miller had a solid day last weekend against Iowa State and he truly took a leading role up in Boulder with just six players appearing in the second half. Defensively, Shawn Phillips Jr. and Basheer Jihad were able to step up with five blocks combined, making the absence of Quaintance a bit less noticeable. This team hasn’t put together back-to-back wins since the end of November/early December when they won eight of their first nine games. Scoring was a huge reason for the strong start, and ASU enters Saturday 7-2 in games where they score 80 or more (that happened just six times in 32 games one season ago). The hope is that Quaintance and Freeman get back to full strength ASAP and the offense can try and find their way back to that period of success.”
Six players are averaging double figures but none score more than 12.5 points per game. Who has been the most reliable offensive player, and why?
“You kind of described the offensive approach in your question there. Every night it’s been different guys leading the way, though obviously some have been more consistent than others. Against Colorado four of the six who appeared in second half action finished with double figures, and even though Miller led the team with 18 points he was just one higher than Alston Mason, who finished second. This team was at its best when Joson Sanon hit double figures on a near-nightly basis, but after doing so in eight of his first nine games as a Sun Devil, he has been in single digits every game since. ASU enters 8-1 when he gets to that mark, and it would do wonders for this group if he could get back there. Without Sanon’s production, Basheer Jihad has been the go to for scoring and he now has the most games as leading scorer on the team. BJ Freeman’s absence was so important on Tuesday because of the numbers he’s been putting up late, now averaging just below 18 points per game in his collegiate career. With the freshmen in and out of the lineup, the veteran transfers have really stepped up to lead the attack.”
Outside of the UCF game, ASU has looked pretty solid on defense in league play. What has been most integral to the success on defense?
“The first thing most fans will notice about this team is the blocks. Quaintance is the only player in the entire nation averaging at least 9.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. It took JQ just 18 games to break the program’s freshman block record and he’ll likely be a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year both in the conference and nationally. But as we saw on Tuesday he’s not the only blocker on the floor, and as a team ASU sits 27th in the nation with 5.2 per game. The defense has certainly been challenged more against Big 12 opponents, allowing 70+ points on five occasions and a 95-point performance against UCF. Given that they enter Saturday 7-1 when allowing less than 70, it’s very clear how important defending has been for Bobby Hurley’s team.”
Bobby Hurley has taken ASU to three NCAA tournaments but no tourney wins, and he also has five losing seasons. Considering that, and how this year has gone, do you think he’s on the hot seat?
“Hurley’s success in the last decade has certainly left much to be desired and his seat is getting hot, but he benefits from others within the department being on even thinner ice than him. It seems to be all but official that Natasha Adair will not return next season as head coach on the women’s side, and both Meghan Bartlett (softball) and Willie Bloomquist (baseball) have failed to succeed in programs where losing is generally not taken well. My guess is that things will become much clearer after basketball season winds down, and athletic director Graham Rossini will have to make some of the toughest decisions of his tenure regarding these positions.
“A large part to Bobby sticking around is that next year’s class should have a similar talent level with Quaintance eligible to return along with a potentially healthy Austin Nunez and freshman guard Trevor Best. Recruiting is still in the early stages, but inking 3-star forward Kash Polk and a true center in 7-0 Leo Curtis is a very good start. Hurley has managed to make the final five for Koa Peat, and if the 5-star comes to Tempe things could change very quickly for this program. The bottom line seems to be the same as it’s been for the past few years; Bobby has not found great postseason success, but he consistently brings in strong talent and it will be very difficult to find someone better who is willing to take the job especially if you are hiring for other head coaching positions at the same time.”
Prediction time. Does ASU draw first blood in the rivalry this year or does Arizona turn Desert Financial Arena into McKale North once again? Give us a score pick.
“A hobbled ASU team stands very little chance given how hot the Wildcats have been recently, but this rivalry is always a ‘throw the records out’ type contest and ASU has shown their ability to compete against the best throughout the 24-25 campaign. Assuming Quaintance and Freeman both play, Arizona wins by 10 despite ASU surprising many and keeping it close for about 30-35 minutes of game time.”