ASU falls short trying to ride the momentum from the Texas Tech game 

For a few days, there was newfound hope amongst Arizona State fans, a program that had struggled to close out games against high-profile teams, did just that last Tuesday, knocking off then-No. 13 Texas Tech. 

ASU earned its biggest win and provided a pathway for a potential postseason run to the NCAA tournament. Although unlikely, if the Sun Devils parlayed major success into consistency,y they’d give themselves a fighting chance. 

Head coach Bobby Hurley spoke on this after Tuesday’s win. He acknowledged that winning games in the Big 12 moves mountains amongst committee members, calling the league “A blessing and a curse.” 

However, while there was promise for the Sun Devils (14-13, 5-9 Big 12), the likelihood of them compiling numerous late-season wins was slim, and on Saturday, they fell short against Baylor (14-13, 4-10) 68-73, despite the Bears losing four games on the trote heading into the game. 

Here are the takeaways. 

The Sun Devils are consistently inconsistent in late-game situations. 

ASU knew the game was going to be closing after the final media timeout, despite leading for over 20 minutes over the course of Sautrday they’d carved out a four-point advantage with over seven minutes to play. 

At that point in the game, freshman center Massamaba Diop hit a jumpshot, putting his tally up to 10 points on the game. Yet for the next 7-minutes and 11 seconds, ASU wouldn’t hit another field goal.  

The remainder of its points all came from the free throw line, especially from senior guards Moe Odum and Anthony “Pig” Johnson, as missed field goals and turnovers plagued the final moments of the game, while the Bears piled on baskets. 

Baylor went on to hit seven field goals in the closing 6 minutes and 54 seconds, putting together a 16-9 run to take the lead in front of a rowdy home crowd. Their starters came up big in the clutch; fifth-year guard Obi Agbim and redshirt sophomore Cameron Carr each scored, leading to Baylor’s success. 

Defensive pressure is the cog that leads to promise. 

ASU led by eight points at halftime after putting together a 13-5 run to finish the first half. This run came due to one reason: defensive ball pressure. 

Its no secret that the Sun Devils calling card is their full-court press system, using a mixture of man-to-man and traps, oftentimes causing trouble for teams, even the most promising opponents. The Red Raiders committed a season-high 17 turnovers last Tuesday. 

In the first half, ASU forced eight Bears turnovers turing it into 15 points. That pressure calmed down in the second half as Baylor committed just five turnovers, leading to four ASU points. 

The Bears becoming comfortable with handling pressure came up big for them in the final minutes of action. Agbim scored three baskets in the final few minutes because the Sun Devils were forced to scramble. 

Unlikely aid for the Bears

Although its season has been troublesome in the record column, Baylor’s dynamic duo of Carr and freshman guard Tounde Yeesoufou has become a nightmare for opposing teams. The pair averages over 37 combined points per game, Carr at 18,9 and Yessoufou 18.2. 

So it came as a surprise to many when neither Carr nor Yessoufou was leading the team’s offensive attack at halftime. The pair had scored a dozen points put together while shooting just 40% from the field.

Sophomore guard Issac Williams IV was the catalyst for Baylor, scoring 12 points in the first half on 5-of-7 shooting. Beyond just putting the ball in the basket, Williams drove hard to the basket, forcing the defense to collapse. 

Williams finished the night with just 14 points because that is when Agbim decided to light it up himself. The 6-foot-3 guard scored 13 points in the second half, surpassing his average points per game in the second period alone. 

Yessoufou and Carr still finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively; however, they were aided by impressive displays from their teammates, which ultimately pushed the Bears over the line on Saturday. 

Bench production once again shines for Hurley

Junior guard Bryce Ford was out of the lineup once again, meaning sophomore guard Noah Meeusen would be injected into the starting lineup. ASU has become a side riddled with injuries, using just two players off the bench, Johnson and graduate forward Allen Mukeba. 

While their rotation is limited, the pair off the bench were necessary for Hurley. Johnson led ASU in scoring with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Mukeba also put up one of his best games offensively for the Maroon and Gold, scoring 10 points on 100% shooting from the field. 

Their offensive intensity led to 36 points in the paint, coming primarily from those two. Johnson also worked his way to the line 10 times, es hitting eight of his attempts. In hostile road environments, his ability to turn up the tempo and slow down the game by forcing officials to blow the whistle is vital for the SSunDevils. 

What does this mean for the remainder of the season?

Well, if ASU had an improbable route to the big dance before matching up with Baylor, its odds of making it to the NCAA tournament are nearly eradicated. With just four regular-season games on the schedule, 

Hurley will be prepping his team for the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City starting Mar 10. The Sun Devils will likely need to win the entire tournament to punch an automatic ticket to the tournament.

To do that, ASU will need to give itself a more forgiving schedule; the top eight seeds in the Big 12 regular season standings receive first-round byes, and the top four teams don’t play until the quarterfinals. 

While a top-four seed is now mathematically impossible, ASU does have a chance to leapfrog teams sitting just above them in the table. 

ASU is just 2.5 games back of the No.8 seed, and one team that sits just above them is TCU. They’llbe matching up Tuesday in Texas, making it an essential game for the Sun Devils if they’re to minimize their gauntlet slate come mid-march.