Arizona State @ Princeton preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 29, 2018 ) Princeton 67, Arizona State 66

Arizona State looks to bounce back from a narrow loss on Sunday when it visits Princeton for a non-conference contest Tuesday. The Sun Devils fell to defending national champion Virginia, 48-45, in their last outing, while the Tigers are looking for their first win, coming off a 25-point loss at Indiana last Wednesday.

Coach Bobby Hurley's team has been scoring well, averaging 75.6 points per game, led by junior guard Remy Martin's 19.4 points per contest. Senior guard Rob Edwards is averaging 14.2 points, while freshman guard Jaelen House has contributed 10.4 points per game off the bench. Princeton, on the other hand, has struggled to put the ball in the basket, averaging 64.5 points per game and shooting 42.2 percent from the floor, including 29.2 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore guard Jaelin Llewellyn is leading the team with 16.8 points per game, while senior center Richmond Arirguzoh has contributed 14 points and 7.5 rebounds a contest, shooting 62.2 percent from the field.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (3-2): Hurley certainly can't be happy with the way his team has started games of late, falling behind by double digits in the first half against both St. John's and Virginia in its Tip-Off Tournament games over the weekend. Against the Cavaliers, the Sun Devils hit just 31.8 percent from the field in the first half, but Arizona State was able to stay somewhat close thanks to its defense that held Virginia to just 26 points. A 12-0 run early in the second half got the Sun Devils in front, but unlike their game against St. John's, they were unable to hold onto the advantage and took their second loss of the season.

ABOUT PRINCETON (0-4): For a school that is heralded for its offense that works off cuts to the basket through its motion offense, Princeton has had very few assists this season. Llewellyn has the most assists on the team with eight through four games, and the Tigers as a team have just 36 on 97 made baskets this season (37.1 percent which ranks 340th in D1). The Tigers aren't blessed with a lot of athleticism to make individual plays to the basket, so they must work as a team to get good shots, something that hasn't been happening nearly enough early on.

TIP-INS

1. The 48 points scored by Virginia against Arizona State was the fewest the Sun Devils have allowed in a game under Hurley and the fewest by any ASU team since January 2015.

2. Princeton freshman G Ryan Langborg came off the bench to score a career-high 13 points against Indiana.

3. The Sun Devils entered this week 16th in the country, forcing 19.8 turnovers per game.

PREDICTION: Arizona State 63, Princeton 57