Saint Mary's @ Arizona State preview

Opponents are quickly learning that double-teaming Arizona State star Romello White may not be enough to slow down the powerful junior forward. White has posted four consecutive double-doubles for the Sun Devils, who face Saint Mary’s on Wednesday in a neutral-site matchup at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.

White recorded 18 points and a career-best 17 rebounds while shooting 7-of-8 from the field in last Saturday’s 79-59 road victory over Georgia, which was held to a season-low point total and struggled to find an answer for the 6-8, 235-pound native of Atlanta. “He’s powerful and he’s quick,” Georgia coach Tom Crean told reporters. “And the majority of his stuff comes right around the rim. His shooting percentage at the rim is phenomenal. We didn’t have anybody that could match him strength-wise.” Junior point guard Remy Martin had 23 points and six assists for the Sun Devils, whose challenging non-conference schedule concludes with games against Saint Mary’s, Creighton and Texas Southern. Arizona State figures to be tested by a talented Saint Mary’s team that bounced back from a loss to Dayton with last Saturday’s 89-77 win over California.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT SAINT MARY’S (10-2): Senior guard Jordan Ford was named West Coast Conference player of the week for the second time this season after scoring 32 points on 10-of-14 shooting against Cal. Ford is averaging 20.4 points while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point range to lead the Gaels, who saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end with a 10-point loss to Dayton on Dec. 8. Coach Randy Bennett also relies heavily on 6-8 forward Malik Fitts, who averages 15.6 points and 7.7 rebounds and finished with 28 points against Cal.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (8-2): One of the nation’s top point guards, Martin is averaging a team-high 20.3 points and 4.0 assists while shooting 46.1 percent from the field. Coach Bobby Hurley received a spark in the Georgia victory from reserves Kimani Lawrence (11 points in 13 minutes) and Alonzo Verge, Jr., who contributed 15 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes. Hurley has also been pleased by the development of sophomore guard Elias Valtonen, who has started the last seven games and helped limit Georgia star Anthony Edwards to 13 points in Saturday’s win.

TIP-INS

1. The Sun Devils lead the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting defense at 26.5 percent.

2. White is averaging 16.3 points and 14.5 rebounds while shooting 84.6 percent from the field in the past four games.

3. Arizona State is 29-5 in regular season non-conference games in the past three seasons - including 18-1 at home.

PREDICTION: Arizona State 78, Saint Mary’s 75