Washington @ Arizona State preview
Desert Financial Arena
Last Meeting ( Feb 1, 2020 ) Arizona State 87, Washington 83
Despite a 0-for-2 trip to Los Angeles last weekend, Arizona State remains in the hunt for its first Pac-12 Conference title. To have a chance, though, the Sun Devils need to win their final two regular-season contests, beginning with Thursday night’s home date with last-place Washington.
At 10-6 in the conference, Arizona State enters the week all alone in third place, 1½ games behind UCLA and a game behind Oregon. So, in addition to the sweep of the Washington schools in Tempe, the Sun Devils also need the Bruins to lose their finale against rival USC and have the Ducks drop one of their two home games against either California or Stanford. That would give ASU at least a share of its first league title since capturing the Western Athletic Conference crown in 1975. Washington, meanwhile, will put a cap on the Pac-12’s most disappointing regular seasons with a likely last-place finish after being predicted to finish third in the preseason.
TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2
ABOUT WASHINGTON (13-16, 3-13 Pac-12): The woebegone Huskies have dropped 10 of their last 11, including an 87-83 home loss to Arizona State on Feb. 1 and last Friday’s 78-74 defeat versus visiting Washington State, giving the rival Cougars a sweep of the season series. Offensive woes have dogged the Huskies, who are averaging 66.4 points per conference game and rank 10th in Pac-12 play field-goal percentage (41.0), 10th in rebounding margin (minus-2.9) and 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.73). Freshman forward Isaiah Stewart leads the team in scoring (16.7 per game) and rebounding (8.6) and is joined in double figures by forward Jaden McDaniels (12.7 points) and guard Nahziah Carter (12.4), but Washington has been unable to find an answer since point guard Quade Green (11.6 points, team-high 5.3 assists) was hit with an academic suspension 15 games into the season.
ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (19-10, 10-6): Speaking of offensive struggles, the Sun Devils bogged down in L.A. last weekend, particularly in Saturday’s 71-61 loss at USC in which they shot 32.8 percent from the field, including 7-of-29 from 3-point range. Two nights earlier, ASU fell to host UCLA 75-72 on a last-second 3-pointer which snapped the Sun Devils’ seven-game win streak. Junior guard Remy Martin paces the team in scoring with 19.6 points per contest, and that average increases to an even 21 points in conference play, while guards Alonzo Verge Jr. (14.2) and Rob Edwards (11.3) and forward Romello White (10.3) also are averaging double figures on the season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Including the aforementioned win in the first meeting, Arizona State has won four of the last five in the series.
2. Martin led five ASU players in double figures with 19 points in the first contest, which featured 49 total fouls and 68 combined free-throw attempts.
3. The Sun Devils are 12-2 at home this season, including a 6-1 mark in Pac-12 play, while the Huskies are 1-7 in true road games, including 0-7 in conference action.
PREDICTION: Arizona State 75, Washington 66