Virginia @ Arizona State preview

While their finishes in recent seasons have been dramatically different, Virginia and Arizona State have been about as good during in-season tournaments as anyone in the country. The sixth-ranked Cavaliers seek a seventh straight November tournament title Sunday when they face Arizona State in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Uncasville, Conn.

Virginia overcame a season-low four points from leading scorer Mamadi Diakite and a 2-for-14 effort beyond the arc Saturday, holding previously unbeaten Massachusetts 32 points below their season scoring average in a 58-46 semifinal win. "I don't think we've had a game where we shot the ball really well. But we're going to keep digging and keep playing defense really and we'll figure it out," Cavaliers swingman Braxton Key told reporters. The Sun Devils have won each of their last two November tournaments - beating four eventual NCAA Tournament teams in the process - and continued their push to earning a third title in as many years in Saturday's other semifinal game, as Remy Martin bounced back from a poor first half to lead his team to an 80-67 victory over St. John's. "For me, it was going into halftime and trying to figure out how we got to play better. As a point guard and a leader of this team, I knew that I needed to pick it up and we did it with the whole team," Martin told reporters.

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ABOUT VIRGINIA (5-0): With Diakite (13.4 points, 8.2 rebounds) limited to 21 minutes after getting into early foul trouble, Key (12.0, 8.4) stepped up with a season-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and a season-high three steals to spark a defense that held UMass to 15 field goals and 30 percent shooting. Kihei Clark (10.8 points, 5.0 boards, 5.6 assists) dealt with foul trouble for the second straight game and struggled from the field (3-for-10) while committing three turnovers, but the 5-9 sophomore guard knocked down all eight of his free throws and finished with 14 points, five rebounds and six assists. Reserve swingman Kody Stattmann (5.3 points) will miss a fourth consecutive contest Sunday due to a virus.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (3-1): Martin (19.0 points) missed all six of his shots in the first half before catching fire after intermission, hitting six of his last nine field-goal attempts and scoring 17 of his team-high 19 points over the first 14 minutes of the second half. “I think sometimes it’s a matter of time with Remy and I haven’t had many halves like the first half with him; it was very uncharacteristic. He’s one of the best point guards in the country," coach Bobby Hurley told the Arizona Republic. Sophomore swingman Elias Valtonen got the start in place of injured guard Alonzo Verge Jr. and rewarded Hurley for his faith with a career-high 10 points over a season-high 27 minutes after entering the contest averaging 2.7.

TIP-INS

1. Virginia has allowed more than 46 points once (55 against Vermont), while Arizona State has scored at least 80 in three straight.

2. The Sun Devils have recorded 21 second-half comeback victories in four-plus seasons under Hurley, tying them for the sixth most in Division I over that span.

3. Diakite had led the team in scoring in each of the Cavaliers' first four games, managing at least 12 points each time.

PREDICTION: Virginia 65, Arizona State 53