In the midst of one of the greatest Arizona State football’s greatest seasons in program history, all eyes turn to Atlanta, with ASU set to play in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day. However, Sparky will get an early taste of the Peach State almost three weeks before the calendar turns–just not on the gridiron.
On the hardwood, coach Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils have quietly flown under the radar. They have jumped out to an impressive 8-1 start to the season, including wins over Saint Mary’s, New Mexico and Grand Canyon.
But, even while riding a six-game winning streak, the heaping recognition and praise hasn’t come yet for ASU. The Devils were left out of the AP top 25 for another week.
Nonetheless, with a chance to beat another strong opponent this weekend in Atlanta and pick up its first ranked win of the season, the Sun Devils can squash any trepidations surrounding one of ASU’s best starts to a season in Hurley’s tenure.
On Saturday, Arizona State will once again play the underdog role. It stares down a date with undefeated No. 9 Florida in a game that pits two of college basketball’s hottest teams against one another.
As one of college basketball’s last eight remaining unbeaten teams, the Gators appear to have taken a step forward in year three under head coach Todd Golden.
A much improved defensive team, Florida now appears to be a more balanced squad in 2024. However, similar to last season, its calling is still on the offensive end. It remains one of the nation’s highest-scoring teams–fifteenth in the nation in points per game (86.6).
Led by a duo of dynamic senior guards, Walter Clayton Jr. (18.4 ppg) and Alijah Martin (15.2 ppg), the Gators enjoy getting out in transition to create easy baskets–Florida ranks sixth in the nation in fastbreak points per game (18.56).
Of course, Hurley’s Devils are no stranger to playing high-octane offenses. ASU matched up with two of the more explosive offenses in the country earlier in the season: No. 8 Gonzaga (90.2 ppg) and New Mexico (84.4 ppg).
ASU boasts its own pair of dynamic scorers in freshman guard Joson Sanon (15.9 ppg) and senior forward Basheer Jihad (13.7 ppg), who help ASU keep up in high-scoring affairs.
Despite only playing at the college level for a few weeks, Sanon’s elite shooting has led him to receive awards. Most recently, Sanon earned Most Valuable Player at the Acrisure Classic tournament and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.
He’s unconscious 🤯@joson_sanon making everything 🔥
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) November 15, 2024
📺 @ESPN 2 pic.twitter.com/EldfJUt1Ot
“When he misses I’m surprised and that’s just the bottom line,” Hurley told reporters after the Acrisure Classic. “We need his scoring punch… I know there’s a lot of good players in the Big 12 and a lot of great programs, but he has to be one of the top scoring guards I would imagine in the league.”
Besides having the ability to score at high clips, the teams also share another commonality: a dominant big man inside.
Standout ASU freshman forward Jayden Quaintance will face a tough matchup with Florida sophomore center Alex Condon. The Gators’ 6-foot-11-inch tall big man threatens on both ends of the floor. He averages 13 points per game while anchoring Florida’s interior defense.
So far this season, the 17-year-old Quaintance has shown he’s up for the challenge. The freshman has held his own against stiff competition this season and garnered national attention for his defensive prowess.
He leads the nation in blocks per game (3.56) and can guard all positions on the floor.
WE. HAVE. NO. WORDS. 🤯@qjayhoops /// @TheSunDevils
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 4, 2024
📺 @ESPNPlus
🔗 https://t.co/hEnItSOBI1 pic.twitter.com/LHErT0eDch
“A guy like Jayden Quaintance just changes you (defensively), Hurley said. “He instantly makes you better on that end of the floor with all the ways he impacts; his steals shot blocking, his timing, his motor.”
In the backcourt, ASU’s already thin guard rotation faces its own set of challenges after losing junior guard Austin Nunez to a season-ending foot injury.
The team now looks for starting point guard, senior Alston Mason, to take on even more minutes. Additionally, off-ball guards, Sanon and senior Adam Miller, now must handle point guard responsibilities when Mason is off the floor.
Yet, the biggest test for Hurley’s squad might come from the Gators’ collective effort on the glass. Florida ranks seventeenth in rebounding margin compared to ASU’s which comes in at 142 in the nation on the boards.
Through their first nine games, the Devils have lost the battle on the boards by sizable margins multiple times and still found ways to win. But against a team as talented as Florida, the Sun Devils will need to at least compete in the rebounding category if they hope to prevent their trip down south from turning sour.
The Sun Devils will square off against Florida in game two of this year’s Holiday Hoopsgiving event at on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 1:30 p.m. MST at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Leave a Reply