TEMPE — After going toe-to-toe with Gonzaga on the road for 39 minutes, Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley stood helplessly on the sideline, watching then-sophomore forward Braden Huff deliver the finishing blow to ASU’s upset bid — a dunk fall to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to six with under 40 seconds to go.
It capped off an 88-80 victory for Gonzaga coach Mark Few’s squad over Arizona State last year.
Now, just over a year later, the teams meet again with revamped rosters.
“They are a really good team,” Hurley said. “They have really been one of the top programs on the West Coast for the past two decades.”
The matchup also marks a homecoming for former Sun Devil guard Adam Miller. The senior, who spent two years in Tempe, suited up for ASU in its loss to the Bulldogs last year.
“It is going to be a little weird seeing him in a different jersey, but he gave the program everything he had and never cheated us of anything,” Hurley said. “(I am) always rooting for him for this year outside of this matchup.”
Miller’s veteran presence adds to a No. 19-ranked Bulldogs team that boasts a level of experience and leadership that may trump every other team in college basketball. The entire starting five is composed of players 21 years of age or older; they have four rotational players of 23 years or older, and six of their eight returning college players have medical redshirted a full past season.
While they don’t match Gonzaga in age, the Sun Devils’ roster is also littered with upperclassmen. However, with only one scholarship player returning, it’s been an adjustment process for Hurley and his 12 new scholarship players.
A commonality between the two squads?
Their strong collection of talent that’s come over from abroad.
For Arizona State, freshman center Massamba Diop, graduate forward Allen Mukeba, junior forward Andrija Grbovic and sophomore forward Santiago Trouet have all have an international background and have contributed to the Sun Devils early start.
For the Zags, it’s gotten some main production from junior forward Emmanuel Innocenti, sophomore center Ismaila Diagne and freshman guard Mario Saint-Supery, who recorded the youngest debut on the Spain National team since Ricky Rubio.
Their European backgrounds have contributed to a slower pace of play this season. Last season, Gonzaga was tied for 62nd in the nation for pace of play, while Arizona State was tied for 68th, according to Warren Nolan. Both teams’ pace of play this year has gone down for both teams in the early part of the season, with the Sun Devils ranked at 121st and the Bulldogs ranked at 274th.
But the slower play style doesn’t take away from Gonzaga’s intensity.
“Their intensity from jump ball is just super high,” senior guard Moe Odum said. “Even their bench is into it. One little play and their bench is up. It is super hard to beat them because you are not just playing five, you are playing the coaching staff, the people on the bench and the fans.”
The Zags are always efficient on offense, and this year remains no exception.
Gonzaga ranks 47th in points per game (90.3), while the Sun Devils sit tied for 117th with 81 points per game — up from last season’s total, where they averaged 74.1 points per game.
The difference for the Bulldogs this year?
Defense.
Gonzaga is 20th in the nation in points allowed per game with 58, and is ranked top 15 in defensive efficiency.
It starts with its frontcourt, with forwards graduate Graham Ike and junior Braden Huff leading the charge on the defensive end.
The long-tenured Zags will need to continue their dominance on offense too, as the pair lead the team in scoring. Both have added to their offensive games since first arriving in Spokane. In Ike’s case, his scoring has extended all the way beyond the arc.
“Their frontcourt is outstanding,” Hurley said. “Huff and Ike have played together for a couple of years and really got a good feel for each other and found each other.”
In the backcourt, guards freshman Saint-Supery and senior Jalen Warley will have to continue to be efficient from the floor and create havoc defensively. They’ve combined for just under five steals a game between the two.
As a team, the Bulldogs will have to shoot it better from three than they have this season (31%), but their top two guards have been efficient. Saint-Supery is shooting at a 50% clip from deep this season, while Warley has maintained a 63% field goal percentage overall.
To take down the Zags, the Sun Devils will likely need a Herculean effort from their point guard and leader, Moe Odum. He has experience suiting up against the Bulldogs, playing them twice in his college career.
“I like what I am seeing on the practice floor from Moe (Odum) this week,” Hurley said. “He is going to have to lead our team and do a good job of running the team on Friday night.”
Meanwhile, down low, the Sun Devils will rely on Diop and Mukeba to slow down Gonzaga’s bigs and be scoring threats like they’ve shown this season.
Arizona State will face off against Gonzaga for the second time ever when they come to Desert Financial Arena on Friday, Nov. 14, at 9 p.m. MST.
For the Maroon and Gold, the game not only serves as a chance to pick up a win against a ranked opponent, but also an opportunity to truly see where the new-look squad stands early in the season.
“I have been talking to them (the team) about the Gonzaga game since Day 1,” Odum said. “This is our first big test.”
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