If someone were to walk into a room before the college basketball season started and asked a group of people if they thought Arizona State would be undefeated with a more-than-likely chance of cracking the AP top 10 for the first time since 1981 β maybe even top five β while the team down in Tucson is still figuring things out, what would be the response?Β
Depends on who's answering, but most likely slim-to-none.
Back in November, Arizona was ranked No. 2 while the Sun Devils flew under the radar, unranked and underrated. Then the Bahamas trip happened and Arizona dropped three consecutive games for the first time since Sean Miller's first season in Tucson, breaking its streak of being ranked in the top 25 since the end of the 2012 season.Β
While the Cats are starting to get their act together after grinding out four straight wins and with Rawle Alkins returning to the rotation after missing 10 weeks for a broken foot he suffered in September, ASU on paper has been the best team in Arizona.Β
The Sun Devils are 9-0 for the second time in program history after beating No. 2 Kansas 95-85 Sunday. The last time they beat a top-five opponent on the road was against Stanford in 1998.
Guards Tra Holder, Shannon Evans II and freshman Remy Martin combined for 72 points. Holder had a game-high 29 points and shot 4 of 7 from three-point range while knocking down 9 of 12 free throws.
"I didn't really have to coach a whole lot tonight," ASU head coach Bobby Hurley told AZ Central's Doug Haller. "(Holder, Evans and Martin) deserve all the credit just with their playmaking ability, their shot-making, their unselfishness, the energy they played with at both ends. ... It was a tremendous thing for me to witness and be a part of."
ASU was a 12-point underdog on the road against a Kansas team that is 224-10 under Bill Self at Allen Fieldhouse. The odds were against the Sun Devils before they were wheels up for Lawrence, Kansas.Β
"No one really wins here," Hurley said. "You come in here, most of the time you're not leaving real happy."
ASU left as a group of happy campers and even better, it will finish the next three games at home with a strong possibility of ending nonconference play undefeated. So what's so significant about the Sun Devils' cannonball into the national college basketball scene?
They already have wins over Kansas State, No. 15 Xavier, St. John's and now Kansas. All games have either been played on a neutral site or away. And it just so happens the Pac-12 opener on Dec. 30 is Arizona hosting ASU, a perfect opportunity to beef up the already impressive resume just before the new year.
In years past, let's say the last three decades, Arizona has dominated the series. Since 1984, the Cats are 56-15 against the Sun Devils and are undefeated (4-0) against Hurley.Β
ASU had a stretch beating the Wildcats five straight times in 2008-09 behind the production of Pac-10 Player of the Year James Harden, but since then, it's been mostly the Wildcats on top.Β
This year could be different and since Arizona is finding its fifth gear, a surging ASU team with the fifth-ranked adjusted offensive efficiency per Ken Pomeroy, the Sun Devils have a great shot at temporarily taking over state supremacy at the moment by handing the Wildcats their first loss in the rivalry since 2015.Β
How can the Devils do it? It's going to take a great effort by the trio of guards that dominated against Kansas, especially from outside since ASU is second in the Pac-12 in three-point field goals made. They'll also need to worry about freshman phenom and potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick Deandre Ayton, who is coming off a career-high performance against Alabama with 29 points and 18 rebounds.Β
Arizona forward Deandre Ayton (13) throws down a dunk on Alabama forward Donta Hall (0) in the first half of their game at McKale Center, Saturday, December 9, 2017, Tucson, Ariz.
UA head coach Sean Miller raved about Ayton's career night on Saturday, here's what he said:
βI donβt know what statement he needs to make. I donβt think he gets enough credit, and as I describe him really smart on and off the court, highly intelligent ... He practices hard, heβs responsible, heβs takes care of business, but his ability as a player in my mind is unmatched. I donβt know how to describe what heβs able to do, as heβs so skilled and yet so big and athletic. Usually thereβs one or the other. He has both.β
Allonzo Trier knows all about Ayton's rare skill set.Β
βHe just dominates the game on both ends of the floor and makes it easy for us. Heβs a weapon that pretty much nobody in the country has so we have to make sure we take advantage of it pretty much at all times," Trier said.Β
The matchup comes down to the Sun Devils' guard play and the dominance of Ayton in the post, but it's up to players like Trier and Alkins to complete the 1-2-3 punch to hold off a hungry ASU team that would want nothing more than to beat the almighty Wildcats on their home floor and start off conference play in the driver's seat.Β
Regardless, ASU-Arizona could be arguably the best Pac-12 matchup of the season, which could be the start of a special rivalry. What's better than that?
