ASU Basketball: Tournament Time
By Mike Slifer
Feb 26, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Shaquielle McKissic (40) shoots between two Stanford Cardinal defenderrs during the second half at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Well, it’s finally upon us…tournament time. Some people call it the second season. Tomorrow, ASU will put their hat in the ring for the chance to be conference tournament champions. Meanwhile, for eight PAC-12 teams, their bid for an automatic berth to the NCAA’s begins today.
For the Sun Devils, it’s a chance to put their best foot forward and assert themselves as a legitimate conference contender. They are quite capable. ASU’s only knock this season has been playing on the road. At home, they have shocked and humbled almost everyone they have played.
This Sun Devil team has all the tools to make a run in Las Vegas. They have the attacking, scoring point guard in Jahii Carson. They have an established inside presence in Jordan Bachynski. And they have some scrappy, athletic forwards in Jermaine Marshall, Shaquelle McKissic, Bo Barnes and Jonathan Gilling.
This ASU team has tasted success against everybody they may face in this PAC-12 tournament. They’ve also tasted defeat.
Two key points of emphasis jump out when evaluating the Sun Devils’ chances of winning this tournament in Las Vegas:
1) Playing on a neutral court.
This is tricky. Everyone in the PAC-12 played well at home. Almost every team struggled on the road. Playing at a neutral site can give a weird vibe to the game. There is no home court advantage. Both teams are in a foreign environment. Even teams that travel well with fans still are not quite the same as they are at home.
Additionally, the excitement of the extra media coverage, the pageantry and most of all-the second chance that every team feels-all factors in to creat hotly contested games.
A lot of experts argue that underdogs have a mental advantage in tournaments like this. They have the mental freedom of playing without expectations. It’s a liberating feeling to just go out and play without jitters.
It’s hard to say exactly where ASU stands in the whole “underdog picture”. They are seeded in the top four, giving them a bye for today’s games. But they may not be favored to win any game they play in Las Vegas.
Regardless, underdogs and favorites are thrown into the same fire during tournament play. They get one game. One chance to survive. That’s the beauty of college hoops.
ASU has to come out tomorrow with reckless abandon. By now, they’ll have the scouting reports and player tendencies down pat no matter who they play. It will just be a matter of will. Hustle, focus, confidence and all five guys on the floor pulling on the same rope is an absolute necessity for ASU in this tournament.