Devils in Detail
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ASU MBB: Sun Devils Take on NM State in a Southwest Showdown

By Dylan Carter

Dec 3, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Jethro Tshisumpa (42) reacts after a basket against the UNLV Rebels during the second half at Wells-Fargo Arena. The Sun Devils won 97-73. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Jethro Tshisumpa (42) reacts after a basket against the UNLV Rebels during the second half at Wells-Fargo Arena. The Sun Devils won 97-73. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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ASU Basketball is back in Tempe for a three game home-stand following a 74-63 victory at San Diego State.

The Sun Devils are undefeated at home and hope to improve, but it won’t be easy. The New Mexico State Aggies are 9-2 and have shown flashes of a strong team. They’ve averaged 77 points per contest on 46% shooting from the field.

ASU will look to their emerging scorer, Shannon Evans II, heavily in this matchup. Over his last three games, he’s averaging 20 points per game and has become a strong leader. He’s living up to head coach Bobby Hurley’s praise.

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Despite New Mexico State’s size advantage, the Sun Devils are averaging similar rebounding numbers with 36 per game to the Aggies’ 37.5 per game. This may be an opportunity for ASU big man Ramon Vila and Jethro Tshisumpa to provide vital minutes. The Aggies have four players over 6 foot 9 inches and will most likely attack ASU in the paint.

In order for ASU to win, they’ll need to push the tempo and force New Mexico State to adjust to their style of play. The Sun Devils will look to run the floor, move the ball and shoot lots of threes.

New Mexico State’s leading scorer, Ian Baker, is coming off of a 20 point outing against UTEP and will be a big priority for ASU’s dicey defensive unit. They held San Diego State to 63 points in their previous game and have shown signs of solid defensive presence, but haven’t fully disproved fan’s concerns about their defensive play.

Tonight’s matchup will be a huge opportunity for ASU to display their defensive capabilities and fast paced offense. New Mexico State is relatively young and hasn’t faced much competition thus far. Because of this, ASU veterans Torian Graham and Obinna Oleka will be extremely valuable in this game.

Next: ASU MBB: Sun Devils Come Back Against San Diego State

The Sun Devils tip off at 6 p.m. MST and can been seen on Pac-12 Arizona.

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