Devils in Detail
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ASU Basketball: Regular Season Road Finale a Must-Win

By Zach Pekale

Feb 16, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Torian Graham (4) reacts after a play against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Arizona State defeated Washington, 83-81. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Torian Graham (4) reacts after a play against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Arizona State defeated Washington, 83-81. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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In its final road contest of the season, ASU Basketball is in Pullman looking to split its season series with the Washington State Cougars.

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Despite another up-and-down season for the ASU basketball (13-14, 6-8), the Sun Devils have an opportunity to get back to .500 on the year for the first time since Jan. 12. To reach that mark, they will have to take down Washington State (11-15, 4-10) on the road.

Winning away from Wells Fargo Arena has not come easy for head coach Bobby Hurley’s team as just three of the team’s 13 wins are in true road games. Washington State previously defeated ASU 91-83 in Tempe with the Sun Devils looking to return the favor in Pullman.

For the first time in 2016, ASU won back-to-back conference games, storming back to beat Stanford at home before escaping Washington on Thursday night. With a win against WSU, the Sun Devils will have their first three-game Pac-12 winnig streak since the 2014-2015 season.

Jan 29, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Washington State Cougars forward Josh Hawkinson (24) goes up for a dunk against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first half at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 29, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Washington State Cougars forward Josh Hawkinson (24) goes up for a dunk against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first half at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

In the previous meeting between these teams, the Cougars edged Arizona State by nine behind a career-high 31 points from forward Josh Hawkinson. To beat Washington State, ASU will need an improved defensive effort from forward Obinna Oleka in the low post.

Offensively, guard Torian Graham has been on a tear in his past two games, scoring 24 against Stanford and 29 at Washington. The senior has found his shot once again following a career-worst  1-14 night against Cal and will be looked to as a primary scoring option.

Should ASU win, the team would pick up its seventh win of Pac-12 play, building off of the five conference games it won in Hurley’s first year at the helm. Additionally, the Sun Devils would retake sole possession of seventh place in the conference standings.

Next: ASU Basketball: Devils Avoid Collapse to Beat Washington

Tip off between Arizona State and Washington State will be at 3 p.m. MST from Beasley Coliseum. The game can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks.

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