ASU Basketball: 2018 Pac-12 Tournament Roundtable

As ASU basketball prepares to compete for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Devils in Detail breaks down the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament.

The stage is set. 12 teams, all chasing one goal: Pac-12 Tournament Champions.

The regular season is in the books and as the postseason begins, the Devils in Detail basketball staff answers some of the most anticipated questions ahead of the Pac-12 Tournament.

1. How far will Arizona State advance?

Zach Pekale: It’s hard to gauge which ASU team will take the floor on a given night. One plays with confidence while the other is borderline reckless.

However, it’s that same boldness that can carry a team in March. I think ASU makes the run many expected it would during non-conference play. Beating a team three times in a season is a difficult task and the Sun Devils are capable of taking down Arizona on its third try. I believe we see the Sun Devils playing on Friday in the semifinals, locking up a bid to the Big Dance in the process.

Trevor Booth: With everything that this team has been through, it seems like each game holds its own sense of unpredictability. For a given stretch, the Sun Devils may look great and find flashes of their non-conference success, and then two games later, the theme goes back to, “what happened to this team?”

With Bobby Hurley on their side, ASU should put together a dominant performance against the Colorado Buffaloes. However, I think the run stops there. Despite what would be a loss to Arizona, a win against Colorado should be enough for the Sun Devils to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Richard Geraffo: I believe ASU will come out swinging. Head coach Bobby Hurley’s squad should easily dispatch the reeling Colorado Buffaloes.

Following, the Sun Devils have fallen twice to Arizona, but as the old saying goes ‘third time’s a charm’. With two games of experience against Deandre Ayton and the Wildcats, it’s fair to assume Hurley will come into this game with a new plan on both offense and defense.

I believe ASU will pull out a win against UA and ride the momentum of that victory to a serious chance at winning the conference championship.

Alyanna Harina: As optimistic as I’d like to be with the future of the Sun Devils, they are coming off a tough loss against Stanford coming into the tournament.

I think that if ASU can recover from its most recent loss against the Buffaloes, it has a very good chance against Arizona. It is very hard to beat a team three times in a season and I think that if the Sun Devils play their game they can come away with a second round win and contend to cut down the nets.

2. Who is the team to beat?

ZP: Arizona and by a wide margin at that. The past few years, the No.1 pick in the NBA Draft has not played meaningful March basketball. That will potentially change with Deandre Ayton on hand. The Wildcats are the best team in Las Vegas while the other 11 teams virtually have had no answer for Ayton.

TB: Arizona.

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Granted, Utah, USC and Stanford have been really good of late. With each team needing some wins to advance to the NCAA Tournament, they’ll surely being playing with more fire than usual.

Nobody else has Deandre Ayton. March is the time when big-time players make a name for themselves, and with Ayton slated to become a top two pick in the NBA Draft in June, I expect him to have a big conference tournament before Arizona jumps into the NCAA Tournament.

RG: The answer is unequivocally Arizona.

Why? Deandre Ayton.

No other team in the Pac-12 boasts the talent that UA does. Ayton is a once-in-a-generation physical talent with the requisite basketball skills to match. Arizona presents the biggest challenge for any who dare approach them this tournament, it should be extremely fun to watch.

AH: I agree with Trevor and Rich, Arizona is the team to beat. Not only do the defending conference tournament champs have polished players in Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier and an X-factor in Rawle Alkins, but the recent FBI probe will likely rev up their intensity. Needless to say it won’t be a surprise if the Wildcats play to redeem the recently tainted Arizona basketball program.

3. Who is the team with the most to prove?

ZP: I’ll take an unconvential team and say UCLA. The Bruins have disappointed despite bringing in a quality recruiting class with Kris Wilkes and Jalen Hands and have veteran leaders in Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh. I believe that the shoplifting scandal in China put a cloud over this team’s head early in the year and was a distraction. With a fresh start, the Bruins could be dangerous and I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a run with a combination of young star power and veteran leadership.

TB: It has to be Arizona State. After a subpar conference season, the Sun Devils need to provide some answers for how a 12-0 start was negated by a 8-10 finish in league play.

If they beat Colorado, they’ll get another chance to take down Arizona, a team they were possibly two or three missed shots away from beating last time the teams faced in Tempe. A win over Arizona would provide huge momentum for a team that’s looking to get hot at the right time. If they dethrone the Wildcats and advance to the semifinals, a conference tournament championship would certainly be in their sights.

Now is the time for the Sun Devils to right whatever wrongs that went on during the regular season. If they can create some momentum in Las Vegas, it’s possible they could go on the NCAA Tournament run many expected them to go on in November and December.

RG: For the sake of differing arguments, I’m going with USC.

Despite finishing second in the Pac-12 standings, it feels like nobody is talking about the Trojans. Flying under the radar, USC put together an excellent season.

Heading into Las Vegas, USC won four of its last five and had two players named to the All-Pac-12 first team as Chimezie Metu and Jordan McLaughlin have proven to be a formidable duo.

After finding themselves on the bubble, a successful showing in Las Vegas may warrant a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

AH: Though the Arizona Wildcats seem to have had the spotlight lately, Arizona State’s entire history with Bobby Hurley in this program definitely has the most to prove.

I know the impressive non-conference slate has been covered again and again but the Sun Devils did handily beat teams like Kansas and have already won a tournament in Vegas. Having a less than impressive season, failing to reach .500, makes the Pac-12 Tournament the perfect place for Guard U to prove that they are a nationally contending team.

4. Who will be on the All-Tournament Team/Tournament MVP?

ZP: Aaron Holiday – UCLA, Payton Pritchard – Oregon, Allonzo Trier – Arizona, Chimezie Metu – USC, Dusan Ristic – Arizona

Tournament MVP: Deandre Ayton – Arizona

TB: Jordan McLaughlin – USC, Aaron Holiday – UCLA, Reid Travis – Stanford, Chimezie Metu – USC, Deandre Ayton – Arizona.

Tournament MVP: Allonzo Trier-Arizona

RG: Tra Holder – ASU, Jordan McLaughlin – USC, Reid Travis – Stanford, Justin Bibbins – Utah, Deandre Ayton – Arizona.

MVP : Tra Holder – Arizona State

Next: ASU Basketball: Sun Devils tip off Pac-12 Tournament against Colorado

AH: Tra Holder – ASU, Aaron Holiday – UCLA, Noah Dickerson – Washington, Reid Travis – Stanford, Deandre Ayton – Arizona.

Tournament MVP: Rawle Alkins – Arizona