After an inconsistent conference regular season, ASU basketball opens the Pac-12 Tournament against Colorado with both teams winning on their home court.
The time has finally come. The collegiate basketball regular season has come roaring to an end and the postseason is once again upon us.
For some, the Pac-12 Conference Tournament means cementing pre-season expectations, for others the tourney is the final stop en route to a long offseason; however one team has a completely different task ahead.
That lone wolf is the Arizona State Sun Devils.
We all know the story to this point, an immaculate start to the season that garnered the title of “Guard U”. The absolutely devastating offensive attack that cemented the likes of Bobby Hurley, Tra Holder, Shannon Evans and Kodi Justice into the minds of millions of basketball fans around the nation.
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Their magical start to the season quickly turned into a horror story and ASU found themselves struggling to remain relevant week-to-week. The Sun Devils limped their way through conference play and ended with an underwhelming 8-10 record.
Luckily for ASU, none of that matters now.
The postseason is a chance to start anew. For ASU, this means a second chance to reassert themselves as the dominant offensive juggernaut they are. That second chance starts with the Colorado Buffaloes during day one of the tournament.
The Buffaloes ended their season on a rather negative note losing four of their last five games. Colorado has little to no momentum coming into day one as they’ve lost three of those games by double-digits, including a gut-punch 23-point loss to Utah.
For ASU, this is a chance to pounce on a struggling basketball team.
The Achilles’ heal for this Buffs squad is playing away from home. Colorado managed only a 1-10 record on the road, and lost their only substantial neutral site game against Iowa in late December.
The lack of production away from Colorado bodes extremely well for ASU, who excels in neutral site games. The Sun Devils went 3-0 at neutral sites on the season and proved formidable in these types of games. Two of ASU’s signature wins against then-No. 2 Kansas and then-No. 15 Xavier came away from Tempe.
With Selection Sunday inching closer every day and the looming reality of what could be a seniors’ final game in that Sun Devil uniform, it’s safe to assume ASU will be playing its hardest basketball of the season.
Look for the Sun Devils to play with that same swagger and poise they showed in non-conference play. This postseason means more than just winning games. It’s about proving a point to both themselves and the nation.
Next: ASU Basketball: 2018 Pac-12 Tournament Preview
That point being that their once 12-0 record was no blip, instead it was merely a glimpse into the teams full, terrifying potential.