ASU Basketball: Sun Devils host top-ranked Kansas in rematch

No. 18 ASU basketball hosts No. 1 Kansas in a rematch of last year’s meeting in which the Sun Devils defeated the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse.

The last and only time Arizona State hosted the No. 1 team in the country: February 22, 2003. During that year, iTunes had just launched, one of the top movies out was Finding Nemo, and George W. Bush was President of the United States.

It would be an understatement to say that a lot has changed from then to now, including the rise of Arizona State basketball.

Heading into Saturday’s matchup with No. 1 Kansas, the Sun Devils are 1-8 in games played against top-ranked teams. Luckily for Bobby Hurley and ASU, they have the talent to change past narratives.

“We want to see two heavyweights going at it. We feel like we’ve competed with some of the very best teams already this year and have been able to win or be very, very respectable,” Hurley said. “We’re looking forward to seeing where we stand.”

The Sun Devils struggled offensively at times during their first road trip of the season. With freshman Luguentz Dort scoring 22 points on a combined 5-for-23 shooting, they needed a spark.

That spark came in the form of sophomore guard Remy Martin for Arizona State as he tied a career-high with 21 points in the win over Vanderbilt. After a slow start to the season due to an ankle injury, it looks like Martin has found his groove at the perfect time.

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Like the Sun Devils, the talent for Kansas doesn’t stop after the starting five, and coach Bill Self puts that talent to use as the Jayhawks have seven players on the roster who average over 19 minutes per contest.

“They have multiple guys that can hurt you. They have a good inside game, they have a good plan to get the ball inside and they also have very explosive perimeter players,” Hurley said. “And they have young players that were highly-regarded players that have played against the very best competition.”

If Arizona State wants any chance to upset the Jayhawks and get their second ever victory over a top-ranked team, they will have to find a way to slow down redshirt junior forward Dedric Lawson and senior guard Lagerald Vick.

The dynamic duo of Vick and Lawson is one of the most dangerous if not the most dangerous pairings in all of college hoops. Between the two of them, they account for 36.8 points, 15.5 rebounds, and 2.8 steals per game for the Jayhawks.

“As tough as it sounds, that’s what you’ve got to do,” senior forward Zylan Cheatham said. “Obviously, we know what’s at stake, we know what type of team we’ve got coming in here, and we’ve approached everything accordingly.”

Bobby Hurley knows he and his team will have their hands full on Saturday but is excited for the challenge and opportunity that playing the No. 1 team in the nation presents.

“No one should be intimidated by anything that goes on. I think both teams have been in tough spots, have played great competition and now it’s just time to play.” Hurley added, “It’s special because of what they’ve done and what they’re all about. Their program is what a lot of programs are striving to be on a consistent basis and to see that opponent here and have an opportunity to play them is a great experience for us.”

Saturday will mark the fourth time this season that the Sun Devils will play in front of a national audience as the game is scheduled to air live on ESPN2 with opening tip set for 7 p.m. MT.