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ASU Basketball: Sun Devils take on the Princeton Tigers

By Richard Geraffo

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 21: Elias Valtonen #11 of the Arizona State Sun Devils drives the ball by Brock Miller #22 of the Utah State Aggies during the second half of the championship game of the MGM Resorts Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona State won 87-82. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 21: Elias Valtonen #11 of the Arizona State Sun Devils drives the ball by Brock Miller #22 of the Utah State Aggies during the second half of the championship game of the MGM Resorts Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona State won 87-82. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /
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ASU basketball takes on Princeton in a Saturday afternoon matchup giving the Devils a chance to work out the kinks and fine tune before conference play.

Coming off their most dramatic and emphatic victory of the 2018 season, the Arizona State Sun Devils are set to take on the Ivy Leagues best today as the Princeton Tigers head into Tempe with high hopes.

The Tigers last five games have seen them go 2-3, one of which was a 51-point drubbing at the hands of Duke. With Arizona State on the horizon and a home-and-home with current Ivy League champ, Penn, things could get much worse for the Tigers.

Trying to avoid disaster and set the tone for Princeton are Devin Cannady, Jaelin Llewellyn and Myles Stephens. Together this tantalizing trio is scoring 48.5 points per contest and providing the majority of scoring for Princeton.

Cannady has assumed the role of alpha on this team, scoring 20 points per game on 42 percent shooting from downtown. His improvement over the years has been drastic, as he has increased in scoring and efficiency in each season since 2015. Cannady isn’t just a scorer however, his quick hands on the defensive end are leading him to 1.4 steals per contest too.

We can expect ASU’s Luguentz Dort to take on the senior in a matchup that pits experience against pure talent. Dort didn’t shoot well against Kansas but his infectious effort on the defensive end led to increased activity from the entire Sun Devil defense.

This game theoretically should be an easy victory for the Sun Devils, but these things are never guaranteed. ASU will have to continue what they’ve done all year to win this Saturday.

For head coach Bobby Hurley’s squad, it starts on the defensive end. Posting an impressive 95.2 defensive rating, the athleticism and tenacity from the entire Devil defense makes each possession an uncomfortable one for any perspective opponent.

ASU has another opportunity to work out the kinks in today’s matchup. Some things we’d like to see are an offensively involved Kimani Lawrence, a ball-moving Rob Edwards, an active Romello White and continued growth with Remy Martin running the show.

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These games are vital to continued growth from a team with post season play on the horizon. The Sun Devils take on the Tigers in Tempe, with tip off coming at 2 p.m. MT.

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