ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 12 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
2. Arizona State Sun Devils (13-5, 4-2 Pac-12) LW: 4
Back against the wall for a second straight year, coach Bobby Hurley did what he does best -restore momentum in a big way.
Coming off a double-digit loss to Stanford, the Sun Devils took care of business at home against Oregon and Oregon State last week to put themselves back into a position to win the Pac-12.
Last season, ASU was in a near-identical position on the NCAA Tournament bubble before picking up big home wins over USC and UCLA.
Though there are more games remaining this time around, the significance of the results seemed greater.
Against OSU, cold shooting by the Beavers helped ASU race out to a 18-point lead in the second half. A defensive lapse contributed to seven made 3’s by OSU after halftime but the Sun Devils’ offensive balance was enough to help them across the finish line.
Six players recorded nine or more points, led by 13 from redshirt junior guard Rob Edwards. Down the stretch, two dunks by redshirt senior forward Zylan Cheatham and a pair of free throws by Edwards sealed the victory over an OSU team previously undefeated in Pac-12 play.
Then Hurley’s group came away with a statement win on Saturday. Playing Oregon tightly, the Sun Devils couldn’t pull ahead until an unprecedented 22-2 run invigorated ASU. Hurley called it the best eight minutes that the team had played all season.
At 4-2, the Devils are once again in prime position to compete for the Pac-12 regular season title. To do so, however, improvements on the road are essential. ASU heads to Los Angeles where it’ll look to snap a 35-weekend streak without a road sweep.
– Pekale