ASU Basketball: Sun Devils to face struggling UCLA team

Riding a two-game winning streak, ASU basketball returns to the road against UCLA, looking to sweep a weekend for the first time since January 2010.

A 22-2 run, a posterizing dunk and a sweep of the Oregon schools later, there is reason to believe Arizona State is righting a ship that couldn’t handle the tide against Princeton, Utah and Stanford.

Morale is high in Tempe and the Sun Devils are 4-2 in the Pac-12, their best start in league play under coach Bobby Hurley. But, this is a stepping stone only sustainable if ASU can muster a sweep on the road.

That starts with UCLA on Thursday.

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In Westwood, the standard is to compete for a national championship each year. While former coach Steve Alford led the Bruins to three Sweet 16 appearances in five seasons, the consensus was that the program wasn’t maximizing its potential.

After a 7-6 start, Alford was fired, replaced in the interim by Murry Bartow. His father, Gene, is best-known for famously replacing John Wooden in 1975.

Under Bartow, UCLA is 3-2 with a miraculous comeback against Oregon as well as wins over Stanford and Cal. The 3-0 start to the Bartow Era has quickly been forgotten after 13-point losses at Oregon State and USC. In the rivalry matchup, the Trojans led by as many as 26.

There’s no shortage of talent on the Bruins’ roster, though it does lack experience and polish. Sophomore guards Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes opted to pass on the NBA and have both put together respectable seasons to date.

Wilkes averages a team-high 17.1 points per game and Hands has substantially improved as a passer, upping his assists per game average to 6.4, up from 2.6 a year ago.

Outside of the backcourt duo, redshirt junior guard Prince Ali is the one other key contributor to return from the group that reached the NCAA Tournament last season.

Five-star center Moses Brown has shown glimpses of his potential as a low post threat and shot blocker, but has had some of his worst performances against veteran-heavy teams (Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State).

Redshirt freshmen forwards Cody Riley and Jalen Hill have split time as the Bruins’ fifth starter. Both had to delay their collegiate debuts for a season after they were suspended indefinitely by Alford after they were detained for shoplifting in China in 2017. Their eligibility was retained though both would’ve been more polished and provided experience to an otherwise young team.

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The defense of Arizona State specializes in forcing turnovers and creating points in transition. If UCLA is making mental errors, look for that inexperience to become relevant as the Bruins will likely have to play from behind.

ASU tips off against UCLA from Pauley Pavilion at 9 p.m. The game is available on Fox Sports 1.

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