ASU Basketball: Where do the Sun Devils stand halfway through Pac-12?

We’re halfway through a highly competitive Pac-12 season with No. 21 ASU basketball sitting fifth in the conference with a 5-4 record.

Through the first half of Pac-12 play, Arizona State has been in just one game that did not go down to the wire.

That is a testament to coach Charlie Turner Thorne’s squad for going toe-to-toe with elite teams in the conference.

It is also a detriment as the Devils have been in close games and even on the losing side against teams they were favored against. ASU is 5-4 in the Pac-12, underwhelming for a ranked team, but Turner Thorne is optimistic about the remainder of the season.

“It’s not what we wanted, but we felt the second round was the more favorable for us,” she said. “I do feel like we have some great wins but we also have some tough losses that we don’t usually have and I hope that motivates this team to be more consistent in the second half.”

ASU will need a better record in its final nine games to keep the hope of hosting a regional alive. The latest “Bracketology” by ESPN has the Devils as a fifth-seed, dropping from a projected third-seed after the Devils split the LA series.

Through highs and lows, the Pac-12 season for Arizona State has been eventful, especially considering it has had the third toughest schedule in the country, according to Hero Sports.

It doesn’t get much easier with rematches against top-10 teams Stanford, Oregon State and Oregon to finish the season. That’s why it is vital for ASU to win its next four games, as they each are against favorable competition starting this Friday against Arizona.

A look back at the first half of Pac-12 play:

Biggest win: at No. 10 Oregon State, Jan. 20

Heading into ASU’s matchup in Corvallis, the team was 0-4 against top-10 competition with all four losses by single digits. Arizona State needed a win this grand in order to prove it could finish games against the better teams in the country.

It took two overtimes and huge performances from Kianna Ibis and Reili Richardson, but the Devils prevailed 79-76. Ibis was especially effective in the fourth quarter, while Richardson scored eight of ASU’s 13 double OT points. As a team, Arizona State shot 7-for-8 in both overtimes to put away the Beavers.

Worst performance: at Arizona, Dec. 30

ASU entered this matchup on a seven-game winning streak, but playing its first game in 10 days. It appeared the rust built up and collapsed on the Sun Devil offense as it failed to score double digits in two quarters against the Wildcats.

ASU’s 39 total points marks the second fewest scored by any team in Pac-12 play this season.

The starting lineup shot 21 percent from the floor, and Kianna Ibis was the sole starter with more than one field goal made. This was Arizona’s third victory over its in-state rivals since the 2010-2011 season.

Best player: Kianna Ibis, Senior Forward

Some of ASU’s best Pac -12 performances thus far have been propelled by stellar outings by Ibis. In Corvallis, she scored 28 points, 13 in the fourth quarter, to go along with 13 boards and three blocks.

In the Sun Devils’ tough 77-71 loss to No. 5 Oregon, she posted 22 points on 14 shots to keep the Devils in the game.

Arizona State’s three best offensive outputs have been led by 20-plus point games by Ibis, but many times her scoring nights heavily depend on her teammates.

“When we’re in good flow, I’m getting more open looks,” Ibis said.

Sometimes her head coach would like to see more aggression from her top scorer.

“Honey badger was her nickname as a young player because she’d go and just shoot no matter what,” Turner Thorne said. “We need her to stay there. I think she has more of a conscience as a senior and we don’t want her to.”

Overall, Ibis is scoring 16.9 points per game on 49 percent shooting this conference season (45 percent from three).

Biggest game left schedule: vs. Oregon, March 3

Oregon has run through its Pac-12 schedule without a single close game, except for one. ASU gave the now No. 4 team in the country a reason to sweat with a great fourth quarter in which the Devils came within a point of the Ducks multiple times.

The rematch will be the final game of the regular season for both squads, and could be huge as far as seeding for the Pac-12 Tournament is concerned.

Oregon may be 8-0, but the toughest part of its schedule is in February. Plus, Utah is breathing down UO’s neck with an 7-1 record. ASU will be in a potential dog fight for a top-four seed and first-round bye, as it currently sits in fifth place in the conference.