ASU basketball avenged its first Pac-12 loss to Utah, improving to 17-8 (8-5 Pac-12). Here’s what stood out from last night’s victory.
There is no telling how long it might be, but Arizona State has once again found a balance in its seesaw of a season.
Last night, the Sun Devils took down Utah, 98-87, to salvage a weekend sweep and reascend to third in the Pac-12 standings. In victory, the team’s concerns of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament temporarily retired to the back burner.
Offensively, ASU benefitted from a season-high from Rob Edwards, who tallied 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Redshirt senior forward Zylan Cheatham added his 11th double-double of the season with a career-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Luguentz Dort added 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
While Utah shot 53.8 percent from the field, the Sun Devils made proper adjustments on Sedrick Barefield, who came in averaging 20.6 points in his last three contests against ASU. The senior guard finished with 17 points on 4-of-13 shooting and was limited late due to four personal fouls.
Once again, the Sun Devils showcased their ceiling – a team capable of winning the Pac-12 Tournament – if motivated. The Utes entered Saturday’s contest at second in the conference standings and winners of three straight, but ASU dominated throughout, leading by as many as 16 and trailing for only 38 seconds.
While it’d be refreshing to say this team has found its stride, it’s too early to pull that trigger. Just four days ago, the Sun Devils collapsed late against Colorado, and six days prior to that, they were wiped off the floor – at home – by Washington State, who hadn’t won a road game in seven previous attempts.
Regardless, there were some positives that the team can take moving forward. Here are five that stood out in last night’s win.