Devils in Detail
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ASU Basketball: Sun Devils secure No. 2 seed, now what?

By Zach Pekale

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 08: Head coach Bobby Hurley (L) and associate head coach Rashon Burno of the Arizona State Sun Devils react during a first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Stanford Cardinal at T-Mobile Arena on March 8, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona State won 98-88 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 08: Head coach Bobby Hurley (L) and associate head coach Rashon Burno of the Arizona State Sun Devils react during a first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Stanford Cardinal at T-Mobile Arena on March 8, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona State won 98-88 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 21: Luguentz Dort #0 of the Arizona State Sun Devils carries the ball in the final seconds of the second half of the championship game against the Utah State Aggies in 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: Luguentz Dort #0 of the Arizona State Sun Devils carries the ball in the final seconds of the second half of the championship game against the Utah State Aggies in 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) /

Retaining Composure

Against OSU, Martin wasn’t the only player to find himself in foul trouble. Five Sun Devils had at least three fouls each.

On the block, redshirt sophomore Romello White has become an established force in the post. He leads ASU in offensive rebounds (67) and shoots just below 60 percent from the floor.

But, what appears to be a nagging ankle injury continues to hinder the forward. White played only 17 minutes, battling his ailment in addition to recording his fourth foul at the 11:30 mark of the second half.

Typically, the absence of White would call for senior forward De’Quon Lake receiving increased minutes. However, Lake was tabbed for three fouls in the first half, reaching the limit with 8:28 remaining in the game, playing 13 minutes.

With limited resources around him, freshman guard Luguentz Dort provided a glimpse of why he could potentially explore a professional career following the season.

The future NBA prospect scored 13 of his 20 points over the last 11:07, including a trifecta of 3-point shots, the last of which gave ASU a four-point lead inside the final minute.

Dort led the team in scoring while Martin notched a positive plus/minus of 15 despite playing 25 minutes.

What is most important for ASU to take from this win is a capability to rebound from a poor half. After converting 39 percent of their shots in the opening period, the Sun Devils knocked down 56 percent over the final 20 minutes, turning the ball over twice in that span.

Though a win over OSU keeps ASU in contention to make the NCAA Tournament, Hurley’s team will need to show consistency in its ability to compete away from Tempe. It concludes the regular season in Tucson against Arizona before the conference tournament.

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