Since the 2008-09 season, no ASU basketball team had swept the Arizona Wildcats in a season series.
With the Sun Devils’ 72-64 win over the Wildcats on Saturday, that is no longer the case.
The win improved ASU to 21-9 (12-6 Pac-12) and made their chances of making the NCAA Tournament even more likely.
It was a back-and-forth battle that was tied at halftime. Then, the Sun Devils were able to outscore the Wildcats 17-10 in the last seven minutes.
“We ended the half kind of slow,” said sophomore guard Remy Martin. “I took it upon myself and say, ‘Hey I am not going to let us lose. I am here for you guys no matter what.’
“He (Hurley) told us, ‘Whoever wants it more will get it.'”
From start to finish, Martin was absolutely outstanding on both ends of the floor. In addition to his lockdown defense, Martin led the team in all three major statistical categories as he ended the contest with 27 points, seven assists and eight rebounds.
“Remy was tremendous, shot making, and big plays down the stretch,” said ASU coach Bobby Hurley. “Overall, it was a connected group. It was a team that was motivated to win in one of the toughest places to play in college basketball. I am really proud of the effort tonight.”
Freshman guard Luguentz Dort also made a huge contribution for Arizona State, connecting two early three-pointers and a monster dunk in a 15-point outing.
One thing that played out in favor of Arizona State was the foul trouble. The Wildcats found themselves in trouble as they were required to finish out the game without the dangerous guard duo of Justin Coleman and Brandon Williams.
“I think a key part was Brandon Williams and Coleman being out of the game,” Hurley said. “It made it easier for us to guard them. They didn’t quite have the creators if those guys are not on the floor.”
As a team, the Wildcats only shot 42 percent from the field and 26 percent from deep. This is part of the reason they found themselves fall into multiple cold stretches that sometimes lasted over eight minutes.
The Sun Devils will look to ride the momentum they have gained in their last two games into Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Tournament. ASU is set to play on Thursday against the winner of the seventh and 10th place game.
“I am going to Vegas with these guys; I feel great about that and push to try to compete for a championship,” Hurley said. “I know we’ve done enough, and I knew coming in that if we got this one that there would no doubt.”
All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.