ASU Basketball: 2019 NCAA Tournament Roundtable

X-Factor for ASU

Remy Martin will play Wednesday night, and he should be near 100 percent, according to coach Bobby Hurley. That’s good, because ASU will need to maximize him.

It’s easy to look at Martin’s Pac-12 statistics (6.2 assists per game, 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio) and quantify his importance. But the matter is simpler — the Sun Devils aren’t the same team when he’s limited.

To upend St. John’s and potentially advance in the field of 64, Martin’s frenetic pace will be needed to create full-court chances. ASU isn’t adept at turning teams over, but their conditioning and rebounding is what creates separation. Those opportunities won’t be there without Martin. – Trevor Booth

There could not be a more fundamental solution to Arizona State moving on from Dayton than controlling the glass. When Bobby Hurley’s team arrived at UD Arena a year ago, his group lacked size.

This time around, Zylan Cheatham won’t be watching from home, Kimani Lawrence is healthy and returning forwards De’Quon Lake and Romello White are more experienced.

The Sun Devils are among the top rebounding teams nationally and enter the postseason with a positive rebounding margin of 4.8, grabbing just above 40 per contest. As for St. John’s, the Red Storm are minus 6.1 on the glass and pull down 32 boards nightly.

If ASU can take advantage of its superior size and activity above the rim, it should be able to gain extra possessions and dictate the game. – Zach Pekale 

It may seem simple, but the Sun Devils have lived and died by how well they’ve shot throughout the season. Some games, like against Washington and Utah State, the team has been able to find good spacing and the right shot opportunities, helping it find a groove and clinch notable wins.

In contrast, the Sun Devils have shot themselves out of several games this year. That was the case in their loss to Oregon in Eugene and home loss to Princeton.

For the Sun Devils to compete in March, they must find the right shots. Their offense isn’t the same when they can’t. – Carson Field 

Coming into its First Four matchup with St. John’s, ASU has many X-factor players that need to show up and show out on the season’s biggest stage. However, one name rises above the rest Wednesday night, and that is Romello White.

The reason White will dictate success is because of his size and scoring potential inside.

Led by Shamorie Ponds, Mustapha Heron and LJ Figueroa, the Red Storm present a deadly trio of perimeter guards. However, Hall of Fame coach Chris Mullins’ squad lacks one thing: size on the inside.

Standing at just 6-foot-7, Marvin Clark II stands as the sole line of defense against big men. White is just two games off of perhaps his most dominant game of the season, where he scored 19 points against Moses Brown and the UCLA Bruins in  Las Vegas.

Look for the Devils to take advantage of a lack of size and depth in the frontcourt this Wednesday night. – Richard Geraffo 

In my opinion, the X-factor for Arizona State is Rob Edwards. When he is playing well offensively, this team is hard to beat, as they proved against Kansas.

Nobody for ASU is better in isolation. Even if the rest of the offense isn’t flowing, he can still keep them in the game with his wide range of offensive moves to get himself open and create shots.

If the Sun Devils want to find themselves in Tulsa, they need to shoot the ball well, and that all starts with Edwards. – Bo Wilkinson