Getting a Big 12 road win Wednesday night at Texas Tech will be a tall order for Arizona State, but the Sun Devils won't be quite as shorthanded as they were at Oklahoma State.
BJ Freeman and Adam Miller both are expected to return from one-game suspensions when the Sun Devils (12-11 overall, 3-9 Big 12) face No. 12 Texas Tech (18-5, 9-3) at 7 p.m. MST in Lubbock, Texas.
Freeman, ASU's leading scorer at 12.9 points per game, did not make the trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma, due to unspecified conduct detrimental to the team. Arizona State ended up losing that game 86-73.
Miller, the Sun Devils' top 3-point shooter (46.1%), was whistled for a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from ASU's 71-70 loss to Kansas State on Feb. 4, resulting in a one-game suspension.
Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley told Arizona Sports' "Bickley & Marotta" on Tuesday that the two seniors will be available to play at Texas Tech.
"We've moved past that," Hurley said of the suspensions. "It's been a tough stretch — a lot of frustration, a lot of close losses. Both guys were very contrite about how they felt about the situation, and they're just excited to get back with the group."
Getting Freeman and Miller back in the starting lineup should help offset the loss of freshman phenom Jayden Quaintance, who played only nine minutes against the Cowboys before sustaining an ankle injury.
"I feel awful for Jayden," Hurley said. "He was just sprinting down the floor and kind of got taken out, had his legs undercut, and he rolled his ankle pretty good. There was quite a bit of swelling in there.
"We were just hoping for the best when we got him to campus for his doctor's appointment [Monday] ... and everything was fairly positive on that end. But he's going to be out for a period of time now to let all that swelling quiet down."
The absence of Freeman and Miller, along with the early loss of Quaintance, gave Alston Mason a chance to step into the spotlight.
Mason, a 6-foot-2 senior guard from Tournai, Belgium, scored a season-high 25 points at OSU — topping his 20-point performance against Kansas State.
"I think Alston Mason has really turned the corner the last two games," Hurley said. "He's been really good out there on the offensive end. He realized just how much firepower we were down and needed to step up. He had a great game, both [against] Kansas State and certainly Oklahoma State on Sunday."
Arizona State fared well in its last road game against a top 25 team, knocking off then-No. 23 West Virginia 65-57 on Jan. 21 in Morgantown.
That said, the Sun Devils' first season in the Big 12 hasn't gone as well as they had hoped. ASU has lost three games a row and eight of its last 10, falling to 15th in the conference standings.
Despite those struggles, Hurley said he still believes there's time to turn things around.
"We just know that there's eight games left, and we have another opportunity [Wednesday] night," Hurley said. "We're getting some guys back and hopefully that gives us a shot in the arm."
How to watch Arizona State at Texas Tech
The Sun Devils and Red Raiders tip off at 7 p.m. MST on CBS Sports Network, with Jordan Kent (play-by-play), Michael O'Donnell (analyst) and Gary Parrish (sideline) on the call.
Fubo TV subscribers can watch ASU and other college basketball games here.
Betting information
Arizona State enters the game at United Supermarkets Arena as a 15.5-point underdog, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Sun Devils are +920 on the moneyline, while the Red Raiders are -1,700.
The over/under for the game is 143.5.