Arizona State men's basketball suppressed the UMass Minutemen 78-62 on Saturday at the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic despite a strong effort from the home team in what could've become a massive upset.
The Sun Devils rode an 11-0 run late in the second half to finish off the UMass resistance on a neutral court in Springfield, Massachusetts and complete the program's non-conference slate with a 9-2 record.
But until that point ASU struggled to protect the ball, committing 13 turnovers which led to fast breaks for UMass and allowed the Minutemen to keep up almost 35 minutes in game time.
Senior Basheer Jihad led the team with 20 points but it was freshman star Jayden Quaintance who had a career day with 19 points and dominated the boards with 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Quaintance lol pic.twitter.com/ZPWYqSEmfG
— Jaspaire (@JasperSymbiose) December 21, 2024
ASU's struggle to dominate lowly UMass should sound some alarm bells
The Sun Devils snapped a five-year losing streak on Saturday, the program notoriously had lost each of its previous five games just before the Christmas holiday, per the CBS Sports Network broadcast.
But even with the win, how ASU got there should be alarming for fans. Head coach Bobby Hurley will need to drill the team on protecting the basketball as that was the single worst factor leading to UMass leading early and keeping things close until the final few minutes.
It wasn't a convincing victory but it will go into the win column all the same. A 9-2 mark heading into Big 12 play is a solid foundation to build upon but with high-quality opponents like Kansas, Houston and Cincinnati are on the way.
ASU's two losses this season have been to Top 10 foes, which isn't a terrible thing but if Hurley can't guide the Sun Devils to at least one or two wins over a ranked team, the program's resume as it approaches the spring will be rather weak.
Hopefully the team learns a more efficient and cutthroat method of playing, the players are going to need it if they want any semblance of succeeding in the Big 12, arguably the best league in college basketball.