Arizona State struggled to compete with No. 9 BYU, as defensive lapses, inefficient perimeter shooting, and failure to contain the Cougars’ top offensive players led to the loss. BYU played with a dominant performance that captured the reason it recorded one of the best records in the country.
Breakdowns in defense are also expensive
Defense problems are obvious in Arizona State, especially to the opposing scorers of BYU. Richie Saunders, Rob Wright III, and AJ Dybantsa shared 81 out of BYUs' 104 points; they always had an open look, and they always took advantage of mismatches. The Sun Devils were not able to match the pace of BYU, counteract shots, and the Cougars gained an initial momentum.
Firing Struggles At Long Range
The Sun Devils were still left behind due to perimeter shooting. The Sun Devils only made seven of 25 of their three-point shots and only seven of 25 from there. BYU, on their part, went deep and shot with high efficiency, making 14 out of 31 three-point shots, a 45 percent rate of success. This difference made the scoring margin bigger and restricted Arizona State to the point of making a comeback.
BYU controlled the glass and developed a huge rebounding advantage that led to additional possessions and second-chance points. The Cougars beat Arizona State by a significant margin, which denied the Sun Devils the possibility of creating transition opportunities as it maintained its offensive pressure.
Efficient Offense Sets the Tone Early
A good opening helps BYU to control the game and to run for the rest of the game. The Cougars shot 57.4 percent from the field, maintaining their efficiency throughout the first and second halves. They would always be able to score points, which restricted the ability of Arizona State to change momentum.
Although Arizona State was able to induce a few turnovers, its over-aggressive defense strategy also cost them fouls and calamities. There were 15 turnovers made by the Sun Devils that were turned into 31 fast-break points by BYU. Such errors also gave the Cougars an advantage in the game.
Hurley Admits the Dominance of BYU
After the incident, Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley admitted that his team was in a tricky position, as BYU dominated the game. He even inserted a comment on the light side, of avoiding a promotion for a missed-free-throw. The difficulty of finding anything good to say about such a performance.
Tight mix of BYU offense, defensive domination, and board control was too overwhelming for Arizona State. This defeat of ASU occurs due to their own lack of focus. They have to focus on their mistakes, which disturbed their defense, rebounding, and perimeter shooting.