Bear Down Wildcats

No. 17/19 Arizona at No. 25/22 Arizona State
Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7:00 p.m. (MST)
TV: ESPN (Dave Pasch, Fran Fraschilla, Molly McGrath)
Radio: Arizona IMG Radio Network (Brian Jeffries & Ryan Hansen)
Twitter: @APlayersProgram
#BearDown

Read more here

KenPom Preview



Prime time ESPN. Sold out game. Good announcing crew. A chance to sweep the Devils and kick them back out of the top 25. Our only game this week.

Too much excitement for this game - had to get this started for you PieceOfMeat. Hope you don't mind

Asu is going to be ready and just a gut feeling they'll rain 3s all day, can't afford a slow start on the road.

Some game notes:

ASU is on a three game win streak coming off of two solid home wins over the LA schools last week (something Arizona couldn't accomplish, though I'm sure UCLA was much more focused on getting the W at McKale). This is their last home test of the season with Stanford and Cal wrapping up their home schedule. It's also their last opportunities for a Q1 win to improve their seeding. Like UCLA - ASU will come into this game motivated both by the rivalry and their tournament hopes.

ASU won those games by forcing turnovers and holding USC and UCLA to 1.05 and 1.03 points per possession, respectively. That's pretty darn good defense. Their point of attack continues to be led by Tra Holder and Shannon Evans, with the two starting guards doing it from the line and from behind the arc.

An X-Factor for ASU may be the return of freshman Kimani Lawrence (6'7" SF). The former top 100 recruit started all three of ASU's exhibition games but suffered a stress fracture in his left foot that held him out of the first half of the season. His PT has been sporadic since then but he stepped up in the wins over the LA schools, providing 16 minutes against UCLA.

It's worth noting that ASU has shot only 30% from behind the arc in their three game win streak, getting points from two point range as well as getting to the free throw line. They shot 12 more free throws than USC and 16 more than UCLA. That's been their conference MO after shooting the lights out from distance in their non-conference wins: poor shooting but plenty of trips to the line. They're currently 10th in the conference in effective field goal percentage but are second in free throws.

Looking at Arizona, Deandre Ayton should be the focal point of our attack, because he's an actual monster allowed to play basketball, but also due to the his significant size advantage over an ASU frontcourt that ranges from only 6'8" to 6'10". He recorded a 23 / 13 double double that included 6 assists in their previous match-up.

PJC may be a dark horse MVP candidate for the game. The senior has played his best basketball against ASU by producing 22 assists to just two turnovers in his six career appearances versus the Sun Devils.

Arizona likely opens as slight road dogs in this one, with ESPN, Massey, and KenPom each tepidly predicting an ASU victory. Will the Wildcats beat the odds and maintain ownership of McKale North? Or will Bobby Hurley finally get his first win over Miller's Wildcats?

25 hours from now we'll tip to find out.

Nice write-up, and asu did open as a 1 pt favorite but now Arizona is a 1.5 pt favorite

1.5 fav

I spent all day writing up my analysis of ASU. Would love to get some feedback.

Here it is:


Fuck ASU

yep. i really think if we emphasize fuck asu we have a good change to win this tough game on the road.

Olsondogg wrote:1.5 fav

That line has been bobbing up and down all morning.

azgreg wrote:

Olsondogg wrote:1.5 fav

That line has been bobbing up and down all morning.

That's what she said.

(too easy)

Olsondogg wrote:

azgreg wrote:

Olsondogg wrote:1.5 fav

That line has been bobbing up and down all morning.

That's what she said.

(too easy)

I almost typed boobing.

FUUUUUUUUUCK this is the longest day ever. Nothing is worse than a 3 am start time for a game of this magnitude. Well, I guess if it was combined with a P12 Network feed that would suck even more.

Regardless, FUCK ASU

Alieberman wrote:I spent all day writing up my analysis of ASU. Would love to get some feedback.

Here it is:


Fuck ASU

Alieberman wrote:I spent all day writing up my analysis of ASU. Would love to get some feedback.

Here it is:


Fuck ASU

Insightful.

Arizona will set the tone at tip-off, when Ayton allows his 6'7" opponent to beat him to the ball, taking Ayton's jump-ball record to 0-26 on the season.

From the first defensive possession, Arizona will be in chasing rather than tagging mode, running after the man with the ball through open lanes to the basket and desperately lunging to close out late on open 3 point shooters.

Swish. Swish swish swish swish. Swish!

The ASU crowd will be going nuts, their yellow wigs bouncing as they slap themselves silly with their own body fat. Facing a set zone defense after each ASU make, Arizona will be all hesitation with anemic passes around the perimeter, hoisting contested 3's, and forcing cross-court passes that get picked off by ASU, with breakaway run downcourt and SLAM!.

Whistle! Miller takes his second timeout early. It's hard to even hear in the huddle. Since his starters didn't come to play, he goes deep to his bench, which changes the game just enough to get some surprise stops and a Pinder circus-reverse scoop-hook ("How did that go in?") to bring ASU's lead down to single digits.

In the second half, Arizona's starters come out with intensity, challenging on defense and capitalizing in transition off of stops. But with seemingly a single gust of yellow wind, ASU will nail several 3-pointers, including Justice from far beyond the arc as he runs back on defense with his "I'm a shitwad" facial tick. There will be a banked 3-pointer as well. And Arizona will run out of time-outs as the game gets out of reach again.

After a little more patent Arizona too-little, too-late effort, the embarrassment will be staved off. And that will be the best thing that happens all night.

ASU by 8.

Think asu wins in all seriousness, slow starts and a hyped crowd & team ready for revenge.

NYCat wrote:Think asu wins in all seriousness, slow starts and a hyped crowd & team ready for revenge.

I think the UCLA embarrassment sunk in and our guys come with their claws out for the W.

Also worth mentioning my persistent optimism, again.

UALoco wrote:

Alieberman wrote:I spent all day writing up my analysis of ASU. Would love to get some feedback.

Here it is:


Fuck ASU

Insightful.

And yet appropriately succinct. I hate reading a long analysis. Gets right to the point.

We can play well, defend well and get screwed by the refs and Ayton picking up some bullshit fouls while ASU has a hot shooting night. If we lose and play well, I can live with that. But I think we get the W. Alkins can be a difference maker.

YoDeFoe wrote:

NYCat wrote:Think asu wins in all seriousness, slow starts and a hyped crowd & team ready for revenge.

I think the UCLA embarrassment sunk in and our guys come with their claws out for the W.

Also worth mentioning my persistent optimism, again.

After the first 10 minutes we should know. Is there intensity, effort, do they give a fuck, are they down 10 pts early, is Rawle not a black hole tonight etc etc

Longhorned wrote:Arizona will set the tone at tip-off, when Ayton allows his 6'7" opponent to beat him to the ball, taking Ayton's jump-ball record to 0-26 on the season.

From the first defensive possession, Arizona will be in chasing rather than tagging mode, running after the man with the ball through open lanes to the basket and desperately lunging to close out late on open 3 point shooters.

Swish. Swish swish swish swish. Swish!

The ASU crowd will be going nuts, their yellow wigs bouncing as they slap themselves silly with their own body fat. Facing a set zone defense after each ASU make, Arizona will be all hesitation with anemic passes around the perimeter, hoisting contested 3's, and forcing cross-court passes that get picked off by ASU, with breakaway run downcourt and SLAM!.

Whistle! Miller takes his second timeout early. It's hard to even hear in the huddle. Since his starters didn't come to play, he goes deep to his bench, which changes the game just enough to get some surprise stops and a Pinder circus-reverse scoop-hook ("How did that go in?") to bring ASU's lead down to single digits.

In the second half, Arizona's starters come out with intensity, challenging on defense and capitalizing in transition off of stops. But with seemingly a single gust of yellow wind, ASU will nail several 3-pointers, including Justice from far beyond the arc as he runs back on defense with his "I'm a shitwad" facial tick. There will be a banked 3-pointer as well. And Arizona will run out of time-outs as the game gets out of reach again.

After a little more patent Arizona too-little, too-late effort, the embarrassment will be staved off. And that will be the best thing that happens all night.

ASU by 8.

Ah, a Washington redux, eh? Not hard to imagine. Don't think we have the mental makeup to come out from the get-go with a case of the red ass like these home teams seem to wherever we go. Just seems to the be way of things.

NYCat wrote:

YoDeFoe wrote:

NYCat wrote:Think asu wins in all seriousness, slow starts and a hyped crowd & team ready for revenge.

I think the UCLA embarrassment sunk in and our guys come with their claws out for the W.

Also worth mentioning my persistent optimism, again.

After the first 10 minutes we should know. Is there intensity, effort, do they give a fuck, are they down 10 pts early, is Rawle not a black hole tonight etc etc

And whether Ayton has 2 fouls by that point

I had an uneasy feeling going into the Washington game. I have that same feeling today. I hope I am wrong and the Cats want it as bad ASU and match their intensity from the tip.

What's at stake for both teams?

For ASU? A loss today and they're very much on the bubble. They're already out of contention for the Pac title, for the most part, and they can't afford too many more losses before Selection Sunday.

For us? Our lead in the Pac and our seeding. I think a loss knocks us down to a 5 seed. And it means we need to go 4-0 the next two weeks to be sole Pac champs.

Hoping for the best but expecting a close loss.

The good news is if we come out and try, we can blow them out of the water.

If we give so-so effort and have mediocre execution, we have the horses to hang around long enough to give ourselves a shot.

If we only give the bare minimum of effort and they shoot lights out, well, it might get ugly.


As usual this year, I have no idea what we're gonna get.

fuck ASU

I think ASU comes out on fire playing over their heads and expends a lot of energy in the first half. I expect ASU to jump out to a double digit lead. As the game goes on I think the threes stop falling for ASU and we wear them down. It should be close but I believe the Cats win it in OT. Won't be another home game this year.

I honestly think we win rather easily.

Alieberman wrote:I honestly think we win rather easily.

Now here's a post I can get behind!

Alieberman wrote:I honestly think we win rather easily.

This post in not pious.

I think we will need our big4 (Ayton, Trier, Dusic, and Alkins) to all score in double figures, with a couple over 20. If one of them falls short, we lose, unless the bench steps up a lot more than they have so far this year. Like, to the tune of 12+ points. Have we ever gotten more than about 8 from our entire bench, even in our few blowouts?

I always expect to kick the scummies ass. Not changing that belief tonight.

If we miss our first two shots it will be a long hard slog. We seem to lose confidence at the drop of a hat at the beginning of games. If Dusan gets another shiner on the remaining eye I predict we pull off a close win. If Ayton fouls out and Dusan also gets a broken nose I predict we win by double digits.

There will be blood.

Fuck ASU.

Alieberman wrote:I spent all day writing up my analysis of ASU. Would love to get some feedback.

Here it is:


Fuck ASU

Pithy yet without nuance. Hooters fans dig it. I do, fer sure.

Those white boys on Wisky are really white. Not much sun out there in the winter.

Act like you've been there before Wisconsin.

Our SOS keep getting worse

We do not want to play into the scums hands.

Slow it down.

Pound it into Ristic/Ayton.

Stay in front of your man on defense.

Come out with intensity........the scum surely will.

Tonight's the night we fall in love with Booby

"I’m such a great guy. I’m such a low-key guy. I keep my composure on the sideline," he said. "They should love me, just like our fans do."

https://www.abc15.com/sports/sports-blo ... cial-media" target="_blank

They've painted GUARD U in the visitor's tunnel. I guess it's not going away.

Merkin wrote:Those white boys on Wisky are really white. Not much sun out there in the winter.

I went down the Wiki rabbithole last night to research Curling. Evidently the oldest Curling establishment in the US is in Madison. Yeah, youtube shows not a tan in the bunch.

First 10 minutes.

PJC playing angry. 5 points, 1 steal, 1 TO

Streams?

so far so good. . .

Like Walton says, reward the big man for running the court.

Great start

Now comes in the bench, let's see if they can sustain it

Great to see Trier going to pick up Alkins after all those rumors of disharmony

TatetheGreat wrote:Great start

It'll work.