Losing had become the norm for the Oregon State Beavers (8-9, 2-5 Pac-10), who are currently dusting the bottom of the Pac-10 cellar. So when OSU came to Wells Fargo Arena, the ASU men's basketball team felt it had a great opportunity to detour its season 180 degrees and make a statement against an OSU team that is clearly rebuilding.
The Sun Devils had lost six of their last eight contests, and were winless in conference play at home until an 83-79 victory over the Beavers on Saturday night. And for a team that made it into the second-round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, the hunger of returning to the big dance is beginning to mount on many in the ASU locker room.
"It's a sense of urgency now," junior guard Jason Braxton said. "We have to take these next 12 games and we have to win if we want to go to the (NCAA) tournament."
After ASU jumped to a comfortable first-half lead in which they shot 61.5 percent from the field - including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc - the team responded by letting the Beavers back into the game in the second half.
A combination of poor shooting and lackluster defense in the paint led to the disappearance of ASU's advantage, as the Beavers took the lead several times. On a number of occasions in the second half, the Sun Devils "got too fancy," broke down on defense and turned the ball over on offense.
"We know we've played around too much and played in too many close games that slipped away from us," Braxton said. ASU has been a part of eight games decided by seven points or less. Of those games, they have won three.
"It's a terrible feeling," Braxton said about the close games. "We know that if we want to get where we want to go, we have to win these next 12."
Reach the reporter at damien.tippett@asu.edu.
