To describe this weekend's series against the Washington schools as "must win" would be an incredible understatement to the ASU men's basketball team.
With only three games left, the Sun Devils are fighting for their postseason lives, and for the right to go to Los Angeles to play in the Pac-10 Tournament.
ASU is one game behind Oregon State and Washington State for the last seed in the tournament. The Sun Devils will get their first chance at redemption tonight when they face Dick Bennett's Cougars at Wells Fargo Arena.
The last time the two teams met in Pullman, Wash., on Jan. 29, the Cougars won 63-56 after ASU committed 24 turnovers, the most the team has given up since Dec. 29, 2001. In the loss, the Sun Devils held a 26-23 lead at intermission in a game that had seven lead changes and five ties.
In recent history, ASU has had success against WSU -- the Sun Devils have won four of their past five meetings between the two teams, and 10 of the past 13.
"[The Cougars] are playing pretty well right now," ASU head coach Rob Evans said. "They're a difficult team to play because the way they play."
Under the tutelage of Bennett, the Cougars have already improved to 11 wins this season, a dramatic upgrade considering WSU had just seven victories all of last season, and only two wins through the Pac-10 circuit.
With Bennett's slowed-down, deliberate style of play, the Cougars have given up over 75 points just once this season when it gave up 96 to Gonzaga.
"We want to get it in the 70s but that's difficult because they run the shot clock down," Evans said. "If you're not very good defensively, they will make you pay for it."
Notes
In Saturday's 86-75 win over Oregon, three players (Jamal Hill, Ike Diogu and Kevin Kruger) played all 40 minutes. The last time the Sun Devils had three players to record 40 minutes in a game that ended in regulation was in 1994.
In that game, a 71-69 comeback victory at Stanford, Ron Riley, Mario Bennett and Stevin Smith all went the distance.
At tonight's game, an autographed team jersey will be raffled off with all proceeds going to the V Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to aid in cancer research. The organization awarded senior forward Justin Allen its 2003 Comeback Player of the Year Award after he battled through Hodgkin's Disease.
Tickets for the raffle are $1 each or six for $5.
Reach the reporter at jeffrey.hoodzow@asu.edu.