In a chippy, back-and-forth affair, the Sun Devils dropped another Quadrant 1 opportunity Saturday, losing to in-state rival University of Arizona, 81-72.
All the issues ASU has faced so far in conference play continued in this afternoon dog fight in Tempe. They struggled to find their offense in the early going. UA carries a good, not elite defense, and was able to hold the Sun Devils to 3/17 from the field and nine points through the first 10 minutes.
Senior guard BJ Freeman put some life into the offense, something he has been doing more as of late, going on a 9-0 run by himself to put ASU up one in the middle of the first half. From there, it was back-and-forth for the majority of the game until UA eventually pulled away in the final minutes.
It was yet another game in which the Sun Devils let things slip away in the final minutes. They've been right there in the last four home games, but their offense seems to shut off near the end.
"We just haven't got it done in our building," head coach Bobby Hurley said. "You can't lose four (home) conference games at this point in the season, in a Big 12 race, and expect to be in the picture."
Redshirt senior guard Adam Miller agreed with Hurley on the struggles and said he isn't satisfied with how the team has handled late-game situations.
"Good teams find a way to win, bad teams find a way to lose," Miller said. "Winning solves everything."
UA guard Caleb Love, last year's AP third-team All-American, dominated, going for 27 points, six rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block, and was part of a last-second scuffle with Freeman. Hurley took some exception to Love's antics and nearby chatter.
"If you were right near our bench, it was relentless, constant chatter from a couple of the Arizona players that was not being policed properly," Hurley said. "Of course, they're going to be happy with winning, but it was done with no class in my opinion."
After a headbutt by Freeman, both he and Love were ejected as "U of A" chants reigned from the stands.
"I can tell you this, I do get a vote for All-Conference, and I can tell you who's not getting a vote," Hurley said. "You can read into that. I'm sure you might know who I'm thinking of."
Antics aside, ASU must continue to overcome these tough losses and move on. Next, they face Kansas State at home and then go on the road to play Oklahoma State, two must-win games as March comes right around the corner.
To turn the tide, Miller is keen on becoming a more effective leader to his teammates. As a redshirt senior who has experienced rigorous conference schedules before, he hopes his guidance can help the Sun Devils become more cohesive and, in turn, win more games.
"I'm going to go tomorrow, I'm going to sit my teammates down and we're going to have a meeting," Miller said.
The Sun Devils need to find their rhythm for a full forty minutes. In the Big 12, that's nearly impossible to do, but it's becoming more and more necessary as they look to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Edited by Henry Smardo, Sophia Braccio and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at jkmccar2@asu.edu and follow @jackmccarthyasu on X.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
Jack is a junior studying sports journalism with a minor in business. This is his first semester with The State Press. He has also worked at his high school paper.
