Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
The Oregon State Beavers play host to the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday afternoon in an interesting PAC 12 showdown from Gill Coliseum. The Sun Devils come into this one riding a three-game winning streak and are looking for another solid road win. For the Beavers, a four-game losing streak looms over their head, as they aim to simply get back on the winning path. Arizona State won the single meeting last season, after splitting the year before, and are hoping they can keep continue that success this season.
Arizona State started the season with a surprising loss but really has been able to turn some heads since then. Their only PAC 12 loss has been to Arizona, which is far from concerning, and with a road win last a few days ago against Oregon, momentum and confidence are building for this group. As mentioned earlier, they carry a three-game winning streak into Saturday's showdown, and with their eyes on returning to the NCAA Tournament, they know that they have to make it a road-weekend sweep. With a winning record on the road, sitting at 6-2 including neutral site games, there's no doubt that being away from home isn't daunting for this group. To grab a sweep on the weekend would be massive, especially with the schedule not getting much easier next weekend.
The Sun Devils don't have any injuries to worry about, though they do continue to be without one key force in the frontcourt. Marcus Bagley continue s to be suspended and as their leader when the season started, it's interesting to see at what point his absence is felt.
What a Scene in Eugene ??@SunDevilHoops picks up an impressive road victory over Oregon ?? pic.twitter.com/c2LZY6ibgY
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) January 13, 2023
Arizona State's defense has left the way this season and that expects to be the case again in this one. While scoring should be easier considering the lack of defense on the other side, Oregon State's offense will have quite a bit of difficulty against the Sun Devils. Arizona State ranks eighth in field-goal percentage defense while ranking top 90 nationally in scoring defense and three-point defense. Warren Washington (2.1 bpg) remains one of the best rim protectors in the PAC 12, while his ability to generate second-chance points will be key as well. DJ Horne (12.3 ppg) also remains an experienced scorer himself, as the Sun Devils will have plenty of success in this one.