Arizona State basketball rapid recap against San Diego

TEMPE, Ariz. – Coming into the season, many people were unsure about whether or not Arizona State was going to have a successful season. After eight games, the Sun Devils have their best start since 2022 and head coach Bobby Hurley thinks this is his best team since 2017-2018. Over the first eight games, Hurley’s squad has been successful through grit, resilience, and defense. In several games this season, the Sun Devils have found themselves behind late and needing a comeback.

If there is one thing you can count on with this team, it’s their commitment to defense. Freshman forward Jayden Quaintance leads the country in blocks, blocks per game, and defensive efficiency. Let’s not forget that he is only 17 years old! Bobby Hurley got a winner in this rookie, and he is here to stay! If there is one thing that Hurley can rely on, it’s his team getting back on defense to get the job done. How did the Sun Devils fare in tonight’s game? Let’s dive right in and find out!

Rapid Recap: Successes

ASU started slow but finished strong in a commanding 90-53 win over San Diego. The Sun Devils trailed the Toreros 17-5 nearly halfway through the first half. However, ASU went on a 35-16 run to take a 40-33 lead into halftime. The Sun Devils went on to outscore the Toreros 50-20 in the second half to roll to their eighth win of the season.

1. Jayden Quaintance on defense

Quaintance found himself in the starting lineup for yet another game under Hurley. With his 26 blocks this season through eight games, he has proven that he deserves a spot in that lineup. In tonight’s contest, Quaintance added five more blocks and tallied 10 points and nine rebounds. If Quaintance keeps tallying these stats, Hurley will have himself a Big 12 Rookie of the Year without a doubt.

2. Joson Sanon’s ability to play through the offense

Freshman guard Joson Sanon coming off the bench for the Sun Devils may be the biggest cheat code in college basketball. The kid has 15.5 points per game to go along with 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27 minutes per game. Tonight, Sanon finished with 19 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Sanon’s firepower off the bench led to a massive outpouring of points in the second half as the Sun Devils outscored the Toreros by 30 points en route to their massive victory.

3. Versatility

This season, the Sun Devils have not had to rely on one single person to get the job done. Every game, it seems, Hurley has another guy step up, and that was surely the case tonight. Five Sun Devils scored in double figures, led by senior forward Basheer Jihad and Sanon each with 19 points.

With every set of successes, comes its own set of failures. No team in the nation only has success in college basketball. While Arizona State had a very good game against San Diego, this is what I witnessed at DFA.

ASU’s offensive flow must improve in consistency

From the tip tonight, ASU seemed to have no flow on offense. The Toreros were disrupting the offense, scoring at will at the other end of the court and having their way against the Sun Devils. The Sun Devils cannot afford to go several stretches of three minutes or more without scoring against the top half of the Big 12. Doing that, they will dig an insurmountable hole. The second half was a completely different story as they dominated the second half but flow will continue to be an issue if the Devils cannot put two halves together in the same game.

At the end of the day, this was a game that Arizona State had to win and they did just that. With a final score of 90-53, the Sun Devils came into Desert Financial and got the job done. ASU’s next game is against undefeated Florida which should be a much tougher task. Watch out for our keys to the game article for the ASU’s matchup with the Florida Gators!

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