ASU basketball: Surging comeback not enough, what stood out in ASU’s loss to Baylor?

TEMPE, Ariz. – It was a roller coaster night for ASU basketball. The Sun Devils came out flat and scored just 20 points in the first 20 minutes. But they responded by more than doubling that output in the final 20 minutes. However, it wasn’t quite enough to secure a Quad 1 win that would have been very valuable in March.

ASU basketball found itself in an early hole on Saturday night but fought back from down 15 points in the second half. Redshirt senior guard Adam Miller went coast to coast for a game-tying floater with 1.9 seconds left to send the game to overtime. However, ASU’s shooting fell flat once again in overtime, and the Sun Devils fell to Baylor, 72-66.

Arizona State basketball’s Adam Miller shoots a game-tying shot in the final seconds of a game against Baylor on Jan. 11, 2025, at Desert Financial Arena. (Photo by Daniel Appel/Sun Devil Daily)

ASU fell behind early due to a couple of runs by Baylor in the first half. In the middle four minutes of the first half, Baylor went on a 9-2 run to go from leading 11-10 to 20-12. Then, in the final five minutes of the half, Baylor went on a 10-2 run. The Bears increased their 22-18 lead to 32-20 going into halftime.

“We just were not very efficient on offense,” coach Bobby Hurley said. “We just didn’t have a lot of juice.”

The Sun Devils made a few mini runs throughout the second half but the deficit remained around 10 points for the majority of the half. In the final five minutes of the game, ASU went on a 13-4 run to close the nine-point gap and send the game into overtime.

“We didn’t do anything special,” Miller said. “We just started playing (with) our hair’s on fire. In the first half, we weren’t doing that.”

However, Baylor opened overtime on an 8-0 run that became too steep for the Sun Devils to overcome.

What stood out in Saturday night’s overtime loss to Baylor?

Arizona State showed glimpses of its peak potential and its rock bottom. The Sun Devils have shown the ability to play toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the country… But they haven’t shown that ability consistently.

ASU basketball has to figure out how to play a complete game against a top-level opponent

For much of this season, the Sun Devils have been a tale of two halves team. ASU will look great for the first half, but then fall apart in the second half. It might look slow or not ready to play in the first half, but it comes out on fire in the second half.

However, if ASU wants to beat the top teams in the Big 12, playing one great half is not going to cut it. The Sun Devils’ schedule and record illustrate this point to a tee.

In four of ASU’s five losses this season, it has played a great half. ASU led Kansas at halftime. It outscored Baylor by 12 points in the second half. The Sun Devils were knotted at 38 with Gonzaga at halftime, and they trailed BYU by just five points at the half. The lone outlier was against Florida when the Gators outplayed the Sun Devils from start to finish.

But, in three of those four games, ASU fell apart in the other half. BYU scored 45 points in the second half and outscored ASU by 15 points. The Sun Devils scored just 13 points in the second half against Kansas. Baylor held ASU to a mere 20 points in the first half on Saturday night. The lone exception was against Gonzaga when ASU played great and took the Zags to the wire in Spokane.

In ASU’s wins, it’s a much different story. ASU put up two 40-point halves against Colorado en route to a 20-point win. The Sun Devils did the same against Grand Canyon in an 11-point win. ASU has scored at least 30 points in both halves in all but one of its wins this season. When the Sun Devils can put 40 minutes of good basketball together, they’re tough to beat.

“You just have to be locked in, and you have to be focused. Every time you come down on the defensive end, if you do make somebody miss, you have to get a rebound, or you have to make them make a tough shot,” Miller said. “If you come down on offense, you better execute whatever you’re doing and make sure you’re on the same page.”

ASU’s 3-point shooting has been a big indicator of success this season

The 3-point shot is continuing to evolve in the game, but one thing that’s never going to change is it’s worth more than a shot from inside the arc. Hurley has fielded this ASU team with shooters who have shown reliability from deep.

When ASU has had success this season, their 3-point shots have been falling.

In ASU’s five losses this season, it is averaging 27.8 percent from deep. In the Sun Devils’ 10 wins this season, they’re averaging 39.9 percent from deep. ASU shot less than 40 percent from behind the arc in just three of those wins.

BJ Freeman (with ball) takes a three against Baylor on Jan. 11, 2025, at Desert Financial Arena. Freeman had 22 points for Arizona State in the overtime loss to the Bears. (Photo by Daniel Appel/Sun Devil Daily)

There are a lot of things you can point out to say ASU must improve in, and I get that this is an isolated stat, but a 12 percent difference is major, and it has proven costly for ASU.

However, this drastic difference does have to do with ASU’s opponents. The tougher opponents will contest shots better and make it more difficult for ASU’s shooters. But if the Sun Devils want to find success in the Big 12, they’re going to have to figure out the ball movement they need to create those open shots.

What’s next for ASU basketball?

Saturday night’s overtime loss to Baylor was a heartbreaker. However, ASU has a great opportunity to get back on track on Tuesday at home.

The Sun Devils will welcome UCF to Desert Financial Arena for a 9 p.m. tipoff game. This is a must-win, get-right game for ASU.

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