Does ASU have a late-game problem? A Deep Dive

Tempe, Ariz. – The Sun Devils fell once again in a close game. With just three seconds remaining freshman phenom center Jayden Quaintance missed two free throws that could have won or tied the game. This is starting to become a pattern now for the Sun Devils as in six of their last eight games they have been within five points or fewer with around five minutes to play and lost all six of those games.

Kansas State:
The Sun Devils got out to an early 17-2 lead by the time the under-12-minute media timeout occurred. That success did not last long though as Kansas State would end up scoring 35 points in those final 12 minutes of the first half and have a 35-32 lead heading into half.

The second half would follow with a very back-and-forth type of game. The Wildcats still would extend their lead out to 13 at one point early in the half before ASU went on a run of their own and finally regained the lead 63-62 after a huge Quaintance slam.

This is where the Sun Devils’ inability to close out close games reared its ugly head once again. In this one ASU however, did not struggle to score late in the game as they usually do, and instead struggled to get a stop as the game started to wind down. This was then capped off with the two missed free throws by Quaintance that could have won or tied the game for the Sun Devils.

This game for the Sun Devils was encapsulated by the sheer number of three-point attempts, which amounted to 25 in the first half and 37 overall. Coach Hurley prefaces this by explaining that 19 of the three-point attempts were considered wide open. When Hurley was asked about the inability to step up and make open shots post game he said, “At this level with the quality of shooting that we’ve shown throughout the course of the season, to be 5 for 19 on our home floor… you can’t win”

This game was just the final straw that broke the camel’s back however for Hurley’s squad. Hurley said, “I’ve tried to do the best job I can with this team and I’m not getting through to them enough and it’s not going well” when asked about how he was going to get the guys back on track.

It appears frustrations are starting to build up in Tempe pairing that along with the flagrant two ejection Adam Miller received for slapping Kansas State guard Dug McDaniel.

To try and solve these issues we’re going to take a deep dive into the other five games that ASU has lost close recently and where they went wrong. This is now a team that can not afford to be losing close games as they cling onto any little remaining bubble hope.

Arizona:
The Arizona game is this year’s classic Sun Devil basketball performance, where they compete for about 35-36 minutes and then the wheels fall off in the final four-to-five. In the final minutes of the game, they would be outscored 15-10 and struggle to rebound the basketball.

They gave up 5 offensive rebounds alone in the final five minutes of the game, something that also seems to show up late in a lot of these games. Whether it is an effort issue, or exhaustion by the time the end of the game rolls around something has to change for Hurley’s squad on the defensive boards late in games.

This is another game where a senior leader in BJ Freeman lost his cool with the other team, similar to Miller’s actions against Kansas State. This is where a lot of Coach Hurley’s press conference frustrations are starting to mount as he can feel his grip on the team is beginning to unravel right along with the season.

Iowa State:
The final score may not look like it, but the Sun Devils were right there to win this game late. With five minutes and change remaining ASU held a 58-57 lead over the Cyclones.

Then the Sun Devils season-long late-game offensive struggles began. From that point, ASU shot 1-6 from the field after gaining that previously mentioned lead and coupled that with four turnovers in that same time span.

While ASU was doing that on the offensive end, defensively was not better as they would allow Iowa State in the final five and a half minutes to explode for 19 points. The guard duo of Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert were unstoppable down the stretch as they were responsible for almost every Iowa State point late in the game.

This would end up being the third straight loss in a now-five-game home losing streak for the Sun Devils.

Cincinnati:
The Cincinnati game is slightly different than the rest because it was a road game and ASU never actually tied or held a lead late in this game like the all others. ASU was attempting to claw their way back into a game that they fell in down early.

The closest ASU ever got was when they cut the lead to 52-48 at about the six-minute mark. Once again following that they were outscored 15-12 just flashing their inability to get stops late and execute efficiently.

They continued to shoot a low percentage from the field and turn the ball over as they let a game slip away against a Cincinnati team that has been poor thus far in Big 12 play. They sit No. 15 in the standings with a 2-8 record in conference play and their only wins being ASU and Colorado who have not won a conference game all year.


UCF and Baylor:
These final two games are becoming a little more distant, but both are the exact same type of game as Kansas State. By the middle of the second half in both games, the Sun Devils had let the opponent’s lead get up to double digits. Then fought back to tie the game in both..

In the UCF game ASU struggled to get stops late down the stretch as senior Darius Johnson and junior Keyshawn Hall (on the back of his career 40-point night) gave the Sun Devils problems down the stretch on the offensive end. The two were able to once again push the Sun Devils to the brink and handed them another loss.

The Baylor game was slightly different, however. The Sun Devils were actually able to come all the way back and tie the game after a late floater from senior guard Adam Miller. Their late-game struggles began in overtime. The Sun Devils came out of the gates missing three open layups in their first two possessions. This allowed Baylor to take an early six-point lead and eventually be outscored 11-5 in overtime.

The Conclusion:
Bobby Hurley and his team have a lot to go over before their next game in Stillwater on Saturday against a struggling Oklahoma State team. If they are able to look at these past struggles of late-game rebounding, offensive execution, and defensive lapses they should have no problem beating the Cowboys though. If Hurley can build on what they have done well this season along with these new adjustments this team has the talent to make a late run for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

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