Arizona State Basketball: 3 keys for the Sun Devils to beat Syracuse
Arizona State basketball will play Syracuse in the First Four on Wednesday night. What do the Sun Devils need to do to knock off the Orange?
Arizona State’s season has been a tumultuous journey which ranged from being a potential bubble team in the preseason to being a probable No. 1 seed before finally sliding back to the bubble. Many people predicted the Sun Devils would (and should) have been relegated to the NIT, but that was more wishful thinking on their part.
No team could match Arizona State’s non-conference resume, which was highlighted by wins away from home against Kansas, Xavier, and Kansas State. The Sun Devils undeniably limped to the finish line, but some other bubble teams (like USC) did not even have a single win against the tournament field. ASU only had one sub-100 loss (at Oregon State) on their resume as well.
Arizona State was always a tournament lock, but their recent stretch of poor play sent them to the First Four. This means they must earn their way into the main bracket. Fortunately, Syracuse was the best possible matchup they could have hoped for.
Syracuse is the one team whose inclusion was more controversial than Arizona State’s. The Orange had a solid resume which included the 14th-best non-conference strength of schedule and road wins over Miami and Louisville. A late-season home win over Clemson likely sealed the deal and earned them a tournament berth.
However, resume talk is over. All that matters now is surviving and advancing and the Sun Devils have a great opportunity on their hands against a very beatable Syracuse squad. This article will analyze three keys for Arizona State to defeat Syracuse and advance to the round of 64.