Arizona State Basketball: 3 keys for the Sun Devils to beat Syracuse

1. Controlling the pace and tempo

Arizona State needs to assert their style of play and force this thin Syracuse roster to play up-tempo. This is such an interesting matchup because of the contrast of styles and whichever team can control the pace and tempo should have the upper hand.

Arizona State is 36^th in tempo (per KenPom) while Syracuse is 342^nd. Arizona State is 17^th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 124^th in adjusted defensive efficiency while Syracuse ranks 129^th in offense and 11^th in defense, respectively.

The contrast does not end there. Syracuse has the tallest average height in the country while Arizona State is 265^th in average height. The Orange pack their 2-3 zone with long, athletic wings and a 7’2’’ rim protector while ASU consistently plays with three or even four guards. Syracuse only has two healthy guards on their roster.

The only similarities between the two teams are that they both get to the free throw line often and they both rarely use their bench.

According to KenPom, Arizona State uses four guards in their second and third-most used lineup, which consists of 18% of the time in the last five games. It will be interesting to see if the Sun Devils can leverage this offensive firepower from their guards as an advantage or will this lack of size be too much of a defensive hindrance.

It will be difficult to score in the halfcourt against Syracuse’s set defense so it will be essential for Arizona State to score in transition. The Sun Devil guards excel at getting to the rim, but it will be difficult to finish over all of that length in the frontcourt.

At first glance, this play-in game looks like any other matchup from previous seasons, but when you dig into the numbers, the contrast is staggering. This is such a compelling matchup because these teams are polar opposites in so many ways.