Arizona State Basketball: Sun Devil’s season ends on sour note after Syracuse loss
The Arizona State Sun Devils lost a tightly contested matchup against Syracuse in the First Four. What went wrong in their lone postseason game?
Arizona State had an opportunity to turn their late-season woes around but lost to Syracuse by four points, 60-56. The Sun Devils got a great potential go-ahead look by Shannon Evans, but the miss ended their topsy-turvy season.
Three-pointers were falling for Arizona State, especially at the beginning of the second half where they extended their lead to seven points. The big three of Tra Holder, Shannon Evans, and Kodi Justice contributed most of the offense and combined for 11 made threes.
Arizona State did a much better job in the second half of moving the ball and sending cutters through the Syracuse zone. This led to some wide open looks from the perimeter and even some wide open dunks.
Tra Holder was also effective at puncturing the zone with the drive where he could find open teammates or slither his way to the rim. Mickey Mitchell repeatedly found himself open in the middle of the zone but was often too tentative to face the basket and attack. The one time he chose to attack, he made a crucial basket that pulled the Sun Devils within one point late in the game.
Arizona State did not get to the free throw line at their usual rate and, when they did earn a trip to the stripe, the result was not pretty. Shooting 3-10 from the line in a do or die game is not going to get the job done.
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However, the biggest issue was on the defensive end. Giving up 60 points does not look bad, but the game was played at Syracuse’s methodical pace and the Orange were able to get to clean looks late in the game.
O’Shae Brissett had an excellent game where he used his size to his advantage over the smaller Kodi Justice. He hit some huge three-pointers, but an and-one off an offensive rebound was a turning point.
The Orange might have been able to punish Arizona State on the offensive glass if it weren’t for the ineffectiveness of Paschal Chukwu on offense. Chukwu struggled to catch the ball and hold onto offensive rebounds. When he did corral the ball, he was often off target on putbacks and primarily looked to kick the ball out to the perimeter before even looking at the rim.
It may seem like I am down on Chukwu, but I actually like his game a lot. His defense was excellent and he altered a ton of shots with just his length and presence. There were multiple instances where Holder and Justice had an open 8-10 footer, but Chukwu’s contest forced a usually automatic shot to a miss.
Romello White’s struggles can partially be attributed to Chukwu’s stellar defense as White rarely faces that type of length. He also hit three enormous free throws which gave Syracuse a small lead with under a minute left.
Overall, Arizona State’s inability to get out in transition and force Syracuse out of their comfort zone ultimately played a major role in the loss. The Sun Devils were unable to get timely defensive stops, but they had a great chance to win at the end.
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I don’t know how Sun Devils fans will look back on this season. A few months ago this team looked like a championship contender, but this inconceivable deterioration must stink. They did make the tournament which should never be taken for granted unless you are at a perennial power. The cupboard is certainly not bare for next season, so Arizona State could be back in the tournament. Hopefully, for their fans’ sanity, next year is a more consistent performance.