Arizona State Basketball: 3 keys to beat Saint Mary’s in Hall of Fame showcase
By John Vaccaro
Run Saint Mary’s Off the 3-Point Line
If there’s anything we can definitively say Arizona State has done well this season, it’s defending the 3-point line. They are currently the 13th best team in the country against the 3, only allowing opponents to make 26.5% of their attempt. That is in spite of the fact that they have already had to play against San Francisco, who shoots the country’s 37th best percentage from behind the arc, and Prairie View A&M, who is 69th in that category. Now, they’ll face their toughest test yet.
Saint Mary’s is currently leading the country in 3-point percentage. In fact, their 43.8% conversion rate is a full point better than any other team. If ASU is going to win this game, they absolutely can’t allow Saint Mary’s to knock down 3s at such a high rate. Instead, they’ll need to run Saint Mary’s off the 3-point line and force the Gaels to beat them in the paint.
Saint Mary’s is built to play from the outside. While they have 5 different players in their rotation who are all shooting above 40% from the 3-point line, they only have one player in their rotation above 6’8″ (the height of ASU’s tallest players). Without giving up a ton of size, Romello White, Kimani Lawrence, and Taeshon Cherry should able to make life difficult for the big men from Saint Mary’s and keep the Gaels off the offensive glass. They should also be able to slow down Saint Mary’s guards, who are on the smaller side.
If Saint Mary’s can’t hit 3s in this game then it will completely change how they have to attack ASU’s defense and make it harder for them to score effectively.