Suspensions hurt Arizona State in loss to Oklahoma State: 4 takeaways
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Just when it looked like things couldn't get any worse for the Arizona State men's basketball team, the Sun Devils officially bottomed out on Super Bowl Sunday.
Facing a must-win situation on the road at struggling Oklahoma State, the Sun Devils lost 86-73 to drop into second-to-last place in the Big 12.
The only team below Arizona State in the Big 12 standings? Winless Colorado.
Arizona State (12-11, 3-9) has now lost three in a row and four of its last five. And somehow, some way they have to regroup for Wednesday's road game at Texas Tech — one of the best teams in the country.
Miller, Freeman Suspended
Arizona State played without leading scorer BJ Freeman and senior leader Adam Miller on Sunday. Both players were suspended, for different reasons.
Freeman, who was ejected from Arizona State's loss to rival Arizona on Feb. 1 for headbutting Caleb Love, was reportedly suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. Freeman, a Milwaukee transfer, is averaging 12.9 points and 4.2 rebounds.
Miller was ejected from Arizona State's 71-70 loss to Kansas State on Tuesday night. He was issued a flagrant 2 technical foul by official Tony Padilla with 7:34 left in the game and ejected from the contest. Miller got into an altercation with Kansas State guard Dug McDaniel right in front of Padilla.
Miller's technical was ruled a "flagrant 2 fighting technical" which is an automatic one-game suspension per NCAA rules. Miller is averaging 10.3 points and shooting 46.1% from the 3-point line.
Joson Sanon's First Start
Because of the suspensions, five-star freshman guard Joson Sanon made his first start of the season. And it did not go well.
Sanon shot 5-of-20 from the field (2-of-10 from downtown) and finished with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley called Sanon "the best shooter" he's ever coached earlier this season, but in the last four games Sanon is 4-of-25 from the 3-point line.
Sanon suffered a high ankle sprain against BYU on New Year's Eve and has not been the same player since that injury.
Jayden Quaintance Injured
Arizona State's other five-star freshman, forward Jayden Quaintance, rolled his left ankle in the first half and did not return in the second half.
Quaintance, the youngest player in college basketball, finished with 3 points, 3 steals, 1 block and 1 rebound in 9 minutes.
Quaintance came into the game averaging 9.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. With a 7-foot-3 wingspan, he's still in the top 10 in the nation in blocked shots.
Alston Mason Steps Up
Alston Mason, a Missouri State transfer, had his best game of the season with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
Mason, who was born in Belgium, played all 40 minutes and was 7-of-20 from the field, 4-of-11 from the 3-point line and 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
-66e6aeb5014b4c4eeac84ca997f034c9.jpg "Ben Sherman")
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his 27-year journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. A basketball junkie, March Madness is his favorite time of the year.
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