Arizona State vs. Utah Tech: Key Storylines and Outlook
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TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (1-0) are set to play in their final tune-up before a major battle with the Gonzaga Bulldogs later this week when they take on the Utah Tech Trailblazers (2-1) at Desert Financial Arena.
The Sun Devils are coming off of an 81-64 win over Southern Utah and are looking to stay undefeated to open year 11 of the Bobby Hurley era.
Arizona State on SI previews the matchup below.
Utah Tech: Coming Off Loss
The Trailblazers won their first two games of the season before dropping a Friday night game against the Arizona Wildcats.
The team is well-balanced offensively - featuring five players that average double figure scoring numbers through three games. They also challenged Arizona in the first half of the 93-67 loss, showing a significant amount of fight for a team that is attempting to fight through the WAC.
Projecting Arizona State's Starting Lineup
The Sun Devils opened the season with Hurley giving nine players substantial playing time, as G Noach Meeusen, G/F Vijay Wallace, and G Adante Holiman are out for varying amounts of time due to injury.
Although senior G Anthony "Pig" Johnson made a strong case to start moving forward in the opener, there doesn't appear to be much reason to change what was seen to start the game.
- G Moe Odum
- G Bryce Ford
- F Santiago Trouet
- F Andrija Grbovic
- C Massamba Diop
Odum had a strong debut with the program - knocking down three shots from beyond the arc and dishing out eight assists in a strong showcase of his playmaking chops. Ford had an impressive debut after making the return to Arizona following a pair of seasons at Toledo.
Trouet and Grbovic had moments of struggle in their program debut, but both remain promising in this lineup. Diop had an incredibly impressive start at the center spot, as he posted a team-best +27 in 27 minutes on the floor.
Prediction: Arizona State Win
Utah Tech might be the class of the Western Athletic Conference after Grand Canyon departed the conference ahead of 2025-26 - however the Sun Devils are a more talented squad at the end of the day.
The intention, efficiency, and versatility of the offense should prove to be too much for a Trailblazers' defense that has shown to be porous at times over the first several games of the season.
Arizona State and Utah Tech are set to tip-off at 1:00 P.M. MST this afternoon. The game is set to be broadcast on ESPN+.
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and three major takeaways following a gutsy win over Iowa State here
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.