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Pac-12 in NCAA Tournament: Arizona State Nearly Perfect in Big Win

Can the Sun Devils duplicate what UCLA did in 2021 after shooting better than 70% for most of the first half against Nevada
Jake Curtis|
Pac-12 in NCAA Tournament: Arizona State Nearly Perfect in Big Win
Pac-12 in NCAA Tournament: Arizona State Nearly Perfect in Big Win

Arizona State demonstrated on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio, why they are a scary team.

The 11th-seeded Sun Devils played nearly flawless basketball in the first half on their way to a 98-73 victory over Nevada in a play-in game of the NCAA tournament. It was the most points ever scored in a First Four game, and ASU's 63.6% shooting for the game was its best in 10 years in all games, not just the postseason.

ASU (23-12) advances to face sixth-seeded TCU in a first-round game on Friday in Denver. The question is whether the Sun Devils can come close to matching their first-half performance against Nevada.

With 1:28 left in the first half, the Sun Devils had made 71.4% of their shots, including 8-for-12 from long range, while committing just one turnover to build a 29-point lead at 53-24. This is from an Arizona State team that entered the day ranked 11th in the Pac-12 in three-point shooting at 28.5%.

ASU coach Bobby Hurley agreed that this was the Sun Devils’ best offensive game of the season.

“We’ve had other good games,” he said, “but nothing like this.”

ASU's 53 first-half points were the most by the Sun Devils this season and the second most ever in an NCAA tournament game for ASU. It was also the most points Nevada has allowed in a first half this season.

Meanwhile, Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear, the Wolf Pack’s two leading scorers who average a combined 31.7 points per game, totaled just two points between them in the first half, which ended with Arizona State holding a 27-point advantage.

The Sun Devils extended their lead to 30 points early in the second half, and coasted through the second half against Nevada (22-11). ASU shot 11-for-21 from beyond the three-point arc for the game, while committing just seven turnovers.

So can Arizona State do what UCLA did two years ago, when the 11th-seeded Bruins were forced to play a play-in game and proceeded to win five games to get to the Final Four before losing to top-seeded Gonzaga in overtime in the national semifinals?

One other factor. ASU freshman guard Austin Nunez, who has been out since Feb. 18 with a concussion, might be available to play in Friday’s game.

He was not needed Friday, as DJ Horne made 4-of-5 three-point shots and finished with 20 points, while Desmond Cambridge Jr., who played for Nevada last season before transferring to ASU, added 17 points. Jamiya Neal had 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting.

Lucas, who was a starter on the Oregon State team that reached the Elite Eight as a No. 12 seed in 2021, finished with seven points, while Blackshear had just four. Will Baker had 17 points for Nevada, which is coached by Steve Alford and finsihed the season with a four-game losing streak.

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Cover photo of DJ Horne by Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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