Arizona State’s next two games are on the road against No. 1 Arizona in Tucson on Wednesday and No. 7 Houston on Sunday, which means a win over struggling Kansas State at home in the Sun Devils’ most recent game was essential.
“This was much needed, this outcome, just for the morale of the group,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said after the Sun Devils (10-6, 1-2 Big 12) gave Kansas State its third straight loss to start conference play.
Arizona State snapped a four-game losing streak with the 87-84 win, the 48th victory by six points or less dating back to the 2019-2020 season.
“When you start losing, you feel like, when are you going to win again?” Hurley said.
Arizona State persevered despite being short-handed.
Guard Bryce Ford (hip) and forward Marcus Adams Jr. (back) did not play against Kansas State.
According to Hurley, Ford is likely to return against Arizona or Houston, while Adams is out indefinitely.
Arizona State, which improved with its interior play against Kansas State, will need that element against an Arizona team that ranked No. 2 nationally in average rebounding margin (14.5 a game) entering the week.
The Sun Devils outrebounded Kansas State 48-34, with a 30-18 advantage on the defensive glass. Arizona State is 1-6 when losing the rebounding battle.
Santiago Trouet led all players with 10 rebounds against Kansas State, while 7-foot-1 freshman Massamba Diop had nine and Allen Mukeba recorded eight.
The Sun Devils outscored Kansas State 50-28 in the paint and recorded 10 blocked shots, five by Diop.
Arizona (16-0, 3-0) similarly dominated Kansas State inside in its 101-76 home victory Jan. 7, winning the rebounding battle 55-32 and scoring more in the paint by a total of 56-36.
The Wildcats are coming off an 86-73 victory at TCU on Saturday.
They outrebounded TCU 38-32, led by 10 by 7-2 post player Motiejus Krivas.
Diop going against Krivas inside will match Diop’s athleticism and agility against Krivas’ physicality.
“Our guys probably got to figure out how to find a few more advantages with that physicality,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said regarding how TCU was competitive in rebounding. “All in all, I’m happy with how our guys responded and with all the adversity that we faced.”
Arizona’s 16-0 start matches the second best in program history, trailing only the 2013-14 team that started 21-0.
The Wildcats’ current six-week run at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 matches their third-best streak. The 2013-14 team holds the record of eight straight weeks atop the rankings.
Koa Peat had 20 points against TCU, his most since producing 30 on defending NCAA champion Florida in the season opener Nov. 3.
Jaden Bradley scored all 17 of his points in the second half, including 10 in the last two minutes to secure the double-digit lead. Anthony Dell’Orso came off the bench to add 17.
Bradley noted Arizona’s versatility, including when players step up while others might be struggling and the team’s inside-outside strength.
“We got Koa, Tobe (Awaka), Big Mo (Krivas) — forces in the paint, and they make it easier for us guards to get open shots,” Bradley said. “We’re just playing off each other, making it easy for each other. That’s the goal at the end of the day.”
–Field Level Media
