More photos » Chris Pietsch - AP

2 months ago: Arizona State's Ty Abbott (3) drives to the basket past Oregon's Teondre Williams, left, and Tajuan Porter, right, during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game Thursday Jan. 14, 2010, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)

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ASU basketball is officially back, baby!

The Sun Devils are now 13-5, going 3-2 in Pac-10 play after starting out 0-2 against the LA schools. This wasn't much of a game, as ASU immediately grabbed a big lead and never looked back.

Quality game from Rihards Kuksiks, who put up 25 points on impeccable 9-12 shooting. Ty Abbott carried the team in the first half, dropping 16 all over the Ducks, who never stood a chance in this beatdown.

Tajuan Porter played poorly for the Ducks, shooting 2 for 11 and only scoring 6 points in 29 unceremonious minutes.

With the win, ASU moves into "contender" category for the Pac-10 crown. Another strong showing in Corvallis will make ASU stand out as the top dog in conference, which is not a good sign considering we lost our two best players from last season.

But hey, I will take 3 straight convincing victories in Pac-10 play. None of the last three contests have even been close - something we can all get used to. Especially with our bitter rival Arizona coming to Tempe on January 23rd, a 4-game winning streak will put the fans in the seats and the noise in Wells Fargo Arena.

On to Corvallis!