ASU Basketball: Ruslan Pateev Ejected, Punches Thrown, Sun Devils Lose On Buzzer Beater

ASU was shocked once again at the buzzer yesterday, falling 64-61 to Southern Miss in out-of-conference basketball action at Wells Fargo Arena.

While the game itself appeared to be interesting, nothing was more surprising than the punches thrown between Sun Devils center Ruslan Pateev and Torye Pelham, a Golden Eagles forward.

Looks like Pelham punched Pateev in the face and then sheepishly ran off, which left Pateev to foolishly throw a punch at the back of his head. Video can be seen below, along with video evidence of the buzzer-beating three pointer to push the Sun Devils to a miserable 4-7 on the season.

I've spoken to Pateev a few times and he is a soft-spoken, nice kid. This video surprises me greatly, but the conduct of the Southern Miss player should not be ignored -- this is not street ball, and he must be punished for instigating a fight.

Without Jahii Carson, there just isn't any offense to speak of on the floor for ASU. The only bright spot has been Keala King, who has developed nicely in his second season donning maroon and gold.