ASU suffered a tough loss in Pullman late Friday night. They'll need a short term memory as they turn around and play Washington Sunday afternoon in Seattle.
ASU update 12-12 (4-7):
Gerry Blakes starred for the Sun Devils Friday night with 24 points, but ASU only shot 5 of 21 from beyond the arc and shot 63 percent from the free throw line. It was a better night in the paint as the Sun Devils won the rebounding battle, but it was made tougher when Shaquielle McKissic fouled out and finished with only nine points. He and Blakes are nearly tied in the points per game lead with 10.9 and 11 respectively. Savon Goodman and Eric Jacobsen are sharing the load in the paint, averaging 6.4 and 6.2 boards per game.
Washington update 14-10 (3-9):
One way to characterize the season so far for the Huskies is streaky. They rattled off 12 straight wins to start the season, followed by four straight losses, another three game win streak and most recently they've dropped their last six games. They've had impressive wins over then No. 13 San Diego State and No.15 Oklahoma, but as noted above, have struggled mightily in Pac-12 play. Sophomore Nigel Williams-Goss leads the Huskies averaging 15 points per game. Seven-foot sophomore big man Robert Upshaw is grabbing just over eight boards per contest.
Keys to victory:
1. Team rebounding
Five players average at least four rebounds per game, including the aforementioned Upshaw who is a 7-footer. Jacobsen will have his hands full at 6-foot-10. ASU will need to stay physical down low.
2. Find a hot hand
ASU shot decently from the field but Jon Gilling or Bo Barnes (if healthy) will need to start hitting a few shots. Even winning on the boards wasn't enough in Pullman, the shots need to fall, sometimes it's just that simple.
3. Tra Holder
Williams-Goss and Andrew Andrews are two of the better guards in the Pac-12. He'll need to use his smaller frame to play more physical defense and potentially draw a few charges in order to pull out a victory.