Paul Sakuma - AP

Air Glasser.

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Huge game today against the Bears. Matt has been summoned to press row in Haas Pavilion, and will be providing us with coverage from the epicenter of California basketball.

I am ready to see Matt storm the court if we win today. Check out coverage of the game below:

Sun Devils vs Golden Bears coverage

California Golden Blogs

Sun Devils vs Golden Bears preview

Lets have a quality discussion today. Go Devils!

Stop Landry Fields, please.

The game is going to be streamed live on Fox Sports Arizona's website. You can get the direct link here.

Lets pull together and have a good game thread for this one! Go Devils!

Rick Scuteri - AP

Give this man the rock!

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Every game remaining on the schedule is a must-win. There is no room for a letdown against a terrible Pac-10 opponent. Oregon is 12-11 and 4-7 in conference, which implies one thing: we should win today. Does that mean it will happen? I'm not so sure.

After witnessing firsthand the monstrosity that was the Oregon State game on Thursday, our weaknesses may have been fully outlined, the "playbook for beating ASU" revealed. By stretching the zone against us, the Beavers forced Derek Glasser and Jamelle McMillan to handle the ball for long periods of time, passing back and forth like it was a hot potato.

Meanwhile, our wings stood in corner on the baselines, waiting for something to happen. Eric Boateng and Taylor Rohde tried not to get 3 second calls against them. It was ugly. While we won, I hated the entire game from start to finish. If we can't break a zone against OSU, we are in serious trouble.

What is needed is an infusion of speed. I am calling for increased playing time for Demetrius Walker, a speedy talent who can light up the mid-range game with his slashing abilities. At 17-8, we are an outside shot for the NCAA Tournament unless we can go on a huge winning streak. With 6 games left in the regular season, that is entirely possible.

22-23 wins can still get us into the dance, but we need to take care of the lower-level teams first. Down with the Ducks!

Ah, mediocrity. The word is used as a descriptor for a lot of things in life - the Diamondbacks, Olive Garden, Family Guy, Bud Light. Never has the word been so apt as right now in 2010 when describing the Pac-10 basketball slate. Despite losing two NBA draft picks in 2009, the Sun Devils are sitting atop the conference with a dazzling 6-4 record.

At 16-7 overall, ASU needs to win six more games to have a good shot at making the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. There are 8 regular season games remaining on the slate, and then ASU will be playing at least once in the Pac-10 Tournament. What this information really implies is the following: the Devils cannot have a letdown game tonight, or lose next weekend to either of the Oregon schools. The next three games are essential.

Washington has looked good lately after an abysmal start to Pac-10 play. The Huskies decimated the Cougars, then beat a now-tough Arizona Wildcats team. Sitting at 15-7, UW must win a lot of games in order to be dancing in March.

In reality, our conference may only get 2 or 3 bids. But if UW, ASU, Cal and Arizona can all win the majority of their remaining games, we may have a shot at 4. UCLA is out unless they win the Pac-10 Tournament.

Man, lets look at the stats, shall we?

Ty Abbott's stats have been increasing nicely over the past few weeks...

GO DEVILS!

Greg Wahl-Stephens - AP

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It's nearly that time again, Sun Devil faithful. The Arizona Wildcats (9-9, 3-3 Pac-10) come to town to take on Arizona State (14-5, 4-2 Pac-10) in another installment of the Territorial Cup Series.

This weekend is a big one, as ASU and UA also face off in women's gymnastics and women's basketball tomorrow. We will have some extra coverage of the gymnastics team for your reading pleasure.

Back to men's hoops. Arizona comes to town after going splitting a road trip to the Oregon schools. They have played some very tough teams this season, which belies their .500 record. This is a very competitive team and ASU, despite being favored by ESPN and Las Vegas, still has their hands full tonight with the emotions of the rivalry.

Nic Wise is still on the Wildcats, and he is having a good season. Averaging 15.3 points and over three assists and rebounds a game, Wise is leading a group of rather inexperienced players through a tough transition year.

With new coach Sean Miller rebuilding the program, it will be a few years before the product on the court is up to the expectations of the Tucson faithful - but Sun Devil fans won't mind watching the Wildcats struggle.

This is a rivalry game, and the student section is already filling up with Devil fans. The rest of the crowd has not arrived at this time, but I am confident this place will be packed. Lets support ASU as they strive for 15-5 on the season, and 6 in a row over Arizona.

Post your thoughts in this thread!

Alright, game tips off in 20 minutes or so... lets take a look at the Beavers, who are coming off a big win over the Arizona Wildcats, 67-64 on a last second shot by Lathen Wallace.

Watch out for Seth Tarver, who plays the point in Oregon State's 1-3-1 zone. If ASU can outflank him, the Beavers will be in for a long afternoon.

I have every confidence in ASU's ability to win this game. Herb has his team playing well, and if they can continue the offense prowess they have been showing off lately, they could be the team to beat in the Pac-10.

Just for fun, lets take a look at ASU.

With a couple more good performances, Ty Abbott should be able to break the 10 ppg barrier.

NOTES:

• Jamelle McMillan is questionable for the game, and he did not practice Friday.
• Oregon State is now 2-0 since losing by 51 points to Seattle University.
• ASU won by an average of 20.3 points over their last three opponents (Washington, Washington State, and Oregon)

Dean Hare - AP

Need to stop this guy.

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Lets talk about the big game tonight. ASU is looking for its first road win in conference play, and they are going to have to beat the current Pac-10 leader in order to do it.

After a great weekend against the Washington schools at home, can the Devils take this quality show on the road? Or will we see a return to the dreary USC loss, 37 points (or less)? Time will tell.

Who to watch: Ty Abbott. Since we're 30-7 when he scores 10 points or more, we need him to put in at least 15 to give us a good shot at this game.

Oregon's best: Tajuan Porter. Averaging 14.1 ppg and shooting a respectable 38.1% from long distance, shutting down Porter is the key.

Lets go Devils!

Paul Connors - AP

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The Sun Devils attempt to take their Pac-10 conference record to .500 in early afternoon action at Wells Fargo Arena against the Washington St. Cougars.

After a big win against the Washington Huskies, ASU (11-5, 1-2) already has a signature victory in Pac-10 play. This came as a nice surprise after an uninspiring start in Los Angeles.

Washington State (11-3, 2-1), on the other hand, has faced several stiff tests this season, including road losses to Kansas State and Gonzaga. The Cougs are fresh off a big victory in Tucson thanks to a buzzer-beating layup by DeAngelo Casto.

The Devils need to utilize the same game plan that saw great success against Washington:

1. Get Ruslan Pateev more playing time. One of the knocks on Eric Boateng is that he is a black hole in the paint - once the ball goes in there, it doesn't come out. Pateev, on the other hand, hasn't developed his shot yet, so he spends his time passing the ball back out to the perimeter.

2. Set Rihards Kuksiks up for success. We will only go as far as Rihards. If he gets a lot of clean looks, we can build a lead and take advantage of our smothering defense.

3. Cover the perimeter in the zone. These Cougars can shoot the lights out. Take a look at their statistics.

That's a lot of perimeter talent. Klay Thompson is obviously the key to this game.

Tipoff is in 5 minutes. Go Devils! Post in the gamethread, lets talk about this game.

CougCenter

Cougars vs Sun Devils coverage

Elaine Thompson - AP

Watch out, Boateng.

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We've got about 30 minutes to go before the game, and the home team has just entered the arena. The crowd is so pitiful that I dare not mention the details. Just to give you a point of comparision, a student could arrive at the game and have a second row seat in the student section. Right now.

We will not have a home court advantage tonight. This is PARTLY due to ASU's winter break. The other reasons? Terrible effort in Los Angeles and a fairweather fanbase. But lets get past that and focus on the game ahead.

We're taking on Washington, a quality team that is currently 10-3. They are also coming off a loss, 90-79 at the hands of the upstart Oregon Ducks.

Who should we pay attention to on the Huskies? Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas are playing well this season, which shouldn't be a surprise. They were the stars of last season's team, and look to build on that success by taking another regular season Pac-10 title.

Can we stop the Huskies? That's a matter of opinion, but after last weekend, I find it hard to imagine that ASU can put up much of a fight in this matchup. That doesn't mean that they don't have a chance; the zone just has to stretch to stop those deadly three point shots.

The Sun Devils complete their road trip to Los Angeles tonight, taking on USC after losing to UCLA way back in 2009. The biggest obstacle? Overcoming USC's surprisingly strong start.

Conquest Chronicles is the blog of the home team here at SBN; feel free to visit them in case you want to read more about the Trojans. Lets take a look at some notes from the ASU athletic website:

THURSDAY RECAP
ASU fell to UCLA 72-70 after battling back from a 16-point second-half deficit, as the Bruins shot 62.9 percent (22-of-35) from the field, the best mark by an ASU opponent in the past 135 games. Utah Valley State shot 27-of-41 (.659) on Dec. 10, 2005...UCLA's 42 first-half points were the most surrendered by ASU in the opening half in the past 63 games. UCLA was up 46-24 on Jan. 31, 2008...UCLA was 15-of-18 (.833) from the field in the first half, including 8-of-10 from three ...ASU had a season-low six turnovers...Rihards Kuksiks led ASU with 15 points, while Ty Abbott and Derek Glasser had 12...Demetrius Walker gave ASU eight points in 16 minutes off the bench.

I would like to see Trent Lockett get a lot more playing time tonight - it is clear that we aren't all that athletic, and involving Lockett may give us a better shot at getting out of California with a .500 conference record.

LIKING THE ROAD
Derek Glasser is averaging 17.8 points in ASU's four games away from Tempe this year and is shooting 20-of-40 (.500) from the field, 9-of-16 (.563) from the three-point stripe and 78.6 percent (22-of-28) from the line. This trend can go back to last season as well...Glasser averaged 13.2 points in the final five games last year, all of them away from Tempe, as ASU played three games at the Pac-10 Tournament and two in Miami for the NCAAs.

Glasser is a seasoned point guard, harking back to the days of yore, when athletes played stuck around for four full years. He is our Gerry McNamara. Our T.J. Sorrentine.

Why do I name four-year, white point guards who could shoot the lights out? Because Derek is in that mold. Lets look at McNamara's stats in his senior year at Syracuse back in 2005-2006.

35 minutes a game, scoring 16.0 points, 5.9 assists, 90% FT, 33% from 3PT.

And T.J. Sorrentine's senior year at Vermont, back in 2004-2005?

36.5 minutes a game, scoring 18.7 points, 4.2 assists, 81% FT, 40% from 3PT.

Finally, the Glassman:

32.4 minutes a game, scoring 11.8 points, 5.5 assists, 89.1% FT, 46.8% from 3PT.

This guy is making his senior year count. He is helping our young players develop, and I would like to see more of it. Lets play Glasser with Lockett, Rudd, Pateev, Walker. Lets show these young guys what heart can do. And lets leave California with a win.