Losing at Utah hurts. Coming in to that matchup the Sun Devils had the advantages despite losing Trent Lockett and Keala King. They have more proven players and took care of more of their business than the Utes, non-conference or conference-wise. Unfortunately, the Devils started out slow and never caught up, giving Utah its second win in the Pac 12. In this rematch, the venue will be the comfy confines of Wells Fargo Arena, and we hopefully might have Trent back as well. A quick summary of the Utes after the jump.

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This is a special edition of a preview, because this time, I will let some more qualified folks do a lot of the previewing for the game against the California Golden Bears. My colleagues have hooked me up with some Cal basketball experts, allowing me to ask five questions about their team.

Throughout this session I'll chip in with statistics and what not to further your understanding of our opponents. My questions, their answers, and much more after the jump. And of course, all the thanks to the California Golden Blogs as a whole, NorCalNick and LeonPowe for answering my questions.

For our answers to CGB's questions, go here.

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Thursday night was the same old story for the Arizona St. Sun Devils against a Stanford Cardinal team that had lost three in a row. Despite Stanford's lack of momentum heading into this game, the Cardinal put up more than enough points to outpace ASU 68-44 by night's end.

Without leading scorer and facilitator (due to a shortage of guards) Trent Lockett, the Sun Devils only scored 20 and 24 points in each half. Only Jordan Bachynski registered double-digits points, with a career-high 24, while the rest of the team managed a combined 20 points. Yes, Bachnyski had more than half of ASU's points on this night.

The Cardinal, meanwhile, had three double-digit scorers, namely starting backcourt guards Aaron Bright (16) and Chasson Randle (14) along with reserve Anthony Brown (11).

The game was close through the first half, with ASU trailing only 28-20 heading into the locker room. However, the Sun Devils scored only three points during the opening 6:30 of the second half, and the Cardinal pulled away by scoring consistently.

Things don't get any easier for ASU: they take on the 7-2 Cal Golden Bears (who are taking on the Arizona Wildcats at the moment) on Saturday. Head coach Herb Sendek also announced post-game that Lockett will not play against the Golden Bears this weekend and will instead target a return next week. If ASU can't find an offensive spark without Lockett, Saturday could turn into another long affair for Herb Sendek and his players.

Where did the Cardinal go? After starting the conference season 5-1, they dropped three of their last four games to Colorado, Cal and WSU to get to 5-4 (all three losses had double digit margins). Meanwhile, ASU has got themselves back in the win column, with a close win against Wazzu. Can ASU capitalize on the Cardinal's funk and keep the mojo going, or will the Sun Devils be stomped in Maples? Oh, and will there be a Trent Lockett sighting? Brief glances at the Stanford team after the jump.

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All the momentum from the win against Oregon State has evaporated, as the Sun Devils struggled to score as of late, resulting in the losses to Colorado, Utah (!) and Washington. Now, ASU will welcome the Cougars of Pullman into Wells Fargo Arena. Can the Sun Devils reverse their misfortunes with a win here? A desription of the Coogs after the jump.

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The ASU basketball team returns to Wells Fargo Arena to play its first home game in roughly two weeks tonight. The Sun Devils host the Washington Huskies, who are tied for third in the Pac-12 with a 5-2 record, while ASU is in the midst of a two-game losing streak. Trent Lockett is questionable for tonight's game, and if he can't play the other Sun Devil players will have to step up in a way that they didn't last week to make this one interesting.

The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Arizona. Can the Sun Devils spring the upset? Tune in at 6:30 to find out and make sure to share your comments throughout the game below.

We're pleased to introduce a new feature--The House of Sparky Roundtable, where the site's staff will debate a pressing issue regarding Sun Devil athletics, and then turn over the discussion to you. It will be a great forum for informed and insightful ASU viewpoints on all sides.

This week's topic: Should head basketball coach Herb Sendek get a mulligan for this season?

Brad Denny: Personally, I do give Sendek a mulligan for 2011-2012. There is no question that this season is nothing short of awful, and a coach is always the man responsible for his team, but I think the cavalcade of circumstances surrounding the team's performance can't fully be pinned on Sendek.

This was poised to be a bounce back season of sorts for Sendek and the program, with top recruit Jahii Carson joining a team with a nice core that was going to push the tempo. But then Carson eligibility drama carried on, injuries to key players struck and then disciplinary issues arose that resulted in suspensions to key players and the dismissal of ASU's most productive player in Keala King. For most of that, I'm not putting on Sendek's shoulders.

I can certainly see why fans are livid with a 6-13 record, but I don't think placing the blame on Sendek is warranted. I actually think that had he not received the contract extension in December amidst this chaos, the heat wouldn't be nearly to this level.

Nikil Selvam: I'm torn on this one, but ultimately I think that this season does fall on Sendek's shoulders. He shouldn't be held accountable for Carson's academic ineligibility, but he does deserve some of the responsibility for the disciplinary actions taken against his players. A coach needs to evaluate his players and find ways to motivate them, and Sendek failed to do so with King as he morphed into a problematic teammate.

Sendek definitely deserves props for taking immediate action with King, thugh. Rather than letting him stick around, Sendek made the wise--and bold--move to cut the team's leading scorer at the time to help his program. For this, he deserves some praise.

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Leading scorers out. A win now with the value of diamonds. Losing streaks pouring into Huntsman Center. Injuries and suspensions aplenty. Ladies and gentlemen, the game between Utah and ASU Men's basketball. With such reduced firepower on both sides, can the Sun Devils pull this one out of Salt Lake City after getting rolled by the men of Boulder? More after the jump, but first of all, a great link about Utah basketball strategy by ASU alum Tom Kuyper (just skip the parts about Josh Watkins because he's dismissed from the team).

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