Oregon State
VS ASU this year: 0-1
NET Ranking: 84
Points scored: 73.5 (153 of 353)
Points allowed: 68.9 (112 of 353)
It will be a crucial matchup for two teams fighting for the two seed in the Pac-12 Tournament in Corvallis Sunday evening. Oregon State is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Arizona when they lost on a Devonaire Doutrive put back at the buzzer.
The Sun Devils will probably be thanking their rival momentarily for hanging on to their half game lead for the second seed. OSU has performed very well this season by taking advantage of the conference’s down season.
Led by the Tinkle family, with star forward Tres and his dad Wayne as the coach, the Beavers are in good position to at the very least make the NIT. Given the current state of the conference, it wouldn’t be crazy to see them make a run and win in Vegas.
Tres leads the Beavers in scoring, averaging 20 points per game. He scored 21 in the team’s first meeting in Tempe but didn’t get going until the second half. ASU cruised to a comfortable lead for the majority of the game, but the Beavers had a comeback attempt come just short as the Sun Devils got the 70-67 win.
In the backcourt, OSU has a twin-tandem of senior guards Ethan and Stevie Thompson who each average double-figure scoring. Ethan was a force in the first matchup of the season as he scored 21 points and was 5-of-10 from three point range.
Both can impact the game on offense, and ASU guards Remy Martin and Luguentz Dort will be tasked with trying to slow their offensive output if the Sun Devils want to leave Oregon with a road split.
For Arizona State, they will be hoping that the shots will start falling again on Sunday after perhaps their worst performance of the season against Oregon losing by 28 points.
Oregon forced the Sun Devils into taking three-point shots that weren’t falling and completely controlled the glass which is normally a strong suit of the Sun Devils. Zylan Cheatham had trouble making an impact on the game as he settled for only nine points and four rebounds in the route.
The solution is simple on paper. ASU will most likely be zoned again and if they’re to be successful, they will have to make shots. If they aren’t falling, the potential for another resumé damaging loss is possible.