Arizona State Faces Tough Test Against Third-Ranked Arizona
Who: Arizona State Sun Devils at Arizona Wildcats
When: Saturday, Jan. 29 at 12:30 p.m. Arizona time
Where: McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz
Spread (via SI Sportsbook): Arizona (-21)
Network: CBS
It has been a long and bumpy ride for the Arizona State Sun Devils since they last faced their in-state rivals just over a year ago. Looking back, the Arizona Wildcats fended off the Sun Devils 80-67 to sweep the season series.
The end result of that game perhaps showed what could be expected for each respective program this season.
ASU has stumbled into the 2021-22 season, sitting 6-11 (2-5 Pac-12) and has dealt with its fair share of injuries and COVID-19 related issues. Notably losing forward Marcus Bagley earlier in the year has stripped the team of a top playmaker.
On the other side, Arizona has all but surpassed preseason expectations. The team is third in the nation with a impressive 16-2 (6-1 Pac-12) record. That marks yet another leap forward for head coach Tommy Lloyd's program.
Entering Saturday's game in Tucson, the team does come off a recent setback. The Wildcats were handed their first conference loss in a 75-59 beating by seventh-ranked UCLA. For the first time since kicking off Pac-12 play, Arizona was humbled.
Arizona State will need to pounce on that in order to get a much-needed conference win. The Sun Devils have had their own issues since starting the conference slate. The team enters having lost four of its last five Pac-12 games.
Most recently, ASU was crushed 78-56 by 15th-ranked USC on Monday. The Sun Devils were notably without head coach Bobby Hurley and guard Jay Heath for the contest as each was suspended for their postgame actions following ASU's close loss to Stanford.
Even worse, the group lacked senior forward Kimani Lawrence, who was out due to a non-COVID illness. That left the Sun Devils shorthanded in a spirited loss to the Trojans.
Entering the rivalry game, Arizona State gets back Hurley and Heath. Though there are some question marks as to the rest of the roster. Lawrence is working his way back from the illness and is deemed more on the questionable side to play.
Forward Alonzo Gaffney now looks to be sidelined after taking a shot to the face in Monday's loss. When talking to the media this week, Hurley said the status of Gaffney playing on Saturday was "not looking good."
That won't exactly play into the hands of the Sun Devils as they take on one of the best teams in the country.
Arizona boasts two of the top-five scorers in the Pac-12 in guard Bennedict Mathurin and forward Azuolas Tubelis. Mathurin has been a force of his own this season, averaging 17.4 points per game and shooting an impressive 39.3% from beyond the arc. Tubelis adds an impressive motor with 14.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
They carry the load for a Wildcats team that scores 87.1 points per game. That's an eye-popping number compared to Arizona State's lackluster offense (63.1 points per game).
Adam Noel has been covering ASU athletics since 2018. The recent graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism is looking forward to continuing his coverage with AllSunDevils. Follow Adam on Twitter @Ads724.