Does Gonzaga have the best home-court advantage in college basketball? Just ask Bobby Hurley
Gonzaga might have the best home-court advantage in college basketball.
Just ask Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley.
In a game that came down to the wire — and could have gone either way based on a handful of possessions — Hurley said his team lost "four or five possessions" because of the crowd noise in ASU's 88-80 loss to No. 8 Gonzaga on Sunday afternoon.
“Tough environment. I think we lost four or five possessions of offense just because we could not hear anything and we couldn't get everybody on the same page," Hurley said after the game. "In situations like that I think this is an opportunity to grow from it."
Arizona State (2-1) came into the game as 22.5-point underdogs, but led for long stretches of the game. Leading 63-61 with nine minutes left in the game, the Sun Devils turned the ball over at midcourt and Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard threw an alley-oop to Khalif Battle that brought the house down.
KHALIF BATTLE WOW 🚀
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 10, 2024
(via @espn)
pic.twitter.com/1p3100rHF3
Gonzaga's student section, the Kennel Club, erupted after the play. The Zags' 6,000-seat arena, the McCarthey Athletic Center, was so loud and raucous that the media tables were shaking. From that point on, Gonzaga outscored Arizona State 25-17.
It's safe to say the Sun Devils did not experience an environment like this in the Pac-12 last season, but they will face similar situations in the Big 12. Iowa State, Houston and Kansas — to name a few — will present similar issues for ASU. And Sunday's loss to Gonzaga helped them prepare.
"I think our players recognize that if we can compete and play against a team like that at this level, there’s certainly a lot of hope that we can become a really good basketball team," Hurley said.
BIG TIME environment today ‼️pic.twitter.com/br9Sb9SQRG
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) November 11, 2024
Ball State transfer Basheer Jihad had a big game for the Sun Devils, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He also helped get Gonzaga big man Graham Ike into foul trouble. Ike, a preseason All-America candidate, played just 14 minutes and scored 9 points. His backup, Braden Huff, led Gonzaga with 21 points.
Missouri State transfer Alston Mason scored 19 points for ASU and Milwaukee transfer BJ Freeman added 12 points off the bench.
Arizona State faces another tough test on Thursday when they return home to face Grand Canyon (2-0) at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. The Lopes were one of the surprises of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, upsetting Saint Mary's in the first round before losing a close game to Alabama in the second round.
Grand Canyon star Tyon Grant-Foster missed the first two games of the season because of an academic eligibility issue, but is expected to make his season debut vs. Arizona State.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.