What Gonzaga can expect from Arizona State

New-look Sun Devils are still building continuity among their talented freshmen and transfer classes

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

When asked what kind of message Gonzaga sent to the rest of the college basketball world after its dominant win over No. 8 Baylor Monday night, Braden Huff offered a more measured approach to the team’s season-opening win, one that left his head coach Mark Few nodding in approval. 

While the Bulldogs’ 38-point win over the Bears was historic, the 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore and his teammates aren’t prisoners of the moment.

“I think we understand this is only game one,” Huff said. “So there's a long way to go. We're not where we need to be quite yet. But it was a good first game. I think everyone who played made a big impact and we're really, really happy with how we play tonight, but we also understand it's November right now, and we're playing for March.”

Up next on the long journey to March is a matchup with the Arizona State Sun Devils at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Sunday at 2 p.m. (ESPN). Gonzaga and Arizona State agreed to a home-and-home series over the offseason, which means the Zags will travel to Tempe, Arizona, for the return game next season. The Sun Devils, now in year 10 under head coach Bobby Hurley, officially joined the Big 12 conference over the summer following the demise of the legacy Pac-12.

Here are three things to expect when Arizona State visits Spokane.

A MORE-INSPIRED SUN DEVILS SQUAD

Not that the Sun Devils need any extra motivation for a matchup against a top-10 team. But after the team’s lackluster performance in its season-opener against Idaho State, Hurley has more than enough game film to source inspiration. Despite building an 11-point lead at halftime, Arizona State found itself trailing with 5:04 left in the second half before ending the game on a 10-4 scoring run.

“Especially in the first game, you would imagine there's just a lot of juice, the guys are really amped up to play," Hurley said after the Sun Devils’ 55-48 win over the Bengals. "The last thing you would think you would have to worry about is being motivated. Myself and my staff gotta do a better job to get them ready to play. It was just flat. We let them hang around. It's rare that you see a team shoot 25 percent from the field for the game and have a chance to win in the last four minutes. It almost never happens that way."

Hurley’s squad shot 20-of-55 (36%) from the field and 7-of-24 (29.2%) from the 3-point line. He was also rather unimpressed with the team’s rebounding efforts, likely because his Sun Devils were outrebounded by the Bengals, 46-44.

"I think there's gotta be ownership through everybody, right down the line, starting with me," Hurley said. "We're playing two teams the next two games I think have a chance to look like NCAA Tournament caliber teams, so we gotta fix this thing quick."

Monday’s result came a week after Arizona State got trounced 103-47 by Duke in an exhibition game. Hurley admitted after the regular season opener that the message he tried getting to his team from that experience clearly hasn’t worked, though it’s also worth pointing out that he’s working with an entirely new roster than last season. The Sun Devils brought back just two players who logged at least 100 minutes for them last season. 

Expect a more enthused Arizona State squad as it hits the road Friday to face Santa Clara in Las Vegas (6 p.m., FloSports) before venturing to Spokane on Sunday.

STAR-STUDDED FRESHMEN

Gonzaga is up against another former five-star recruit in 6-foot-9 big man Jayden Quaintance, a top 25 player in the class of 2024 who de-committed from Kentucky to play for Hurley in the desert. The 17-year-old won’t be eligible for the NBA this spring, though his name already appears in the top 10 on some notable 2026 mock drafts. 

Quaintance had a tough outing in his college basketball debut, as he went 0-of-6 from the field and committed three turnovers in 18 minutes. He did however impact the game defensively with six blocked shots and two steals.

Joson Sanon, a 6-foot-5 wing, was one of the few standouts from the Idaho State game, as the former four-star recruit finished with 11 points, three assists and a steal. Sanon and Quaintance were featured in the starting lineup against Idaho State, while 6-foot-8 forward Amier Ali (four-star) logged 11 minutes off the bench at the “4” spot. 

EXPERIENCED TRANSFER PLAYERS

Hurley brought in four transfers over the offseason who figure will play meaningful minutes in his 2024-25 rotation. Missouri State transfer Alston Mason, a 6-foot-2 senior, was an All-MVC choice last season with over 17 points per game. BJ Freeman, a 6-foot-6 Milwaukee transfer, joins 6-foot-2 Ole Miss transfer Austin Nunez in the backcourt rotation as well.

Mason led the way against the Bengals with 14 points on 5-of-9 from the field. Freeman did a little bit of everything, as he tallied 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. 

In the frontcourt, Basheer Jihad had rough going offensively (0-of-7 from the field) but managed to rip down seven rebounds in 27 minutes against the Bengals.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

• Gonzaga states case for No. 1 ranking in Top 25 college basketball polls

• What Gonzaga’s Mark Few said after win vs. Baylor

• NCAA Tournament bracketology: Gonzaga up to No. 1 seed in West Region

• Gonzaga sends statement with blowout victory over Baylor: 3 takeaways

• Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard finds Braden Huff for slam dunk vs. Baylor

• Gonzaga's Ben Gregg shares special moment with father Matt during Warner Pacific exhibition game

• How to get tickets for Gonzaga vs. Portland Community Cancer Fund Classic game

• Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard makes spectacular no-look pass

• Gonzaga's Michael Ajayi throws down a dunk in transition

• Barack Obama breaks down funny handshake with Gonzaga’s Mark Few

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