COLLEGE BASKETBALL – FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2010
#24 Washington Huskies (10-3) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (10-5)
The No. 24 Washington Huskies will hit the road for a PAC 10 match up against the Arizona Sun Devils at Wells-Fargo Arena in Tempe, AZ on Friday.
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These two teams last met on Mar 13, 2009 with Devils winning comfortably, 75-65. This year’s match up should be interesting as both teams who played near perfect non-conference schedules have struggled to win to start conference play.
The Sun Devils fell to PAC 10 rival Southern California 47-37 on Saturday night. It as the first time since 1991 that Arizona State was held to under 40 points. Junior guard from Seattle Demetrius Walker scored 11 points while Jamelle McMillan finished with 10 in the loss. The Devils shot a lousy 24-percent –their worst since the 1987-88 season, and had more turnovers (12) than field goals (11) against the Trojans. Arizona’s defense and 3-point shooting carried them to a 10-3 record through their non-conference schedule, but suddenly the team has dropped two consecutive games against PAC 10 foes. Including a total collapse in defense that allowed the UCLA Bruins to shoot 83 percent against the Devils in their PAC 10 opener on New Years Eve.
Meanwhile, No. 24 Washington is 1-1 in PAC 10 play after losing to the Oregon Ducks 90-79 on Saturday. The loss snapped the Huskies’ 18-game home winning streak and dropped Washington from then-No.17 to their current number 24 ranking. Sophomore guard Isaiah Thomas led the Huskies with a game-high 25 points, while senior Quincy Pondexter added 16 and Venoy Overton finished with 14 in the loss. The Huskies defense, which had been solid through non-conference play, slid a bit against Oregon State then completely disappeared in their match up against the Ducks. Oregon shot 53 percent against the Huskies and turned the ball over just eight times. Not something Washington had anticipated as they boasted about their ability to force turnovers just days before Saturdays upset.
The odds makers have the Sun Devils as –4-point favorites in this one.
The Sun Devils will need to diversify their offense rather than relying on perimeter shots and mix it up with some aggressive inside post play. The Huskies have relied too much on their pressure defense, which has shown its vulnerability in their last two contests. They will need to regroup starting with some focus on offense if they expect to be in the hunt for a PAC 10 title come March.
I expect the Devils to bounce back in this one taking one at home after a two game road trip to Los Angeles.
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- Washington is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games
- Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington’s last 9 games on the road
- Washington is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing Arizona State
- Arizona State is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
- Arizona State is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
- Arizona State is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games when playing Washington
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona State’s last 5 games when playing Washington
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