College Basketball

ASU MBB: A Much-Needed Home Stand Starts with UW

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:49 p.m. ET

Fansided, Zach Pekale/FanSided via Devils in Detail

After getting swept on their three-game road trip, ASU Basketball is home for a potentially high-scoring matchup with Markelle Fultz and Washington.

In 2017, college basketball is in the ‘Year of the Freshmen’ and the Arizona State Sun Devils (9-11, 2-5) have had no shortage of firsthand experience against some of the top young prospects.

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After having to handle Lauri Markkanen of Arizona and Lonzo Ball of UCLA, the Sun Devils now look to slow down Markelle Fultz and the Washington Huskies (9-10, 2-5). Fultz is regarded as the top overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft according to ESPN’s Chad Ford in his latest mock draft.

Coming into the game, Washington and Arizona State have lost three of its last four and each team is 2-5 in Pac-12 play. Both teams have a win against Colorado this season.

For fans who enjoy high-scoring games, this is a perfect match as tonight’s contest features two of the top four offenses and two of the bottom three defensive teams in the conference.

Jan 14, 2017; Stanford, CA, USA; Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) gets possession from the Stanford Cardinal in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Offensively, the Huskies are heavily reliant on Fultz as the sensational point guard averages 23.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Guard David Crisp has also been excellent from behind the three-point line, shooting 42.9 percent from deep.

Head coach Bobby Hurley will look to guards Shannon Evans II, Tra Holder and Torian Graham to carry the scoring load, with the trio averaging almost 63 percent of ASU’s points. Against a leaky Washington defense, the backcourt should be able to see a good amount of open looks from deep and get to the rim.

Washington has experienced size in the frontcourt between Noah Dickerson and Malik Dime which may force Hurley’s hand to use Ramon Vila and Jethro Tshisumpa more than he did against USC.

Regardless of the minutes both freshmen receive, senior Obinna Oleka will look to build on a solid performance on both sides of the ball from Sunday night as he continues to be a double-double machine for the Sun Devils.

After a promising 2-1 start in Pac-12 play, the Sun Devils have dropped four in a row with their continued road struggles. To compete down the stretch and into the conference tournament, ASU will need to build their confidence by winning at home.

Tip-off between Arizona State and Washington is at 9 p.m. MST from Wells Fargo Arena. The game can be seen on ESPNU and streamed on WatchESPN.