No. 4 Sun Devils undergo altitude adjustment (Jan 04, 2018)
TEMPE, Ariz. -- This week was not about attitude adjustment for Arizona State, the last undefeated team in NCAA Division I before falling at Arizona on Saturday. The Sun Devils thought they played well enough, but their shots just did not fall.
It was about altitude adjustment.
The No. 4 Sun Devils (12-1, 0-1) wore oxygen-inhibiting masks in practice Tuesday in preparation for the two-game road trip to Colorado and Utah.
Their first stop will be Boulder, Colo., evelation 5,430 feet, for a game against the Buffaloes (8-6, 0-2) on Thursday. The Buffaloes lost their first two Pac-12 games on the road at Oregon and Oregon State last week.
"It takes away your oxygen a little so you can kind of get adjusted," guard Kodi Justice said of the face masks. "A lot of people train with them. It's super hard, but after you're done, you feel like you are fresh. You're breathing harder, but that's just how it's going to be when you are up there.
"I think it is going to be great for the long term, too ... not just for these two games, but to get us in shape for the rest of the conference play is going to help us out."
Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said he scripted his practices differently this week to give the players less recovery time. He stayed away from the hyperbaric chamber that some players used in attempt to acclimate themselves the last time Sun Devils made the Utah-Colorado swing in 2016. ASU was swept on that trip.
All-American guard candidate Tra Holder had 31 points in an 84-78 loss at Arizona, making 6 of 12 field-goal attempts (4 of 8 3-pointers) and 15 of 16 free throws, but the other starters were 10-for-36. The Sun Devils shot a season-low 37.9 percent and made only 8 of 25 3s against Arizona.
Hurley has been in a sort of similar situation before. His 1991-92 Duke team won its first 17 games before losing to archrival North Carolina. The Blue Devils finished 34-2 and won the NCAA title.
"Not particularly," Hurley said when asked if a loss can ever be beneficial. "You don't want to ever lose, but it's inevitable. History says you are going to lose some games during the course of a year. You look at the film and you see how hard your team competed and you appreciate that."
Holder is averaging 22.0 points per game, leading a group of six averaging at least 9.2 points per game. Shannon Evans is second at 17.0. Arizona State is averaging 90.7 points per game, fifth in Division I.
Freshman point guard McKinley Wright IV is averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists for Colorado, which has lost three in a row and six of eight after a 6-0 start. George King is averaging 13.2 points and 7.9 rebounds.
Forward Namon Wright, a transfer from Missouri, is averaging 11.6 points and had 20 against Oregon.
The Buffaloes are shooting 44.4 percent from the field but hit only 38.5 percent in Oregon.
"We're turning the page," Colorado coach Tad Boyle told his players after the 77-62 loss to Oregon on Saturday, according to Buffaloes' web site.
"We have 16 games left and we have to approach this kind of like it's a new season. We're on a little bit of a slide right now and we have to correct that. What an opportunity we have ... two top programs (Arizona State and No. 14 Arizona) coming into Boulder. We need to turn the page and get ready for those guys. We have to strap it on."
