Pac 12 play continues tonight with the Sun Devils of ASU hitting the road for a Sunday night showdown with Steve Alford and UCLA. The Bruins are 6.5 point favorites for tonight’s tilt, and come in winners in three of their last four.
UCLA plays this game only three days removed from a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of number one Arizona. They had chances to take control of the game, but simply were not good enough on the defensive end.
The one thing they did do well was rebound the basketball. They are beginning to get better production from sophomore Tony Parker, and he and the other Bruin forwards could play a pivotal role in tonight’s winner.
ASU has struggled at times, but there is little question as to the potential they have given their point guard situation. Jahii Carson is as good as it gets in the country and he gives them an opportunity to win virtually any game.
Carson as well as senior Jermaine Marshall provide Herb Sendek’s team with two guards who are incredibly effective at creating their own shot. UCLA hasn’t exactly been a great group when it comes to defending on the ball. They are susceptible here as well given the fact their guards are bigger and not necessarily well built to defend what ASU brings here.
Normal Powell and Jordan Adams are both very good athletes, but they don’t have great quickness when it comes to handling Carson. I’d expect them to go with some zone and a combination of Powell and Bryce Alford for much of this game.
On the flip side, UCLA has a few different alternatives for attacking this ASU defense, which ranks 30th in efficiency nationally. Kyle Anderson will be a difficult cover here for Sendek to have to deal with.
The Bruins are one of the top offensive turnover teams because they get quality possessions on sets which start both inside and outside. Dealing with Anderson on the low block could leave this ASU defense vulnerable to kick outs, and their forwards could struggle to cover the Wear twins.
Also keep an eye on the aforementioned Alford and fellow freshman Zach LaVine. I’m not sure the Bruins would be where they are right now without the contributions of either. They are efficient offensively and both have the confidence to take big shots. They add to this offense’s explosiveness, and should ASU’s guards struggle to contain them on the offensive end, it could add undue stress for the Sun Devil back court.
I had this number at 5, with 6.5 representing some value. The additional fact that UCLA comes off of the Arizona game with a trip to Colorado on deck could leave them fragile here on a mental level given the fact that they handled ASU the last time they played a season ago.
This is a tough game to play, but it should be a good battle. As mentioned, ASU has a fantastic point guard and he makes them capable of doing legitimate damage later in the year. But it will be up to his supporting cast to aide in that process, and tonight’s game will be perhaps their most serious opportunity yet to shed light on how capable they are.
