The Arizona State men’s basketball team dropped two close Big 12 games at home last week, one of which was overtime. Now, it gets a shot to better its fortunes on the road. The Sun Devils (10-6, 1-4) will trek to Cincinnati (11-5, 1-4) for a game on Saturday and then head to West Virginia (12-4, 3-2) for a Tuesday contest.
The Sun Devils fared well on the road during their nonconference schedule but have not done as well against Big 12 foes with lopsided losses to BYU (76-56) and Kansas (74-55).
Cincinnati is shooting 45.4% from the field and averaging 72.8 points per game while ASU is shooting at a 44/9% clip and averaging 75.7 points. One area in which the Bearcats have an edge that will come into play is rebounding. Cincinnati is a plus 5.4 while ASU is at even. In the games ASU has lost, that has been a pivotal category.
Arizona State (10-6, 1-4) at Cincinnati (11-5, 1-4)
Time/Site: Saturday, noon MST, Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati
TV: CBSSN Radio: ESPN 620 AM (KTAR)
About the matchup: The game pits teams needing a conference win as both sit at 1-2 in Big 12 play. That is a disappointment, especially for Cincinnati which started the season ranked No. 20 nationally. The Bearcats picked up their first conference win on Wednesday at Colorado (68-62). This marked the first time since the 1983-84 season Cincinnati had started 0-4 in conference play. ASU is coming off a 95-89 loss at home to Central Florida, which came two nights after a 72-66 overtime loss to No. 25 Baylor.
About the Sun Devils: ASU has been without freshman guard Joson Sanon (12.8 ppg) in three of the last four games and has lost two of those three. ASU has improved considerably on offense but in the games it has lost, defense has been the big issue. True freshman Jayden Quaintance (9.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg) continues to be the bright spot. His defense has been phenomenal all along but his offense game is improving. He’s coming off a season-best 20 points in the loss to Central Florida. He leads the team in rebounding, blocked shots (49), and steals (20). B.J. Freeman (13.3 ppg) is the team’s leading scorer and averaging 19.3 points over his last four games, with a season-best 26 coming in Saturday’s game.
About the Bearcats: Cincinnati’s best win was a 66-59 victory over then-No. 22 Dayton on Dec. 20. It has four players averaging double figures led by junior guard Dan Skillings Jr. (12.6 ppg) and senior forward Simas Lukosius (12.5 ppg). The others are junior guard-forward Dillon Mitchell (10.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg), a transfer from Texas, and senior guard Jizzle James (10.2 ppg), the son of NFL Hall of Famer Edgerrin James. Cincinnati has tradition in the sport but has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2019. It was just 22-15 overall and 7-11 in conference play a year ago but returned six key players so the unit is experienced playing together.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU men’s basketball needs wins against Cincinnati, West Virginia
