Scouting the Arizona State Sun Devils

Coach Bobby Hurley will bring his Arizona State Sun Devils (10-7, 1-3) to the Fertitta Center Sunday for a late afternoon blackout game vs. Coach Kelvin Sampson and his Houston Cougars (16-1, 4-0). Hurley is always a threat to let the officials know how he feels.

Although ASU is 1-3 in Big 12 play, I feel like they are a sneaky-good team. They battled in Tucson on Wednesday night, falling 89-82 to rival Arizona. I believe they have two all-league types in point guard Moe Odum and freshman big man Mossamba Diop. Diop is 7’1” and wildly impressive: he moves well, can score in the post or with the jumper, and is an absolute presence in the paint on defense with his length. But the Head of the Snake for me in this one is Odum. He’s an incredibly shifty guard, a three-level scorer, with the ability to create at the rim using his crossover to get in the paint and make tough plays.

But I love the Coogs in this one. Arizona State is capable of pulling an upset in the Big 12 on a nightly basis, but they don’t defend for 40 minutes. One thing that concerns me is ASU’s ability to get to the free-throw line and score without the clock running. Houston will need to play clean, sound defense without hacking.

Arizona State Offensive Notes

• ASU wants to push the ball in transition. Odum is excellent at pushing the pace, and they love to run off of turnovers and defensive rebounds. They are ranked #37 nationally in fast-break points.
• The Sun Devils have a lot of guys who look to create offense for themselves. They love to pound the basketball and look to get in the paint to score or draw a foul. They are a pretty good pick-and-roll team with Diop, but they tend to look to Odum for a tough outside shot or a play in the lane.
• They want to get to the free-throw line and are one of the best teams in the country at doing so. Odum, Diop, and Pig Johnson have combined for 274 free-throw attempts. To compare, Houston’s entire roster has attempted 275 free throws.

Sun Devils Defensive Notes

• ASU has run 1,142 possessions of man-to-man (m2m) defense this season and only 4 possessions of zone. They did run a 1-3-1 zone coming out of the use-it-or-lose-it timeout vs. Arizona. SNEAKY…I like it!
• Overall, Arizona State is not a great defensive team. Of 361 teams, they rank #312 in scoring defense, allowing 80 points per game.
• The Sun Devils struggle rebounding, as they are ranked #295 in defensive rebounding. Look for JoJo, Chris, and Kalifa to get lots of tip-outs for dagger three-point opportunities!
• They run a couple of different presses, such as an m2m run-and-jump press, where they will pretend to guard their man, then leave them to go trap the ball-handler. They may also sprinkle in a 1-2-1-1 diamond press, looking to trap the in-bound pass and all corners. They actually go for steals in their presses, whereas most teams UH has played only use them to take time off the shot clock.
• ASU forces 14 turnovers per game, which is 5th best in the Big 12. The Coogs will need to be patient and take care of the ball.
• The Sun Devils will try to go over ball screens, but if they can’t, they will “switch”.
• Diop is a very good shot-blocker (41st nationally in blocked shots per game). UH needs to know where he is when they look to drive or feed the post..
• Arizona State is horrible at defending the three. They are ranked #262 nationally in three-point percentage defense. Houston should have good opportunities.

ASU Personnel (*Indicates likely starters)

*#5 – Moe Odum – 6’2″ – SR – Guard – (Pacific, Pepperdine) – 17ppg, 3rpg, 6.5apg.

• Head of the Snake. One of the best three-level scoring point guards in the Big 12;
• Incredibly shifty getting into the paint. I didn’t have to look it up to guess he’s a NYC point guard.
• Solid three-point shooter with 50+ more attempts than 2nd most on the team (43-122, 35%);
• Nice floater in the paint or can finish at the rim. Has a really nice ball-fake to move the defense and open a lane for him to drive;
• Great passer, averaging 6.5 assists per game.

*#35 – Massamba Diop – 7’1″ – FR – Center – 15ppg, 6rpg, 2bpg.

• MASSIVE center. Wildly impressive for a freshman big man;
• Really nice touch on his shot; Solid in the high post and mid-range; Shoots an incredible % for someone not scoring right at the rim like most 7’1″ guys; (95-145: 66%);
• Outstanding in the pick and roll, nice hands, and a good finisher. Also used in the short and mid roll;
• They don’t use him much as a back-to-the-basket scorer;
• Outstanding shot blocker.

*#2 – Anthony “Pig” Johnson – 6’3″ – SR – Guard – (Cumberlands, NE Mississippi CC) – 14ppg, 3rpg, 2apg.

• He played high school ball in Alabama when I was coaching in the state;
• Has 100 more two-point field goal attempts than three-point attempts (110 2-pt attempts);
• Due to his ability to get to the rim, he draws TONS of fouls (90-117 from the line);
• Incredible finisher at the rim. Likes to drive with his left hand and shoot with his right.

*#23 – Allen Mukeba – 6’8″ – GR SR – Forward – (UMKC, Oakland) – 7ppg, 4rpg.

• Thick, big body forward. Defensive specialist;
• Not a major offensive threat. Gets a lot of points from offensive rebounds;
• Gets the majority of his points right at the rim;
• Seems disinterested at times and lumbers around.

*#1 – Santiago Trouet – 6’11” – RS SO – Forward – (San Diego) – 8ppg, 6rpg.

• Long, skilled post player;
• Really nice right-handed hook shot. Decent post moves around the basket;
• Good in the pick and roll game as a short roller;
• Shoots a decent amount of three-pointers, but not well (2-17, 12%);

#14 – Andrija Grbovic – 6’11” – JR – Forward – (SC Derby) – 7ppg, 3rpg.

• Tall, three-level scoring forward off the bench;
• Really nice form on his three-point shot (23-63: 36%);
• Capable of playing in the post or taking it off the bounce;
• Does a good job cutting to the basket, when his defender isn’t watching;
• Has a bit of the European exaggeration when fouled.

#15 – Noah Meeusen – 6’5″ – SO – Guard – 5ppg, 3rpg.

• Skilled combo-guard off the bench. Can shoot from DEEP;
• Can shoot the three-pointer off the bounce…that’s actually really hard to do;
• 48 of his 62 field goal attempts have been from beyond the arc.

#4 – Bryce Ford – 6’4″ – JR – Guard – (Toledo) – 8ppg, 2rpg.

• LEFTY! Sneaky athletic;
• Played against the Coogs last year for Toledo. Had 2 points on 1-3 shooting;
• Solid three-level scoring guard off the bench. Looking to bring instant offense;
• Good three-point shooter (20-51, 39%);
• Can shoot it off the bounce or get all the way to the rim. LOVES to drive left and shoot left.

What I’m Watching…

1. Houston transition defense: Arizona State wants to RUN and get easy shot attempts, before the now-connected Houston defense sets up. Transition defense is always a key for Kelvin Sampson. I suspect it was discussed this week.
2. Foul trouble: ASU wants to get to the paint and draw fouls. Their guards are dynamic at getting to the free-throw line. Can UH prevent them from getting there?
3. ASU’s dynamic duo: Odum and Diop are as good a 1-2 punch as I’ve seen this year. I’ll be interested in who Coach Sampson wants to take away. Odum is my head of the snake. I’m curious who it is for the staff.
4. Houston three-point shooting: This could be a BIG three-point shooting night for Houston. They just have to knock them down!
5. Rebounding: Arizona State really struggles to rebound outside of Diop. I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see around 17 offensive rebounds for the Coogs in this one.