(Photo: Nicole Hernandez/WCSN)
A long, grinding 2016-17 regular season wraps up for the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday afternoon as they host the rival Arizona Wildcats.
The No. 7 Wildcats (26-4, 15-2 in Pac-12) have had a significant edge in the rivalry recently. Over the last 15 games. Arizona is 11-4 and has outscored the Sun Devils by an average of 13 points. The Devils (14-16, 7-10 in Pac-12) lost in Tucson on Jan. 12, falling 91-75 to their southern foe.
The Wildcats shot 56.7 percent in the first meeting this season. Freshman forward Lauri Markkanen had 30 points and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, three Sun Devils had 18 or more points, but no one else had more than eight.
While the rivalry has been one-sided in recent years, the team knows what hosting a highly ranked opponent means for the school.
“A lot of people are going to be watching,” ASU junior guard Shannon Evans said at practice last week. “It’s a big-time game for not only myself and the school, but for this community.”
The Sun Devils will have a hard time cracking the defense of Arizona, the second-best in the conference. ASU shot 47 percent in the first meeting this season. In the first half, ASU shot 0-of-9 from deep, putting them in a deep hole. In the second half, Arizona State worked to mount a relative comeback, going 10-for-18 from deep.
While Arizona has proven to be the stronger team, the Sun Devils have been known to pull of miracles on their home floor this season. Against Colorado on Jan. 5 and USC on Feb. 26, ASU came back from significant deficits and won by one point on a pair of clutch free throws from Tra Holder in both instances.
“We’re just finding ways to win,” ASU junior guard Kodi Justice said after the USC game. “Every time we come together as a team and we stay together, even when it seems we might be out, we always for some reason click and make big plays.”
The Sun Devils will be forced to contend with the size of Arizona. Both Markkanen and Dusan Ristic have been disassembling teams in the Pac-12 with their bodies. The smaller Sun Devils have been battling through the season with a shallow, smaller lineup, but have taken a professional attitude about the challenge.
“Coach asks me to do it and that’s what I’m going to do,” Justice said. “I think anyone on this team would do the same thing because we’re so unselfish. We’re willing to sacrifice to try and find a way to win.”
The same kind of luck and sacrifice that brought them victory over USC would help here. A win gives Arizona State a slightly better winning percentage than last season, a small mark of progress in a season full of challenges.
The game tips off at 2 p.m. Arizona time on CBS.
