Arizona State brings a three-game losing streak into an important showdown with No. 12 Texas Tech on Saturday in Lubbock, Texas.
The Sun Devils (12-11, 3-9 Big 12) are coming off an 86-73 loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Red Raiders (18-5, 9-3) fell 82-73 at then-No. 20 Arizona the same day. Texas Tech was outrebounded 42-29 and shot 37.1 percent from the field.
Arizona State will be without freshman forward Jayden Quaintance, who averages 9.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The Naismith Defensive Player of the Year candidate also averages 1.1 steals and is third in the country in blocked shots with 2.8 per game, but he has been battling an ankle injury and left Saturday’s game early after aggravating it.
“Feel awful for Jayden,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said on his weekly radio show. “He was just sprinting down the middle of the floor and kind of got taken out and his legs undercut. He rolled his ankle pretty good. There was quite a bit of swelling in there. Everything was fairly positive on that end, but he’s going to be out for a period of time now to let all that swelling quiet down.”
BJ Freeman leads the Sun Devils in scoring with 12.9 points per game, and Basheer Jihad is adding 12.4 points and six rebounds per contest. Alston Mason averages 12.3 points and 3.6 assists; Mason had a season-high 25 points in the loss at Oklahoma State.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are off to their best Big 12 start in history, thanks in part to a smothering defense. They hold opponents to 65.9 points per game, the 38th lowest in the nation. They force 12.8 turnovers and limit teams to 41.5 percent shooting from the floor.
Texas Tech also has a balanced scoring attack, with five players each averaging 9.5 points or more.
Chance McMillian and JT Toppin each score 15.2 points per game, and Toppin adds an 8.6 rebounding average. He had 21 points and 13 rebounds against Arizona for his 20th career double-double.
Darrion Williams averages 14.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and four assists per game. He had 17 points on Saturday.
Texas Tech is two losses behind No. 6 Houston and No. 13 Arizona in the Big 12 standings, with eight regular-season games remaining. That includes a rematch against Houston, which Texas Tech beat in Houston 82-81 in overtime on Feb. 1, and a game at No. 17 Kansas on March 1.
“You’re in one-game seasons,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “It’s literally, how do you approach this day and figure out a way to get a little bit better? That’s been our approach. Our team has always responded well when adverse times come. I think it’s a reminder to stick to processes that put you in a position to win the games. You can’t get distracted by results.
“What’s our resilience to keep fighting through it to make it work? There’s a ton of resistance in this league. We’re going to experience it again … against Arizona State.”
–Field Level Media
