Arizona State continues to spiral, projected as a No. 7 seed
Jan 18, 2018, 10:57 AM | Updated: 11:09 am
Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley argues a call during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Stanford Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
It took Arizona State two months to rise to the pinnacle of college basketball. It took two weeks to stumble toward the bottom of the Pac-12.
The No. 16 Sun Devils have dropped four of six games in conference play after starting 12-0 to open the season. Following a loss to Stanford on Wednesday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is projecting ASU to be a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Following a surge to No. 3 in the Associated Press poll, the program was rewarded with a No. 1 seed in the Jan. 4 edition of Lunardi’s Bracketology. Since then, there has been a drop to a No. 3 seed, No. 5 seed and now a No. 7 seed coinciding with the team’s slide.
“We’ve just gotta get more guys playing well, I think we’ve regressed some in league play and again we’re still searching,” Bobby Hurley told media after the Stanford loss.
The offense for the Sun Devils has been lackluster after a scorching start. Here is the difference in scoring from nonconference to league games.
| Field goal % | Three point % | Free throw % | Points per game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonconference | 51 | 40 | 73 | 91.8 |
| Conference | 42 | 35 | 75 | 77.5 |
Despite the recent shooting struggles, ASU ranks fifth in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency. However, the team is ranked 129th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Questioned early in the year about their defense, the Sun Devils have cracked as of late. They have been out-rebounded in four of six conference games and allowed opponents 10 more points and six more free throw attempts per game in Pac-12 contests.
While some fans may be ready to hit the panic button, ASU is ranked 27th in RPI and 34th in BPI, both factors the selection committee takes into consideration when seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
Additionally the team has six wins against teams in the top 100 of the RPI as well as two in the top 10 (Xavier and Kansas). The Sun Devils play at California on Saturday before finishing the season with seven of their final 11 games at home.
