Somebody should have pinched him.

During Tuesday’s press conference, ASU men’s basketball coach Herb Sendek showed up in a bright yellow ASU polo.

“I didn’t realize [it was St. Patrick’s day],” he said. “I should have [worn green].”

But who could blame him?

After all, it hadn’t been 48 hours since he heard the Sun Devils were to play Temple in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. By that point, he was probably waist-deep in Temple footage and intel.

Just moments after hearing they would be playing the Owls, Sendek called his good friend and former assistant coach Sean Miller.

Miller, now the head coach at Xavier, had been bounced by Temple in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament just days earlier.

Sendek has done plenty of his own research as well. It comes as no surprise that he was quick to praise the Owls and their season’s body of work.

“They’re obviously playing exceptionally well right now having just won their conference tournament,” Sendek said. “They’re an experienced team, they’ve been here before. And you can’t help but be mesmerized when Dionte Christmas plays.”

At this point, Sendek started gushing about Christmas. Looking at his YouTube highlights and season game log, it’s easy to see why.

The 6-foot-4-inch guard has been the A-10’s leading scorer the past two seasons and finished this year tied atop the leader board in the category (19.2 points per game).

Christmas loves the 3-pointer. Loves it.

He’s shooting about 35 percent from behind the arc this season, but can catch fire in a hurry. He nailed 7-of-16 3-pointers and scored 29 points in Temple’s 69-64 win over Duquesne for the A-10 tournament title.

“[Christmas] makes shots that are indefensible,” Sendek said. “I’ve seen him make shots where defenders are draped over him, doing everything short of tackling him. … [Once] he’s in the gym, he’s in his range.”

Sendek noted that Temple is not simply comprised of Christmas and some other guys. The Sun Devil defense will have their hands full in the paint.

The Owls’ leading big man goes by the name of Lavoy Allen. Just a sophomore, Allen is a 6-foot-9-inch forward with offensive skills.

He’s notched 13 double-doubles this season and was named an all-conference defender. He will likely be matched up with ASU senior forward Jeff Pendergraph on the post.

While Allen has received criticism for being too passive on offense, he’s proven to be a deft offensive rebounder. He pulled down 11 offensive boards in a March 7 contest against George Washington. Allen is averaging 11.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game since Jan. 24 – a span of 17 games.

“[Allen] is a ferocious offensive rebounder,” Sendek said. “He’s a real force inside. Like I said a few minutes ago, [Temple] is not a team that is a one-man band. They have tremendous balance.”

Joining Allen on the low block is 7-footer Sergio Olmos. A native of Spain, Olmos is wiry thin. He’s listed at 220 pounds but looks even skinnier because of his long frame.

Olmos, too, has become a greater offensive threat in recent weeks and has scored in double digits in five of his last seven games.

Joining Christmas on the perimeter will be swingman Ryan Brooks and point guard Semaj Inge. Neither are deadly offensive threats, though Brooks is the better scorer of the two. Brooks will also likely be guarding ASU sophomore guard James Harden on defense.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Sun Devil players had yet to study their opponent. Sendek and his staff were to present their scouting report during Tuesday’s practice.

“[Sendek] probably would have had stuff for us yesterday,” ASU senior forward Jeff Pendergraph said, “but knowing him, he wouldn’t really want us to start watching stuff unless he had all the answers.”

Pendergraph’s tone had changed considerably since Sunday, when he finally heard his team’s name called on the NCAA Tournament selection show.

No mention of linen suits. Or sandals or sun glasses.

“It’s a business trip not a vacation,” he said.

Pendergraph’s also feeling different than he was at this point last year. Instead of watching other teams play, he will finally be part of the madness.

“Last year was really bad,” Pendergraph said. “[Watching the NCAA Tournament] was just like watching highlights of your team losing every day.”

Sendek said his team — barring its second half collapse against USC last Saturday — is playing its best ball of the season.

The same goes for junior guard Derek Glasser, who has become the Sun Devils’ resident Mr. Clutch.

“He’s playing his career-best basketball right now,” Sendek said of Glasser. “He had an outstanding tournament. I think he really stepped up for our basketball team.”

But the same can’t be said for sophomore forward Rihards Kuksiks, who scored just nine points in three Pac-10 Conference tournament games.

Sophomore guard Ty Abbott, however, snapped out of his extended funk in Los Angeles and was the offensive force most expect him to be.

When asked how good ASU can be if both Kuksiks and Abbott are on their game, Harden nearly jumped out of his chair.

“Oh my gosh,” Harden said with a headshake. “Sky’s the limit. If they’re making shots, Jeff is doing what he’s doing, Derek’s dishing the ball out and making open shots, and I’m doing what I have to do, we’re tough to beat.”

Harden, Abbott’s roommate, said Abbott was down on himself throughout his shooting slump but has regained his confidence since.

“He’s back,” Harden said. “He’s laughing again. He’s Ty again, and it’s showing on the court.”

Reach the reporter at alex.espinoza@asu.edu.