A 6-1 record with the only loss coming at the hands of No. 6 Duke seems like an ideal start for the ASU men’s basketball team.

But these Sun Devils need to look themselves in the mirror if they think performances like the ones they had against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and the first half of the LSU contest at Madison Square Garden in New York City are going to cut it in the Pac-10.

Winning is always the ultimate goal, which ASU did against UAPB (74-57) and LSU (71-52), but the Sun Devils came out flat as a 2-day-old can of Tab in both games.

Coach Herb Sendek and the rest of the staff were far from pleased with the effort in both games and gave their team an earful following the first half of the tilt against the Tigers.

Senior guard Derek Glasser told the NIT Web site, “I’m not sure if I can [repeat] some of those things.”

Yes, the first seven games have been against weaker foes with a pair of tougher opponents sandwiched in the middle, but that is no excuse for the lackadaisical play lately.

They certainly responded to Sendek’s words of encouragement against LSU — though threats of punishment is probably more accurate — outscoring the Tigers 44-18 in the second stanza.

But the Sun Devils seem to have left that spirit at the hotel room in NYC.

They never once showed signs of enthusiasm against UAPB, save for a titillating alley-oop from junior forward Rihards Kuksiks to freshman guard Trent Lockett at the end of the first half, who is the exception to the Groggy Devils style of play recently.

The freshman sensation has definitely lived up to his four-star billing as a recruit coming out of high school.

“[Trent] is very athletic,” junior guard Jamelle McMillan said. “He gives us a spark [and makes] the hustle plays. He’s a phenomenal player.”
Other than Lockett’s dunk, however, the game and the crowd had the energy of a funeral on Monday night.

To the team’s credit, they have had quite a hectic schedule and the young guys are still getting acclimated to the life of balancing school and travel.

But Sendek has singlehandedly changed the basketball culture in Tempe, and a lackluster effort simply will not cut it anymore – even in the midst of a win.

Behind Sendek’s scheme, and a team-first mentality that buys into his philosophy, the Sun Devils have shown they have every intention of matching, and perhaps exceeding last year’s success.

But without a go-to player who can simply take over a game at any given moment — like now-NBAers James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph — ASU knows every player has to be on top of his game every night.

At times on Monday, the Golden Lions trotted out a four-guard lineup and still destroyed ASU on the glass 39-25.

Sixteen of those were on the offensive end and had they been able to convert more of them into second-chance points, we might be talking about an upset.

When asked if this lethargic effort was to be expected after a strenuous road trip, a defiant Sendek said, “I never expect that.”

If the Sun Devils want to prove to their coach that the tryptophan haze has subsided, there is no better opportunity than against a tough Baylor squad on Thursday night.

Exacting revenge on the Bears for last year’s loss sounds like the perfect remedy for narcolepsy.

Reach Erik at emschimm@asu.edu.