Shutting down playmakers is the name of the game this week for the Sun Devil men's basketball team.
Oregon State will be the first task come Thursday night. OSU boasts a 12-6 record (3-4 in conference play).
The Beavers are led by senior guard Gary Payton II. An early player of the year candidate, Payton is second in the Pac-12 in scoring (17.5 ppg), seventh in rebounds (8.4 rpg), second in assists (5.3 apg) and first in steals (2.4 spg). Simply put, OSU goes as far as he takes them.
Senior forward Willie Atwood spoke to Payton's talent.
“He’s one of the better guards in the conference," Atwood said. "I’ll have a few chances at him when I open the game opposite of Gerry (Blakes) in the other guard position.”
Payton will be ASU's greatest hurdle as it tries to win its eighth straight home game against OSU.
After OSU, the Sun Devils will play against No. 23 University of Oregon. With a 16-4 record (5-2 Pac-12), Oregon holds the top spot in the Pac-12 standings.
University of Oregon plays one of the most cohesive units in all of college basketball, with no clear-cut superstar as well as no weak-links to speak of. They have a variety of playmakers that attract the attention of the defense only to dish it out to the open shooter once the defense collapses.
Almost every major statistical category is led by a different Duck player, and sophomore forward Dillon Brooks leads the well-balanced attack with 16.2 ppg.
The key to upsetting this rolling Oregon team lies in the ASU defense. Priority has to be put on each matchup, the Sun Devils must win the one-on-one battles if they want any chance to take this game.
ASU currently sits 11th in the Pac-12 with an 1-6 record (11-9 overall). The team was practicing with more intensity and speed in its practice on Wednesday afternoon.
Head coach Bobby Hurley said his team needs to look at every week as one game at a time.
“We have pretty much put ourselves squarely in just about every game and given ourselves a chance to win," he said.
ASU has lost five of its seven conference games by less than seven points. In its losses last week to Cal and Stanford, ASU lost by a combined seven points.
Sophomore guard Kodi Justice said he and his teammates need to focus on the game as a whole and less on individual stats. He thinks the team is better than the record shows.
“We’re losing games that are real close," he said after practice on Wednesday. "We’re 1-6 (in the conference) but we could easily be 7-0."
Reach the reporter at Braxton.Fox@asu.edu or follow @braxton_fox_II on Twitter.
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