It was nice to see five-plus hours of ASU-only coverage on that eternally self-promoting network Friday night. But with all the attention on Sun Devil athletics, the script was flipped. The football team won and the men’s basketball team lost.
Who would have thunk it?
Sure, the football team’s offense was still horrible; it managed only 21 rushing yards. But this was about five times as many yards as the Sun Devils got against Georgia on Sept. 20. That’s when coach Dennis Erickson so wisely stated that yards weren’t indicative of success.
But a win is a win, right?
After all that’s gone on, the pig-skinners have a decent shot at postseason play, something we just assumed about the teams on the hardcourt.
The men’s basketball squad lost to a worthy opponent in Baylor, which should crack the top 25 this week, but Friday’s contest against the Bears was a must-win.
ASU needs every nonconference victory it can get.
While better than last year’s team, the Sun Devils have a rather soft nonconference schedule.
Things could be different, however.
It perplexes us to see the Sun Devils host a pair of basketball events, only to play lesser opponents.
When No. 9 Gonzaga comes into Phoenix on Dec. 14 for the Desert Classic, it won’t be facing ASU. UA, rather, will counter the perennial powerhouse while ASU takes on IUPUI. That’s right, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. What a juggernaut.
The Sun Devils also shied away from a matchup against No. 3 Louisville for the Stadium Shootout in Glendale on Dec. 20. BYU is no slouch of an opponent, but ASU couldn’t have scheduled itself against either of those top-10 teams?
We realize coach Herb Sendek has made the necessary efforts to put together a nice nonconference resume, but more could have been done. That lack of foresight could put ASU in a corner come NCAA Tournament selection time.
To make matters worse, the No. 21 women’s basketball team lost 65-60 to Florida in the Bahamas on Saturday. This is what worries us most. Coach Charli Turner Thorne’s team folds when it faces any big-name school. While it’s a small sample size, this season the Sun Devils have beaten Cleveland State, Tulane and Hofstra. They’ve lost to No. 4 Oklahoma and now UF.
Perhaps ASU sports fans have the final prize coming by way of a Dec. 6 gridiron matchup versus the Wildcats. Winning that game would be a positive; don’t get us wrong. But the football season has dropped us to such depths that, in order to raise our collective spirits, the basketball teams also need to perform — and quickly.
