ASU men’s basketball is in the midst of one of its longest win streaks of the 2019-20 season.
The Sun Devils have won seven of their last eight games and are currently tied for third with rival in the Pac-12 standings with rival Arizona.
A few of the team’s big wins over that eight-game stretch are a result of incredible second-half comebacks, which junior guard Remy Martin credits to a stellar team effort on the defensive end.
“We play defense and we start playing the way we want to play up and down in transition,” Martin said. “That is when we get going — that is when we start playing our best ball.”
Martin, who was recently honored with the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week award by the U.S. Basketball Writers' Association, has been a key to ASU’s late-game success, averaging 13.5 points in the second halves of his last four contests.
Perhaps ASU’s most remarkable victory of the season was the team’s win over Arizona at Desert Financial Arena on Jan. 25.
The Sun Devils trailed by 13 points at halftime before outscoring the Wildcats 36-22 in the second half, rallying back to win the game 66-65.
Two weeks later, in a win over USC on Feb. 8, ASU overcame an eight point halftime deficit to defeat the Trojans 66-64 on a game-winning jump shot by Martin.
It was the 25th come-from-behind victory since head coach Bobby Hurley took over the team in 2015, according to a February Arizona Republic article.
“We have just been rolling,” junior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. said. “Everything has been clicking and it has been really fun.”
Verge has also been an important piece of the Sun Devils offense. He has embraced an off-the-bench role and responded by averaging 14 points per game on the season — second on the team behind Martin.
Although he is not in the starting lineup, which Verge Jr. said allows him a good opportunity to observe the opponent’s playing style before he enters the game, he is often heavily involved in the final moments before the buzzer.
Defense is important for the Sun Devils down the stretch in games, but the pace by which the team plays is another factor that Hurley considers key.
“Because of our style, we can pressure opponents and force mistakes,” Hurley said. “Certain teams that play a slower, more deliberate style, it is harder for them to erase a deficit.”
Following the halftime locker room meeting, ASU often hits the court with a different mindset, as evidenced by increased full-court presses, strategic pick-and-rolls and more recurrent double-teams.
ASU also benefits from the rebounding and blocking abilities of redshirt junior forward Romello White, who is tied for first and fifth place in the Pac-12 in those categories, respectively.
White noted how important it was for his teammates to remain patient and find the best opportunities to score.
“When we lose, it is because we are not moving the ball and are not playing as a team,” White said. “When we move the ball, everybody is getting theirs and everybody is playing great. It correlates to the defensive end too, because we are all into the game.”
After a 74-69 victory over Stanford on Feb. 13, the Sun Devils earned a projected spot in the NCAA Tournament bracket, according to ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi.
The team is clicking on all cylinders lately and will face a tough test against No. 14 Oregon Thursday night in Tempe.
ASU will hope to not only extend its win streak to a season-high six games, but also maintain its place among the 68 qualifying teams as March Madness approaches.
One thing is for certain: The Sun Devils should never be counted out if they enter the second half at a disadvantage.
Reach the reporter at hcroton@asu.edu or follow @thecrote on Twitter.
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