Arizona State Basketball Stumbles Against Florida: 3 Takeaways

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Arizona State basketball falls to No. 9 Florida 83-66 at Hoopsgiving at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Over the past two weeks, the Sun Devils have been increasing their wins, and their chances of making the AP Top 25. They flirted with the rankings, getting 143 votes going into this week.

This was a test to see if the Maroon and Gold belonged in that group. After a drubbing to the Gators, they may have to wait until conference play.

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

Takeaway #1: The snowball effect

As they have done the past few games, Arizona State basketball looked sloppy to start. It only made two FGs before the first media timeout, causing Florida to go on a 12-0 run. After leading 20-10 with 12:53 remaining in the first half, the Orange and Blue had a double-digit stronghold for the rest of the first half.

These late first-half minutes tend to be Joson Sanon’s time for the Sun Devils. But the freshman guard was limited by the experienced Gator defense. He only got two points in the opening 20, going 1-for-5 on his shot attempts, and 0-for-2 from beyond the arc.

Bobby Hurley’s side eventually cut into the double figures, trailing 41-32 at halftime. After trading some blows, they once again succumbed to a Gator run, down 64-42 at a media timeout with 11:56 remaining in regulation.

Florida scored 28 fast-break points against Arizona State, which helped on both runs. It had many looks down the lane, which led to many slam dunks. It additionally scored 14 second-chance points.

Whenever Arizona State basketball would get a big play in its response, Todd Golden’s side had an answer.

Takeaway #2: Backcourt electrifies Gators

Todd Golden deployed nine players against Arizona State. Three of them set the pace throughout.

Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who scored 27 points against Virginia on Dec. 4, led the way with 25 against Arizona State basketball. He went 8-for-18 on his shot attempts, and 5-for-13 from three-point land. He joined Anthony Roberson (2005) as the only Florida player to make at least five triples in three straight games.

Another senior guard, Will Richard, who grew up in Fairburn, GA, about 30 minutes away from State Farm Arena, had a successful homecoming with 16 points. It was his first performance in double figures since playing Florida A&M on Nov. 19.

Graduate guard Alijah Martin had his first double-double in Orange and Blue with 15 points and 11 rebounds. It was his fourth career double-double, with the other three coming during his four years at Florida Atlantic.

Overall, the Gators shot 48% from the field and 33% from three-point range, while the Sun Devils went 37% and 28% in those respective categories. The Gators also won the rebound battle 47-27.

Takeaway #3: Miller’s experience leads the Sun Devils

Despite the buzz around the young core, the Sun Devils went up against a veteran side on Saturday afternoon. So, they needed some experience to keep up.

Although the result did not go in his team’s favor, Hurley saw a proven leader in Adam Miller, who had a season-high 18 points. Miller, who played at LSU during the 2022-23 season, went 3-for-5 on his three-point attempts and went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Playing 33 minutes, the redshirt senior guard leaned into the SEC style of play, taking the ball handles himself to create shot opportunities when the Gators closed down outlet passes. He also grabbed three rebounds and fed the ball to freshman forward Jayden Quaintance in the low post.

Miller also provided the most dazzling play for the Maroon and Gold. With one second remaining on the shot clock. He received the inbound pass, turned around, and shot a deep right-wing three off the backboard to beat the buzzer two minutes into the second half. A rare moment of brilliance from the Sun Devils’ facilitator, who stepped up when the other guards were stifled by the Gators.

Up next for Arizona State (8-2): vs. UMass (4-7) – Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. EST

Up next for No. 9 Florida (10-0):  vs. North Carolina (6-4) – Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. EST