Arizona State Basketball Wraps Up 2024 With Loss To BYU: 3 Takeaways

Arizona State basketball lost 76-56 on the road to BYU in its first ever Big 12 conference game.

Many people say that first impressions matter. For the Sun Devils, projected to finish 13th in the Big 12 according to preseason polls, their first impression showed a need for improvement if they want to compete for the conference crown.

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

Takeaway #1: Saunders unstoppable for the Cougars

Only three players hit double figures on Tuesday afternoon. Freshman Kanon Catchings for BYU and senior guard/forward BJ Freeman for Arizona State basketball had 11 points.

Junior Richie Saunders had 30 for the Cougars, the second time an opponent hit that mark against the Sun Devils since Donovan Dent did so for New Mexico at the Acrisure Classic. Saunders hit 10 of the home side’s first 13 points on the day, going 11-for-18 from the floor and 6-for-11 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed six rebounds.

Tuesday marked the third consecutive game where an opponent has scored 20 points or more against the Maroon and Gold: Walter Clayton Jr. hit 25 for Florida and Rahsool Diggins hit 24 for UMass. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues as their slate becomes tougher.

Takeaway #2: Sun Devil forwards outplayed

Arizona State basketball’s forwards, senior Basheer Jihad and freshman Jayden Quaintance shined the brightest in the UMass victory in the birthplace of the sport. But that energy from the Berkshires did not transfer to the Rockies.

Jihad only scored six points, while Quaintance mustered eight on Tuesday afternoon. Overall, the Sun Devils were outrebounded 38 to 28, and only registered six second-chance points while BYU had 16. The Cougars also scored 36 points in the paint and blocked three shots. Junior Keba Keita was a point shy of a double-double with 10 rebounds, with at least five players hauling in four boards.

Although Arizona State basketball is known for its guard play under Hurley, forwards have played a massive role. This was the first time since Nov. 8 against Santa Clara that neither Quaintance nor Jihad reached double figures.

Takeaway #3: Three-point problems

The Sun Devils are the 30th-best team in the nation when it comes to three-point shooting, going 38.4% from beyond the arc. But they have not showed that as of late.

Despite going 40% from three-point land on Dec. 21 against UMass, Arizona State basketball has not even made 30% of its triple attempts in its last two matchups against Power 5 teams, shooting a season-low 20.7% in that category on Tuesday afternoon. Freeman accounted for half of its made triples, going 3-for-9. Senior guard Alston Mason, who led the guards with 13 points last week, went 2-for-8 from distance.

Some of this lull in production has been caused by teams stymieing Joson Sanon. The freshman guard reached double figures in eight of the first nine games but has not hit it in the past three. Although Tuesday was better than the past two games, it was still subpar for Sanon, as he finished with eight points.

Up next for Arizona State (9-3, 0-1): vs. Colorado (9-3, 0-1) – Jan. 4 at 6 p.m. EST

Up next for BYU (10-2, 1-0): at No. 14 Houston (8-3, 1-0) – Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. EST