Arizona State Basketball Overpowered By No. 25 BYU: 3 Takeaways

Arizona State basketball fell 91-81 to No. 25 BYU on Wednesday night at Desert Financial Arena.

The Sun Devils dropped their eighth consecutive home game of the season. They have not won a game in Tempe since Jan. 4 against Colorado.

“Is the universe talking and saying something? Are things just not meant to be,” Arizona State basketball head coach Bobby Hurley said. “I’m scared to wake up. I hope I wake up tomorrow…I’m scared to see what tomorrow brings.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

Takeaway #1: BYU guards get hot from deep

Most people would not correlate a team shooting 40% from the free-throw line with a spot in the AP Top 25. But that was the case for the Cougars, who entered Wednesday night’s contest leading the Big 12 in triples made per game.

The visitors went 50% (17-for-34) from beyond the arc. Their top two scorers, junior guard Richie Saunders and graduate guard Trevin Knell, logged all of their points from three-pointers.

Saunders, who had 30 points against Arizona State basketball on Dec. 31, finished Wednesday night with 26. He saw his best production from the right wing on mostly uncontested attempts. Knell had his second performance in three games reaching double figures with 18 points, getting his triple action around the floor.

“They’re playing very confidently, they’re a very good team, they’re older, they had a bunch of guys come back, (so) they know each other really well and trust each other,” Hurley said about BYU. “I mean, they’re a very good team.”

Takeaway #2: Miller the resilient

Less than four minutes into the game, redshirt senior guard Adam Miller was tangled up away from the ball. He eventually hobbled from behind the court side seats back to his bench, where he was taken back for further treatment.

A few minutes later, Miller was in another collision with BYU’s freshman guard Kanon Catchings. He needed the help of a few trainers, as fans for both teams gave him a standing ovation.

“I took that knee right on my hip where there’s not a lot of muscle,” Miller said about his collision with Catchings. “When the collision happened, I was having muscle spasms. It was hurting at the time.”

Much to the crowd’s surprise, the LSU transfer started the second half. He had a steal and a layup, before the medicine “started to wear off” and he was sent off again, finishing the game with 11 points in 13 minutes.

“I had like two, three, (or) four more threes in me, not gonna lie, but coach said to shut it down,” Miller said.

Miller had been in technical trouble in the past, being ejected from two home games this season. Wednesday night showed his ability to lead by example and inspire the younger players.

Takeaway #3: Best unveils identity to help shorthanded Sun Devils

Speaking of young players, one Arizona State basketball freshman made Hurley start his postgame press conference with a rarity after a loss: talk positively after a loss.

But that was the case with freshman guard Trevor Best, who entered the game with 10:10 remaining in the first half. Best, who had played nine minutes going into the contest, got on the scoresheet two minutes into his stint.

However, he was not done providing damage.

The freshman finished the night with 18 points, going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. He often followed a basket with using a full-court press to try to force a turnover.

“That kid was in high school in December when he got to us,” Hurley said. “(He) hasn’t had a lot of time to really adjust to being here and playing at this level. So, that was certainly a bright spot.”

A bright spot on a day where Arizona State basketball missed four starters for majority of the game. A potential bright spot for the future of the program.

Up next for Arizona State basketball (13-15, 4-13): at Utah (15-13, 7-10) – Mar. 1 at 7 p.m. EST

Up next for No. 25 BYU basketball (20-8, 10-5): vs. West Virginia (17-11, 8-9) – Mar. 1 at 10 p.m. EST