Washington (19-4, 10-0) vs. Arizona State (15-7, 6-4)
Saturday, February 9th @ 7:00 PM PST
Wells Fargo Arena (Tempe, Arizona)
Line: Washington -1.0
TV: ESPN
Radio: 1000AM KOMO/97.7 FM
KEY PLAYERS: WASHINGTON
Guard – David Crisp
12.2 PPG
2.7 APG
Guard – Matisse Thybulle
10.0 PPG
3.2 RPG
Guard – Jaylen Nowell
16.4 PPG
5.4 RPG
KEY PLAYERS: ARIZONA STATE
Guard – Luguentz Dort
16.2 PPG
4.5 RPG
PREVIEW
The Washington Huskies Basketball team enters this contest with some big momentum after a hard-fought 67-60 road win over the Arizona Wildcats. The Arizona State Sun Devils are coming off a 91-70 home defeat by the Washington State Cougars. The Huskies will be looking for a 11-0 conference start and remain in first place in the Pac-12 standings. With a win over the Sun Devils tonight, the Huskies would extend their current winning streak to 13 games, dating back to December 21st. The Huskies are on the verge of putting a stranglehold on wrapping up the Pac-12 Conference Title, and earning a Top 25 national ranking.
ESPN MATCHUP PREDICTOR
HUSKY NOTES
• UW’s 10-0 start in Pac-12 play is its best since the 1952-53 season when it started 14-0 … additionally, UW was perfect in January for just the eighth time in the last 100 years (2018-19, 1952-53, 1935-36, 1933-34, 1928-29, 1923-24, 1922-23, 1921-22).
• In UW’s 12-game winning streak, the Huskies have not allowed a team to score more than 70 points … additionally opponents in that span are shooting 28.0 from 3 and being held to 60.4 points.
• UW’s 12-straight wins is the 3rd longest active streak in Division I trailing Tennessee (16) and Gonzaga (13).
• Seven of UW’s 10 Pac-12 wins have been by 10 points or more, its most double-digit wins in league action since the 2010-11 season.
• UW has forced double-digit turnovers in 14-straight games, including a season high 23 forced against UCLA, which was the most by an opponent since 23 against Jan. 6, 2018 at Washington State.
• UW has now won five-straight Pac-12 road games since winning six over two season, 2/13/10 – 1/13/11, at Stanford, at WSU, at Oregon, at OSU, at USC, at UCLA.
• In the last three outings, Thybulle is averaging 15.3 points, 6.3 steals, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks while shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point range.
• Thybulle, a candidate for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, has a career total of 435 takeaways (blocks and steals combined), which is the most by any of the previous Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year winners, which has been awarded 14 times in conference history.
• Nowell was selected as one of 10 finalists for the Naismith Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.
• Nowell is shooting 52.2 percent from the field in 23 games, its up from his 45.1 percentage a year ago … he is also shooting 44.4 percent from 3, up from 35.1 a year ago.
• Nowell is the first player since Isaiah Thomas (2010-11) to earn three Pac-12 Player of the Week Awards in the same season.
• Crisp has scored in double figures in 11-straight and is shooting 48.4 percent from 3 during that span (32-66).
• Thybulle’s 76 steals this season rank second at UW in single-season history … Thybulle holds the UW single-season record already at 101 set a year ago … his 3.3 steals per game also lead the nation.
• UW has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 6 of its 10 Pac-12 games including 5 of the last 8 and is shooting 49.7 percent from the field overall in those 10 outings, which is second in the Pac-12.
• UW is holding its opponents to just 64.0 points per game, which leads the Pac-12 and is 22nd nationally … 19 teams have been held to 70 points or less and UW has won 18 of those games.
• Dickerson recorded his seventh career 20 point/10 rebound game against USC with 21 and 14 … the last player to have that many 20/10 games in their career was Matthew Bryan-Amaning who had eight (2007-11).
• UW’s scoring margin in league action of +12.5 leads the conference by over nine points as Utah is next at 3.2.
• In the last 20 seasons, Thybulle is one of just four players to average 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals in a season, joining Shane Battier – Duke (1999-2000, 2000-01), Nerlens Noel – Kentucky (2012-13) and Zion Williamson – Duke (2018-19).
• Nowell has shot at least 50 percent from the field in 29 of his 57 career games (50.8 percent) … in those 29 games, UW has a 24-5 record.
SUN DEVILS NOTES
v Zylan Cheatham is averaging 11.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg (Pac-12 leader) and 3.5 apg.
v ASU ranks second in Pac-12 in FG% defense (.405).
v ASU is 99-of-135 from the FT line in its past five games (.733).
v In its six Pac-12 wins ASU had held opponents to .376 FGs after halftime (67-of-178).
v 5-3 in two-possession games this year after going 4-7 last year (12-16 previous 3 seasons).
v 19 halftime-deficit comebacks under Bobby Hurley (12 previous 5 seasons).
v Kansas was sixth top-10 OOC opponent Coach Hurley played, ASU faced one in previous 17 seasons.
v Best approach vertical on team is Zylan Cheatham at 41.5 inches, Remy Martin not far behind at 40.
v Seven Sun Devils have led the team in scoring this year.
v De’Quon Lake has made 134-of-185 (.724) from the field in his two-year career.
v Kimani Lawrence is 66-of-85 (.776) from the free throw line in his career.
v Ranks fourth in the nation at 42.2 rebounds per game.
v Has held nine opponents under 40 percent shooting (4 Pac-12 teams).
