Washington vs. Arizona State Game Preview

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

GuardMatisse 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

Guard – Remy Martin

13.1 PPG

3.1 RPG

Forward – Zylan Cheatham
 
11.6 PPG
 
11.1 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).