Arizona State entered Saturday with an 11-11 overall record and as an 8.5-point home underdog against in-state rival Arizona. Still, the Sun Devils had to have felt like they had more of a chance than the rest of the country, and with good reason.
Arizona State-Arizona final score: Sun Devils stun No. 6 Wildcats 81-78
The Pac-12 just got a bit more interesting.
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Few teams have had worse luck so far this season than ASU, which owns a negative-.122 luck rating (via Ken Pomeroy), easily the worst in the conference and among the worst in college basketball. That being the case, their 81-78 upset of the No. 6 Wildcats might not be quite as much of a shocker as it appears to be on paper. Not that we necessarily should have seen it coming.
Luck wasn’t an issue when the two teams met in Tucson just over a month ago in a 73-49 beatdown that was dominated by Arizona from start to finish. The setback was the first in a four-game losing streak for Arizona State, which has since bounced back to win four of its last six.
No one is more popular in Tempe right now than senior Bo Barnes. The reserve guard came off the bench to score a team-high (and personal season-high) 18 points, including a deep three-pointer with less than a minute to go that put the Sun Devils up seven and broke the spirits of an Arizona team looking to claw its way back. Tra Holder (15), Savon Goodman (15), and Gerry Blakes (14) also scored in double-figures for ASU.
Arizona's lack of depth, considered by many to be its potential Achilles heel, was on full display in the upset. While starters Brandon Ashley, T.J. McConnell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Stanley Johnson combined for 68 points, the Wildcats had just one bench player register a single point.
The victory continued Herb Sendek’s string of uncharacteristic success against Arizona. Sendek is now 9-10 against the Wildcats at Arizona State, which had dropped 22 of 23 games in the series before his arrival.
The upset also gives life to the rest of the Pac-12, especially Utah, which can climb into a first-place tie with Arizona at 8-2 in the league if it can take care of business against Colorado on Saturday night.
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