Beastin'

Since ESPN decided to show women's basketball instead of ASU and its red-hot All-American on Sunday night, I thought an update was in order. In case you missed the late night game on Friday and tonight's game against UTEP, James Harden amassed 72 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in just TWO games!

On Friday night against Baylor, ASU's trademark defense fell apart and the Devils could not get a stop in the second half. Despite the bad defense, Harden nearly brought ASU back single-handedly by scoring 24 points in the last 9 minutes of the game, finishing with a tournament record 32 points in a frustrating loss. That record would not last 48 hours as Harden poured in 40 points in the tournament's consolation game as ASU cruised by 30 over UTEP.

If you haven't gotten on the bandwagon yet, now is the time to jump.

You Too Have The Ability To Mute Him

Bill Plaschke on Brandon Jennings

Devils Face Two-Time Champ Gators

Tuesday night ASU will take on the two-time defending national champion Florida Gators at Wells Fargo Arena in the NIT quarterfinals. The Sun Devils will play their final home game of the season on Tuesday night as a win will move ASU into the NIT semifinals in Madison Square Garden and a loss will end the season.

While Florida is no longer the powerhouse they were over the last two years, this year's squad still has plenty of talent and a coach with two national championships under his belt in Billy Donovan. Florida lost all of their talent from their championship teams and has a current roster with seven freshman. Much like the Sun Devils, the Gators are led by an immensely talented freshman wing player. Nick Calathes is a 6'6" stat machine that does everything on the court, averaging 15.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6.1 apg, and 1.6 spg. While Calathes is the statistical leader, junior Walter Hodge is the elder statesman with experience. Hodge was buried under all of the future pros the last two years but is a very talented guard who can control a game at times. While Florida's strength over the last two years was big, talented post players like Joakim Noah and Al Horford, this year's team is loaded with athletic wings in the 6'6"-6'8" range. The Gator's lone real post presence this year is 6'10" sophomore Marreese Speights who is averaging 14.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, and 1.4 bpg. Dan Werner and Jai Lucas round out the starting lineup.

The Devils should match up well against Florida in everything from size to youth. Statistically, these two teams are very similar and should play a very interesting game. If the Devils can get a big contribution on offense from someone in addition to James Harden's stellar play, ASU's defense should be able to win this game. Individually there are several matchups to watch as well. James Harden vs. Nick Calathes is the headline matchup and will give fans a chance to see two of the most under-appreciated freshman talents in the country. Jeff Pendergraph vs. Marreese Speights will be the battle in the post and could be the most important matchup of the game. Both teams have guards that rebound the ball well, and these two will be counted on to control the paint. The X-Factor matchup would have to be Ty Abbott vs. Jai Lucas. Both are deep threats and can turn the game if they catch fire from behind the arc.

A trip to New York City is on the line and the Sun Devils have a chance to further prove the "experts" wrong who left them out of the NCAA tournament while Arizona and Oregon predictably fell in the first round. The game begins at 6pm and can be seen on ESPN.

Devils Drop Crucial Game

Thursday night stood at a big night in the Sun Devil's post-season hopes. ASU is a bubble team and needed to close out conference play with two wins on the road. That won't happen. The Devils lost to Oregon 67-61 after again falling victim to a scoring run by the opponent to open the second half and James Harden's heroics proved too little too late to save the team.

There were a number of frustrating things about this game, the first of which being the lack of television coverage. Seriously? I was relegated to watching ESPN's GameCast as it refreshed every 30 seconds and the little graph of the scoring difference inched upward. Glad to be in the technological haven of 2008. Second is the scoring run that the Devils give up to start the second half of seemingly every game in the conference schedule. Sendek needs to bring in Dennis Erickson to give the halftime talks during the Pac-10 tournament and the players need to toughen up mentally to prevent such a run. Third, Jeff Pendergraph went 5-for-5 against Oregon. If the emotional leader of the team and second leading scorer hasn't missed a shot, why does he only get 5 shots for the entire game?! He wasn't in foul trouble! He played 29 minutes! 5 SHOTS?! It still blows my mind that he doesn't get more touches. Derek Glasser goes 1-for-9 and Pendergraph only gets 5 shots.

In other news, Harden still did his thing. 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals while scoring 10 points in the last 4 minutes to cut the Oregon lead to 3 with under a minute to play. Unfortunately, Oregon did what they were supposed to do and made free throws down the stretch.

ASU needs to beat Oregon State (0-17 in conference) on Saturday to finish .500 in the conference play and keep NCAA hopes alive. Winning two games in the Pac-10 tournament would give the Devils a more legitimate chance at the Dance. Saturday's game will be televised on FSN Arizona and broadcast on 620AM at 3:30pm.

Devils Split versus L.A. Schools

So I've been unable to get to the blog lately but I thought I'd give you all some reading from the last week of ASU basketball. The Sun Devils again lost badly to the uber-talented UCLA Bruins, but avenged an earlier loss to USC by beating the Trojans 80-66. Only two games remain on the schedule for the regular season, as the Devils take the road to Oregon where they should be able to win both games and finish 10-8 in Pac-10 play and 20-10 for the season if all goes well. Until then, here's what all the other sites are saying about the last two games:

UCLA Game:
ASU Athletics
Yahoo Sports

USC Game:
Yahoo Sports
ASU Athletics
AZ Central
East Valley Tribune
Scott Bordow of EVT

I'll be back later this week with some thoughts on the end of the Devils' regular season and a look at the Pac-10 Tournament as well as ASU's shot at March Madness.

Weekend Update

It was a successful weekend for the Sun Devils. Both men's and women's basketball teams beat Washington this weekend and the #1 ranked baseball team opened the season by sweeping the DeMarini Invitational.

The men's basketball team won an impressive, if relatively unexciting, road game at Washington Saturday afternoon in which James Harden once again led the Devils with 25 points and 8 boards. Harden had a bunch of help on this occasion as ASU experienced a hot shooting night by finishing the game with a 52 percent shooting total, including 13-25 from 3-point territory. In all, six Sun Devils made a three point field goal during the game and the supporting cast executed throughout the game to seal the win. Ty Abbott supplied 11 points, Derek Glasser contributed 12 points and 7 assists, and the hard charging Rihards Kuksiks dropped 15 points. The quality play out of Kuksiks over the last couple of games has been a pleasant surprise as he is filling the scoring role that was expected out of Jerren Shipp. The Latvian has seemed to rediscover his shooting touch and will hopefully continue to supply the 10-15 points per game that we need from a third or fourth scoring option. ASU next plays UCLA at home on Thursday night at 8:30pm.

Meanwhile, back in Tempe the baseball team destroyed the competition this weekend in its season opening home series. The Devils beat their three opponents over the weekend by a combined score of 36-6. Friday night, ASU beat Miami (OH) 7-0, Saturday ASU took down #3 Vanderbilt 18-6, and Sunday the Devils defeated two-time defending national champion and #7 ranked Oregon State by a score of 11-0. ASU's pitching was stellar throughout the weekend, combining for two shutouts and starting the weekend off with 14.1 innings without allowing a run. As for the bats, well they were productive to say the least. The new players looked solid, with Jason Kipnis hitting two home runs and a triple over the weekend and shortstop Marcel Champagnie hitting a three run double on Sunday afternoon. As for the returning players, Pac-10 Player of the Year Brett Wallace is simply a beast. On Saturday afternoon, Wallace hit a grand slam in the fourth inning, then followed it up with a three-run homer in his next at bat. He then led off Sunday's game with a line drive solo shot to left field on Oregon State's second pitch of the game. That's right, 3 home runs in 3 straight at bats. ASU looked every bit as good as their #1 ranking implies this weekend and play next in the Coca-Cola Classic on Thursday through Sunday in Tempe and Surprise.

Up and Down

As high as ASU's hopes have gotten, you can't say this wasn't expected. In the season preview, I wrote the following:

"With all these new faces, we can expect to see an influx of talent and energy but a lack of experience. This will result in a season full of ups and downs and flashes of brilliance."

Well, we've seen all that and then some this year. Sweeping Arizona, beating top-10 ranked Stanford, overtime wins, close victories, then horrible shooting nights and inexplicable losses. Thursday night, Washington State's defense made the Sun Devils uncomfortable all night, holding ASU to just 33 percent shooting in a 59-47 loss. The 16-9 Devils will need a win on Saturday at Washington to keep postseason hopes alive as UCLA and USC come to town next week. Saturday's game can be seen on FSN and heard on 620 AM.

Devils' Magic Continues

For anyone who has ever had any doubts about the hiring of Herb Sendek or the job he has done in his two years as head coach, let this quote from the AP recap of the win over Stanford sink in:

"It's the Sun Devils' third victory over a ranked team in two seasons under Herb Sendek -- one more than they managed from 1995-2006."

That's eleven years of ineptitude fading into the past as Herb Sendek leads this squad toward the light at the end of the tunnel. Sure they lost five straight games, but that was after winning 10 straight -- two more than last year's season win total. Since that losing streak, the Devils have gone on to win in dramatic fashion on the road against archrival Arizona and at home against the #7-ranked Stanford Cardinal.

Thursday night's win over Stanford could prove to be a benchmark victory for the Sun Devils. ASU finally got the role player support that has been mostly missing over the last six games as Rihards Kuksiks played the best game of his career and Eric Boateng (!) came up big in overtime with two crucial rebounds and the free throw that sealed the victory.

This was a game that the Devils sorely needed to win and the perseverance shown by these young players was remarkable. Trailing by nine points with three minutes to play and still down seven with only 1:49 to go, ASU somehow pulled out the win over a top-10 team.

Jeff Pendergraph had another great game with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks before fouling out just before the end of regulation. James Harden took over from there, scoring 8 points in overtime by repeatedly driving the lane and drawing fouls. James Harden had a relatively quiet game until late and then you look at the box score and find 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. He does so many things so well that he can impact a game without scoring, then turn it on whenever needed. Plain and simple: the guy is a stud.

Kuksiks came up big during the final push to tie the game with a dunk while drawing a foul and a huge 3-pointer to cut the Cardinal lead. Ty Abbott then chose the best possible time to make his first and only basket of the game on a 3-pointer from the left corner. Going into overtime, things looked tough as ASU's only real post defender, Pendergraph, was out of the game. Into the game came Boateng and Sun Devil fans held their collective breath. Who knew that he would make several big plays to preserve the ASU lead built by Harden? Boateng made a huge offensive rebound, knocked a ball away from Brook Lopez, and grabbed the final defensive rebound before being fouled. Up by three, ASU needed Boateng to convert just one of two free throws. Boateng had been shooting about 35% from the line for the year. 35 percent?! While he was at the line, I knew the first one wasn't going in. He was way too excited, his face scrunched in determination and fire. You could tell before he even let go that he was going to shoot it too hard. Thankfully he calmed down and sunk the second free throw to clinch the game.

Of all people, Eric Boateng came through in the clutch and the Devils awarded the Valentine's Day fans with a big win. The Sun Devils are now 7-1 in games decided by 10 points or less. Last year's team was 4-17 in games decided by the same margin. ASU next faces California on Saturday at 4:00pm at Wells Fargo Arena. The game will be televised on FSN and broadcast on 620AM.

Devils Sweep the Wildcats!

The Sun Devils desperately needed a win to break out of a 5-game slump, and they got that and more on Sunday afternoon in Tucson. ASU went into the notoriously unfriendly McKale Center to face the Wildcats and it looked from the onset like it would be a long day and an even longer ride back home to Tempe. Jerryd Bayless, who did not play in the two teams' first matchup, was on fire from the beginning of the game, hitting his first seven shots, including four 3-pointers. Behind Bayless, the Wildcats jumped out to a 22-6 lead. Then Jeff Pendergraph and Derek Glasser decided that it was time for the losing to stop.

Pendergraph went 12-of-16 from the floor for a career high 29 points and was the heart and soul of ASU's momentous comeback. As much credit is due to Pendergraph, he could not have had the game he had without the help of Glasser. The point guard who has had to fight for the starting spot all year long constantly set up Pendergraph for easy looks at the basket and was the floor general that ASU has been looking for during their recent skid. Pass after pass found their targets and left the Sun Devils open in the lane after back door screens and cuts confused Wildcat defenders. The offense looked fluid and the players looked confident the whole time.

This all happened with leading scorer James Harden battling a week long illness. What looked like a huge roadblock for the Devils, considering the integral role Harden played in the first victory, ended up being a blessing in disguise for the team that has been offensively challenged as of late. With Harden's play limited, the rest of the team had to step up and none did this in bigger fashion than Pendergraph. With Harden ailing, Pendergraph reasserted his alpha dog status and showed the mental toughness that the Devils have needed. Trailing by 16, Pendergraph went to work in the paint and took his teammates on his back to climb back into the game. This was by far the best game of Pendergraph's career at ASU. Not just because of his new career high in points but because of the toughness, leadership, and determination he showed and the implications of the victory. Sunday marked the first time that ASU has swept Arizona during the regular season in basketball since the '94-'95 season.

Along with Pendergraph, Derek Glasser also played the best game of his Sun Devil career on Sunday afternoon. While he didn't have the scoring outburst that Pendergraph did, he led the team with 8 assists and hit a number of key shots, including pull-ups in the paint and from three that were very Nash-like. Glasser could have had double digit assists in this game had it not been for a number of turnovers in the beginning of the game that were a result of teammates fumbling a Glasser pass in the lane. His play in this game was simply phenomenal.

ASU also received a quality game from Jerren Shipp, who quietly added 11 points off of smart looks in the paint. In addition, even though Harden was sick, he still had a solid game with five points, five boards, three assists, and three steals. While Harden's sickness forced other Devils to play better, Bayless' huge scoring day actually hurt his team as no other Wildcat was able to get into the game offensively early in the game. By the time ASU caught up in scoring, Arizona's offensive flow was completely disrupted by a combination of Bayless' early scoring, Chase Budinger's awful shooting day, Jordan Hill's first half foul trouble, and ASU's aggressive defense.

Arizona actually looked they took a page out the Sun Devil book from ASU's 5-game losing streak. The Wildcats built a lead then threw it away after one of their best players had to sit because of foul trouble. They depended way too much on their leading scorer and no one else on the offense was able to make an impact. One of their best three point shooters couldn't the wet part of the ocean. Any of this sound familiar? Luckily, ASU was able to get back into the win column with an improbable victory on the road against their usually dominant rival.

The pieces fell together in this game as Pendergraph was able to play 39 minutes without foul trouble and the offense had some flow for the first time in six games. The defense stood up to the challenge as only three other Wildcats were able to score besides Bayless and none of them made more than one field goal.

Next up for the Sun Devils is two home games against Stanford and California and both are definitely winnable games. ASU faces Stanford at Wells Fargo Arena at 8:30pm on Thursday night. Looks like my Valentine is Mr. Herb Sendek. See you there and go Devils!

Pitchfork Podcast

It's been a while but the podcast is back and this time I brought two guests with me to cover what's going on with the Sun Devil Men's basketball team. Here's the link:

Pitchfork Podcast - Episode 3

Special thanks to guests Chris Geesling and Bobby for coming on and giving their insight. Check it out!

The Gift and The Curse

All season long James Harden has looked like the savior of Arizona State basketball. Harden has been the reliable scoring option that ASU has needed since Ike Diogu left. Harden has been the freshman phenom that has carried ASU back to respectability in college basketball. He's been so good that the team now relies entirely too much on him.

Jeff Pendergraph is still victim to double teams in the post and Harden is the only other scoring option at this point. When he is out of the game, like on Saturday against USC, the Sun Devil offense sputters, to say the least. When Harden left the USC game early in the second half with foul trouble, ASU watched the Trojans make a 15-2 run and put the game out of reach for good.

The disappearance of Ty Abbott and Jerren Shipp on offense during this five game skid has been epic. The two have combined to average just 12.2 points per game during the losing streak, culminating in Saturday's game where they combined for just one point. Add to this that Christian Polk has lost his scoring touch from last year, whether it's through a lack of confidence or complacency, Polk has not been the scorer off the bench that the Sun Devils need. Herb Sendek has resorted to injecting Rihards Kuksiks back into the lineup to try to find anyone who can put the ball in the hole besides Harden.

Three of Harden's four fouls in the second half were offensive with the USC defenders realizing that with Harden's affinity for driving the lane, instead of leaving their feet to contest his shot, they could simply take a charge and get ASU's star out of the game. Give Pendergraph credit for making a couple of shots after Harden went out but it wasn't enough. Then ASU went three straight possessions with a shot clock violation. The Devils have gotten so comfortable giving the ball to Harden when the shot clock is running down that when he isn't in the game, his teammates forget how to score.

The defense that has been the hallmark of Sendek's Devils hasn't been able to make the stops when needed to keep themselves in these games. The UCLA game was a nightmare as the ASU offense was completely shut down and the Bruins seemingly haven't missed a shot in over a week, winning their last three games by an average of 26 points. That game was an expected loss; the USC game was one the Devils should have taken.

ASU now has the whole week to regain confidence - and hopefully a shooting touch - before hitting the road again to play Arizona in Tucson. To break this losing streak, ASU needs scoring from more than just Harden. The freshman has been amazing this year but he's been so good that the rest of the team is letting him do all the offensive work. ASU must get back to the basics and lock down on defense and regain focus on the boards. The combo of Abbott and Shipp are desperately needed to make an impact because they are both players that can affect the game on both ends but we have not seen that for a while. This team can get back to winning but it's going to take a lot of determination and hard work because there are no gimmes in the Pac-10 which ASU has quickly realized.

L.A. Weekend

ASU faces off against the #5 UCLA Bruins tonight at 8:30 in Los Angeles. The game is televised on FSN AZ but is on tape delay so if you want to watch it you have to wait until 10:30pm (unless you have FSN Prime Ticket and can watch it live) and hope you don't hear the final score beforehand. Otherwise you can listen to it live on the radio on 960AM.

ASU's trouble with talented big men will again be tested tonight as Kevin Love and his averages of 17.3ppg and 11.3rpg take the court. While the Devils haven't been able to stop post players in conference games, the problem with UCLA isn't just Kevin Love, it's everyone. The Bruins are incredibly deep and have lots of scoring options. UCLA has at least five players that can score twenty points on any given night.

Darren Collison is a complete player, Josh Shipp is a better version of ASU's Jerren Shipp, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is a versatile, extremely athletic wing, and Russell Westbrook is one of the best guards in the country that no one is talking about. I love watching Westbrook play as he's a great floor general, a capable scorer, and a great defender. Defensively, UCLA is one of the best in the country and Collision, Shipp, and Westbrook each have over 25 steals on the season.

Last year ASU held a ten point lead over UCLA in the second half at Pauley Pavilion but surrendered it in a 67-61 loss. For ASU to have a chance to win this game, the Devils will need intensity throughout the game without giving up the scoring runs that killed the team in the last three games. ASU also needs a big night out of Jeff Pendergraph and Ty Abbott to help take pressure off of James Harden. Hopefully ASU can even get an inspired game from Jerren Shipp as he faces off against his older brother.

I've also been wondering all year why UCLA has featured jerseys (and endzones) with a different colored "C" in the "UCLA." As it turns out, the "C" is supposed to commemorate the fact that UCLA is the first school to reach 100 NCAA championships. The "C" represents the Roman numeral for 100. Thought I'd pass that on to you. You are very welcome.

On Saturday, ASU meets USC in a game that should prove to be much more winnable than tonight's game. that game features another freshman phenom in O.J. Mayo. After watching him play a few times, I think the hype around Mayo is overblown. He takes too many bad shots and doesn't really make his teammates better. I guess he'll fit right in with a lot of NBA stars next year. That game is also at 8:30pm and will be live in FSN AZ and 620AM.

Devils Hit Crossroads

Tonight's game is a big one. Coming off of two straight losses, ASU needs a win against #6 Washington State before hitting the road for three tough games against USC, UCLA, and Arizona. Tonight is the start of the toughest four-game stretch of the season for the Devils, and the team must take advantage of the home court if post-season dreams are to become reality.

After a poor shooting night (a season low 32.1%) filled with turnovers against an unranked Washington team, ASU will face one of the toughest defenses in the country in Washington State. The Devils counter with a highly ranked defense of their own so expect this to be a low scoring game. The last matchup between these two teams ended with a 48-47 Cougar victory as a Christian Polk buzzer beater rolled around the rim before falling out. During that game, ASU held the Cougars to just 12 points in the second half. If ASU can regain the shooting touch we've seen all season, this game is very winnable.

In the last two losses, ASU has struggled in defending talented big men. Brook Lopez and Jon Brockman both burned ASU in the post. While Washington State is led by guards Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver, they still have capable big men Aron Baynes and Robbie Cowgill who are both 6'10". This could give ASU some match-up problems but I don't anticipate those two being the ones to beat us.

I think that this is a game that ASU should be able to win. I think that the Devils can bounce back from consecutive defeats and use a supportive home crowd to post another impressive victory on the schedule. Luckily for Sun Devil fans, coach Herb Sendek has 14 wins over top-10 ranked opponents. The success ASU has seen this year also follows the recipe laid out by Washington State's Tony Bennett last year. Excellent defense, great shot selection, and shooting free throws at a high percentage. This should be an interesting matchup as the Cougars are dominated by upperclassmen, while the Devils' youth is well documented. I think ASU can pull out a victory tonight before heading to L.A. for a tough twosome.

Tonight's game is at 5pm, televised on FSN and broadcast on 620AM.

Harden a Game Time Decision

From what I hear, James Harden is still ailing from a groin injury obtained in Saturday's game against Stanford. Harden has reportedly been slow in practice and coaches will make a game time decision as to whether or not he will play in tonight's game against Washington. No word yet on Saturday's game against Washington State.

Devils Handed Tough Loss

ASU's 10 game win streak was finally snapped Saturday night at Stanford. After leading by 10 at halftime, ASU faced foul trouble and poor shooting in the second half to pick up the first conference loss of the season.

This loss showed the importance of Jeff Pendergraph to this young Sun Devil team as he picked up his fourth foul with 17 minutes left in the game and ASU was outrebounded 26-9 in the second half. The story of the second half was the 10 minute absence of Pendergraph and the Devils' inability to score for long periods of time. Giving up several runs to a talented Stanford team created problems for ASU as Brook Lopez was able to dominate the post without Pendergraph in the game. ASU also shot only 26.3% percent in the second half which is a pretty good indicator of how the second half unfolded.

In this type of game when one of the stars is limited in playing time, the Devils really need the role players like Jerren Shipp to step up and perform. On that note, James Harden injured his groin on Saturday night and from what I hear, the injury is pretty serious and his availability for Thursday night's game is questionable. Without Harden, scoring will be tougher and will need to come from Pendergraph, Abbott, and someone like Shipp. The trouble with groin injuries is that if you come back too soon they tend to linger for a long period of time. If he can't go on Thursday night, hopefully he can make it against the tougher Washington State on Saturday. Either way, Harden's health later in the season is more important that rushing him back for a couple of games now.

ASU plays Washington at home on Thursday at 7pm and can be heard on 620AM. The Devils play #6 Washington State at home on Saturday at 5pm and can be seen on FSN AZ or heard on 620AM. The Washington State game marks the beginning of 10 straight televised games for the Devils.

ASU Goes 4-0 in Pac-10

In what may have arguably been the best game of the year, the Sun Devils knocked off the Cal Golden Bears 99-90 in two overtimes. The three headed monster of James Harden, Jeff Pendergraph, and Ty Abbott combined for 78 points, 19 rebounds and 9 assists.

The question so far in conference play has been who the third weapon will be after Harden and Pendergraph. Abbott took the call and ran with it last night to the tune of 25 points, 9 boards, and 5 assists with seven 3-pointers. While I would normally object to anyone attempting 16 treys in one game, knowing how Abbott can catch fire and how he's been able to hit the clutch ones so far keeps me from questioning the shot selection.

Pendergraph had another great game with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a game where he faced what may have been the best competition in the post he's seen so far this year. In the early part of the year I thought that people projecting him in the first round of the NBA Draft were way too optimistic but he has stepped his play in the conference games so far and played very well. I still think he should be back next year but he's living up to the expectations.

And then there's Harden. After another quiet half where he only had 2 points on two shots, he blew up for 25 in the second half and overtimes and the national media still hasn't said a word about him. I guess that's cool as he seems like a guy that's completely fine with being under the radar then embarrassing anyone trying to defend him.

ASU faces a tougher test Saturday night against Stanford at 8pm on FSN AZ and 620AM.

Midseason Report

At the beginning of this season many had high hopes for ASU's Men's basketball team. I was one of them. No one expected the team to be 13-2 and ranked #22 in the AP Poll though. Sendek's Devils stormed through the non-conference schedule, only slipping in the season opener and in the first true away game. Excitement in Tempe is high, and rightfully so. ASU hasn't seen a men's basketball team like this in years. But hang on a minute. Thursday is the beginning of a very tough stretch for the Devils with the first road game in six weeks and 9 of the remaining 15 games away from Wells Fargo Arena. The road was not friendly to ASU last year and will be a true measuring stick to how good this team really is.

ASU faces Cal on Thursday and Stanford on Saturday and has a chance to solidify its standing atop the Pac-10 standings with wins. Both teams should present a big challenge as both feature multiple talented big men. Cal is led by Ryan Anderson, the Pac-10 leading scorer, and Devon Hardin who is among the best bangers in the conference. Stanford features the 7 foot twins Brook and Robin Lopez who are both capable defenders and potential scorers. Seeing how Jeff Pendergraph matches up in the post when he'll likely be double teamed will make a difference in both games. Additionally, James Harden's ability to score by driving will be tested by the trees in the middle. ASU's supporting players will have to step up big on this road trip. Like I said, these two games will tell us a lot about our Devils.

The Cal game can be heard on 960 AM at 8:30pm Thursday and the Stanford game can be seen on FSN AZ or heard on 620 AM at 8pm Saturday.


I know I've been sleeping on the Women's team and that's just unfair because they've been carrying the torch for ASU basketball for years now. I'm going to start trying to get some updates on them here as well. Go Devils!

Men's Basketball Cracks Top 25

It's been 13 years since ASU's Men's Basketball team has been ranked in the Top 25 and it feels good to be back. Halfway through the season, the Sun Devils have surpassed expectations by racing to a 13-2 start and leading the Pac-10. Check out the rankings and the story yourself.

A new podcast will be coming soon with a true insider to the team that should give us a interesting look at the squad. Stay tuned.

"It's War Now"

So are the words of Jawann McClellan. When asked after the game how this win affects the rivalry, he responded with the words you see in the title. The Devils are finally earning the respect of opponents and media after starting off 3-0 in conference play and 13-2 overall. Herb Sendek's Sun Devils currently sit alone atop the Pac-10 standings. Sure it's early, sure we haven't played the top teams in the conference yet, but we've earned the right to celebrate a bit. After watching a lethargic coach with subpar talent for years, it's so easy to get behind this team and this coach and start dreaming of March and what could be.

And what a year to be a Sun Devil, huh? The rise of the football team, the surprise play of the basketball team, top 10 baseball and softball teams, TWO national championships in women's track and field. Add on to that the Suns leading their division, the FBR Open coming to town, and that thing called the Super Bowl just down the road and it's hard to imagine a much better sports scene in the Valley right now.

But anyway, how about that game?!

Despite the second-worst half of play all season (opening half vs. Illinois was worse), including making only 3-of-18 shots to start the game, the Devils were able to persevere and pull out the tough victory in overtime, thanks to an amazing second half by James Harden and key plays by everyone else. Harden scored 22 in the second half and OT, and only one of his field goals came from behind the arc. The rest were on a display of acrobatic drives and free throws, and considering how he was being hacked in the lane and came up limping several times, he amazes me a little more each game.

Sure Harden finally looked like a freshman during the first half, as he stopped attacking after being hacked the first few trips into the paint with no fouls called. He even made a few mistakes and missed his first two free throws, but give him credit for being coachable and adjusting because he owned the second half.

One of the most fun things to watch was the exchanges between Harden and defender (or lack thereof) Daniel Dillon. The Arizona defender was draped over Harden all night and was in his ear during the first half. In true competitive spirit that was a bit Jordan-esque (too early?), Harden used his talent to shut Dillon up, then had a few words of his own. After hittting a three pointer, Harden backpedaled down the court along with Dillon while holding up three fingers and smiling the whole time. This along with some other good-natured trash talking is fun to watch from a player with as much skill as Harden.

Luckily, Harden wasn't the only one making big plays for the Devils. Pendergraph stepped up in the second half and had the huge tip in at the end. Ty Abbott had the huge off-balance 3-pointer coming off a screen the cut down the lead, and Eric Boateng had a big block late in the second half.

So my buddy Chris and I were trying to decide what Sendek was telling the team at the half, and we agreed that it had something to do with playing horribly in the first half on offense and still being down by just 7. Given that, ASU had every opportunity to come back in the second half and take the game. After the teams came out of halftime, Pendergraph and Harden were aside from the team talking to each other and you knew the second half would be a different story.

We also saw Christian Polk for the first time in a while due to early foul trouble by Ty Abbott and Polk also hit a big 3-pointer to contribute. I also did some investigation and found out why Polk hadn't been playing much of late. Part of it is due to the great play of Ty Abbott. Another part is because Polk had reportedly been goofing off in practice, trying to act like an And 1 baller and not paying attention, and earned his way into Sendek's doghouse. Cutting edge reporting from yours truly.

It was also great to see a sellout crowd and a student section that extended into the upper deck. Great support from the Sun Devil faithful and this should continue throughout the season. The atmosphere was electric and definitely helped the team pull off the comeback.

Overall, ASU made the necessary adjustments on defense to limit the Wildcat scoring and was lucky that many of Jordan Hill's shots rimmed out. That, and a healthy dose of Harden's scoring in the second half gave ASU the win. To be completely honest, I'd like to see more motion in the ASU offense but that's just nitpicking. If it ain't broke...

Photo from a blackberry of me storming the floor!

Note to self, Blackberries aren't good for taking pictures.

By the way, major BOO to Pro-Em security for throwing WR/OF Michael Jones out of the game. ASU should be ashamed of not letting their star receiver partake in the action with his friends.

Other than that, it was a great night.