Ten days ago, Arizona defeated ASU at McKale Center by a score of 45 points, the biggest margin of victory in the rivalry’s 246-game history. Bobby Hurley went into “hiding” after the crushing defeat in an attempt to figure out what went wrong for his team.
Both teams have now finished 1-1; the UA dropped out of first position after losing to Washington State at home, but two days later, ASU defeated the Cougars in Tempe, bringing them back to the top.
Tommy Lloyd is not anticipating the first meeting the way he did the last time the Sun Devils faced a blowout in Tucson. Now is their chance to make amends.
Following the UA’s victory over Washington on Saturday, Lloyd remarked, “We know they’re going to respond.” “They’re a streaky club whose style of play makes them difficult to oppose, and I have no doubt that they’ll play with great energy and effort. We value them as competitors.
This season, ASU (14-14, 8-9) is 10-4 at Desert Financial Arena. It was nearly 11-3 against Washington, as it overcame a 25-point deficit in the second half to force overtime.
At Desert Financial Arena, Arizona is 29–22, and since the start of the Lute Olson era, the team is 28–12. The Wildcats had triumphed in their last three trips to Tempe, including a thrilling victory in 2021 when James Akinjo’s 3-point attempt was mishandled into a layup by Azuolas Tubelis.
Prior to then, the team had a string of defeats, notably in 2020 when they trailed by 22 points in the first half before losing 66-65.
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