TEMPE, Ariz. — Kansas men’s basketball faces a quick turnaround and a challenging road test Tuesday night at Arizona State, just days after a decisive loss to No. 2 Arizona in Tucson. The Jayhawks (21-8, 11-5 Substantial 12) will attempt to avoid becoming the latest victim of a trend that has seen teams following a game against Arizona struggle significantly in their next contest.
Following Saturday’s 87-70 defeat, Kansas guard Melvin Council Jr. Emphasized the need for increased toughness. “One can’t back down from nobody,” Council said, adding, “We can’t take shortcuts when we got the lead, when we cut the lead down. We got to keep playing.” The Jayhawks briefly trimmed a large deficit to just two points against Arizona, only to witness the Wildcats pull away again with a 3-pointer from Ivan Kharchenkov.
Head coach Bill Self acknowledged the team’s struggles in maintaining consistency. “That would be a ridiculously hard game regardless, but we certainly made it harder on ourselves,” Self said, “because we didn’t do the things that I felt like we did the first time we played them and competed at the same level.”
The Jayhawks’ upcoming opponent, Arizona State (15-14, 6-10 Big 12), presents a unique challenge. Teams that have played Arizona this season have a combined record of 4-11 in their subsequent games, with four of those losses coming against the Sun Devils – Cincinnati, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech. Arizona State has secured six of its ten Big 12 wins against teams immediately following their matchups with Arizona.
Arizona State recently completed a season sweep of Utah with a 73-60 victory on Saturday, overcoming an early 14-5 deficit with a dominant 29-10 run to close the first half. Moe Odum led the Sun Devils with 15 points, whereas Massamba Diop added 14 and Santiago Trouet recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Self highlighted Diop’s versatility, noting his ability to operate both inside and outside. “You know, he’s pretty good in the short roll, he’s pretty good facing the basket,” Self said. “He can make a shot, I think he’s only made four on the year, 3s, but he’s really good in that 15- to 17-foot range, and he’s so long. He almost plays like a four-man that’s playing the five, as far as away from the basket.”
The Sun Devils’ offense is spearheaded by Odum, averaging 17.9 points and 40.5% shooting from deep in conference play. Anthony “Pig” Johnson, a transfer from the University of the Cumberlands, provides a strong scoring presence off the bench. Arizona State has been utilizing a larger lineup featuring Trouet and Andrija Grbović alongside Diop.
“They score the ball pretty uncomplicated,” Self said. “They got a point guard that can really score. They’ve got some size. They’ve definitely played well at home and beaten some good teams.”
Self indicated that his focus shifted to resting players late in Saturday’s game against Arizona in preparation for the quick turnaround. He also expressed a desire to develop a rotation of nine players he feels confident in.
Former Kansas signee Marcus Adams Jr. Is currently on the Arizona State roster, though he has not played since January 3rd.
ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (15-14, 6-10 BIG 12) VS. NO. 14 KANSAS JAYHAWKS (21-8, 11-5 BIG 12)
- Desert Financial Arena, Tempe, Arizona, 8 p.m. Central time
- Broadcast: FS1
- Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KKSW FM 105.9 / KMXN FM 92.9)
