Hurley’s Call to Action led to a resounding rebounding response
The Sun Devils laid everything on the line Tuesday.
Just eight minutes into their contest against Oklahoma State, freshman center Massamba Diop worked his way to the foul line after scoring through heavy contact inside. He failed to convert the 3-point play, but as the ball cascaded off the rim, not one but two of his teammates collided in an attempt to retrieve possession.
Graduate forward Allen Mukeba, standing 6-foot-8, outmuscled senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson for the offensive rebound and accidentally hit Johnson on the side of the head. Johnson left the game for a brief moment before going back to the bench.
That was just one of Arizona State’s (13-12, 4-8 Big 12) 19 offensive rebounds, and 45 total boards, both season-highs. Despite shooting its fourth-worst field goal percentage of the season, a +11 rebounding margin got the Maroon and Gold over the line 85-76 against the Cowboys (16-8, 4-7) at Desert Financial Arena.
Following the Sun Devils 78-70 defeat on the road to Colorado last Saturday, head coach Bobby Hurley was degrudged over his team losing the rebounding battle by 40-26.
“We only have seven games left. If we can’t rebound now, chances are we’re not going to be able to rebound,” Hurley said Saturday.
After hearing those comments make the rounds on social media throughout the weekend, the players took them to heart and saw Oklahoma State as an opportunity to address prior shortcomings.
“I think we lost the last game because of rebounding,” sophomore forward Santiago Trouet said. “And Coach said it in the post-game conference. Personally, I took it personally when I heard him speak in the post-conference.”
Trouet’s vendetta against his previous performances led to his best game for the Maroon and Gold. He scored a season-high 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, notching his first double-double of the season on Tuesday. He led the campaign for ASU’s dominance on the glass, grabbing four on the offensive end in addition to cleaning up on the defensive end.
“I don’t go looking for it, but people say ‘did you see what Bobby said,’” Trouet noted on his mentality after seeing his coach’s comments. “In my opinion is a mentality, for me, just go.”
Commanding the boards has become a staple of Trouet’s collegiate career. At 6-foot-11, he recorded eight double-doubles in his time with San Diego, a key reason as to why Hurley and other programs recruited him heavily in the transfer portal.
“That’s probably the skill that (Trouet) possesses that is a separator for him when he is really focused,” Hurley said. “We watched the film The Colorado game I talked a lot about in practice, and the guys really internalized focusing on rebound.”
ASU finished the game with 24 second-chance points and 38 points in the paint, dominating the middle as a collective effort. Every player who logged over seven minutes grabbed at least three rebounds, with five players collecting at least five boards.
Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz claimed Tuesday’s matchup wasn’t “aesthetically pleasing,” and he certainly had a valid point. Both teams combined for just 13-of-42 from beyond the arc, and the physical contest led to 62 attempts at free throws.
The Sun Devils guard relied on scrappiness to get over the line; they forced 17 turnovers from the Cowboys, which led to 26 points off turnovers.
“The game was lost when we turned the ball over 17 times and gave him 26 points, and we gave them however many offensive rebounds for 24 points,” Lutz noted. “In this league, you can’t give people 50 points, you can’t spot people 50 points, and expect to win.”
Shooting just 5-of-21 on 3-pointers doesn’t typically help teams in the Big 12, yet Hurley’s team has won two games in a week despite lackluster performances from range. Against Utah last Wednesday, the Maroon and Gold shot just 38.6% from the field, its third-worst shooting night of the season.n
Credit the physical presence Oklahoma State’s guard played on the perimeter, ASU’s guards shot just 7-of-29 from the floor on Tuesday, but it was senior guard Moe Odum who converted one of his two 3-pointers with just under three minutes to play that gave his side a six-point advantage.
The Sun Devils also converted an impressive 28-35 free throws, just the seventh time they’ve shot 80% or better from the line, and 28 made free throws is tied for the most they knocked down in any game this season.
“When the chips were down. They got the right rebounds. They got the turnovers. We missed the shots, and they made their shots,” Lutz added.
After going down by 13 points in the first half after a dozen minutes of game time, it looked as though the Cowboys were no match for ASU. Yet, Lutz’s guard began to turn up the pace, igniting a 12-0 run that brought them right back into the fold. The game stayed tight from then on as ASU continued to regain the lead by a margin of no more than eight until the Orange and Black closed the gap.
“I’m never really that concerned if we get our feet under us in a game that our guys aren’t going to be resilient and fight back from something,” Hurley commented. “I expected (Oklahoma State) to make a run, even when I think we’re up to 12 or 13 in the first half.”
A game that was never easy on the eye became easy to become invested into, the matchup turned into somewhat of a midweek brawl, both teams near the bottom of the Big 12 standings were both desperate for an opportunity to push each other toward the void to gain a leg up near the positive end of the spectrum.
“This is not a touch football league, this is a two-hand, this is a tackle football league,” Lutz added on the intensity and physicality of the Big 12. “If you’re not going to fight and you’re not going to scrap, if you’re not going to rebound, you’ve got no shot.”
Night’s on the battlefield rarely end without any casualties, and junior guard Bryce Ford was the most recent ill-fated player for ASU. After starting the game, Ford logged just seven minutes before heading to the bench and not returning.
Hurley claimed Ford is still dealing with a lingering knee issue.
“He tweaked it a little bit in the first half, and then he was going to try and play, and we spoke briefly right before the start of the second half, and I just shut him down,” Hurley said. “He’ll get looked at tomorrow, and we have a week now, and hopefully he’ll get treatment and be ready for next Tuesday.”
Injuires woes have plagued ASU’s season, frequently rolling out just seven or eight players on seemingly a nightly basis. To combat tired legs for key rotational players, Hurley has begun implementing a 2-3 zone to limit the wear and tear. The strategy has not only been effective in keeping his team fresh, but also in limiting the team’s offense production as well.
“We used it against Colorado some and tonight, a little bit when they got to the paint in the second half, too often, we switched to it,” Hurley explained on his decision to use zones. “So I think it’s something that we are going to move forward with.”
Sun Devil fans have the weekend off as their next contest isn’t for a week, when No.13 Texas Tech comes to town. Rebounding will continue as a point of emphasis as the Red Raiders sit toward the middle of the pack in rebounding margin.
“It’s a great game to jump up in the contest,” Trouet noted confidently. “And it’ll be a great upset for March Madness.”
Whether ASU will have a shot at knocking off a premier program next week is unknown. If Hurley issues a critique in the media, there’s a good chance the players will rectify their mistakes before the Red Raiders come to town.
“That’s our head coach,” Mukeba said. “Everything he says goes straight to our hearts.”
