PHOENIX – Coming off the heels of its best offensive performance of the year, Arizona State men’s basketball struggles to muster a quarter of that production against TCU in 74-70 loss. ASU shot 50+% from the field and beyond the arc against Texas Tech, but tonight shot 43.9% and 33.3% from the 3-point line. An offensively inept Horned Frogs team had the worst scoring offense in the Big 12, but it didn’t matter, jumping to an early lead and never surrendering it.
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Arizona State guard Trevor Best (12) sits on the bench during a game against TCU at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Feb. 15, 2025.
The absence of freshman center Jayden Quaintance has hurt the team immensely, as TCU scored 36 paint points and shot 31 free throws, dominating ASU’s interior defense. Redshirt freshman guard Jace Posey’s 20 points led the Horned Frogs in scoring on 6-of-8 shooting and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Posey hadn’t had a double-digit game since opening night against Florida A&M. Tonight, he set a career-high.
Feb 8, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Kayden Fish (11) defends the shot from TCU Horned Frogs guard Jace Posey (41) during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
ASU had its work cut out for them without Quaintance and senior guard Adam Miller fouling out in only 21 minutes. It needed someone to step up. The usual suspect, senior guard BJ Freeman, fueled a late 12-4 run to bring a double-digit deficit to one possession. Freeman led the Sun Devils in scoring with 21 points, making it the first time since January 14th that he has had back-to-back 20-point games.
Arizona State guard BJ Freeman (10) celebrates a three-pointer against TCU during a game at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Feb. 15, 2025. Syndication: Arizona Republic
Despite Freeman’s late-game heroics, it wasn’t enough to overcome TCU’s interior attack, as ASU kept putting them on the free-throw line. Head coach Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils have lost nine of their last 11 games and five in a row. ASU stays home to face one of the best teams in the country in No. 6 Houston. It could get ugly if it doesn’t tighten up offensively.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
