TEMPE – Regardless of Saturday’s result against No. 9 Texas Tech, Arizona State men’s basketball is locked in at the 15th in the Big 12 standings. ASU will play the 10th seed in the Big 12 tournament, which will be one of these four teams.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!1. Kansas State
Feb 23, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Alston Mason (1) is guarded by Kansas State Wildcats guard Dug McDaniel (0) during the second half at Bramlage Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
Kansas State is the current 10th seed and is 1-1 against ASU this season. Its last matchup was on February 23rd, a Sun Devils 66-54 win. The Wildcats’ lone win was because of two missed free throws at the end of regulation by freshman center Jayden Quaintance, which gave Kansas State the one-point victory in Tempe. ASU’s second half of the year has been rough, but its play against Kansas State is a bright spot.
The Sun Devils have played well versus the Wildcats when healthy, which is a big problem with Quaintance and senior guard Adam Miller in the past few weeks. Kansas State will play No. 10th Iowa State at home on Saturday, and with a likely loss would play ASU.
2. TCU
Dec 30, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; TCU Horned Frogs forward Isaiah Manning (1) celebrates a three-point basket during the second half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
TCU is just ahead of Kansas State as the ninth seed. The Horned Frogs played the Sun Devils once during the regular season, with a 74-70 TCU victory in Tempe. ASU was coming off a moral victory against Texas Tech, losing in overtime on the road. Its home game against TCU was a way to carry that momentum from Lubbock. However, the Sun Devils came out slow against a touted Horned Frogs defense and couldn’t make up the ground in the second half. TCU plays the 16th seed Colorado on Saturday and, with a likely win, wouldn’t play ASU in round 1 of the Big 12 Tournament.
3. Utah
Feb 26, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Utah Utes forward Ezra Ausar (2) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
Utah is the 11th seed and plays against No. 23 BYU on Saturday. In their one matchup against the Sun Devils, the Utes dominated in the second half in the 99-73 win. ASU was extremely shorthanded and, despite a solid first half, got outscored by 28 points after halftime in the loss. The Sun Devils struggled to contain the size of the Utes on the glass, unable to cut them off from the basket. Utah is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, and it showcased that in the last matchup. If ASU isn’t healthy in its next matchup against Utah, it likely would play out the same.
4. West Virginia
Jan 21, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Basheer Jihad (8) backs down against West Virginia Mountaineers guard Javon Small (7) during the first half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
ASU’s least likely round-one matchup is against current eighth-seed West Virginia. Many dominos would have to fall for the two programs to play again, a result that the Sun Devils might want. In their last matchup, the Mountaineers struggled to score in their 65-57 loss. Before its season fell apart, ASU looked to get back on track with a signature win against a ranked West Virginia on the road. The performance was one of its best defensive games of the season, which seems like a lifetime ago with the recent defensive effort. Regardless, ASU would thrive if given another opportunity to play West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
