There is destiny to be controlled
Arizona State (20-11, 11-9 Pac-12) will gamble on itself as a the No. 6 seed in Las Vegas in its Pac-12 tournament round-one matchup against 11th-ranked Oregon State (11-20, 5-15 Pac-12).
Game Details
- Date: Wednesday, March 8th, 2023
- Time: 9:30 p.m. MT
- Location: T-Mobile Arena
- Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Arizona State listed as 10.5-point favorites, with the over/under set at 135.5 points.
TV/Radio
- Watch: Pac-12 Network
- Listen: ESPN 620 AM (KTAR)
Predictions
Spencer Gustafson: March, baby. The Sun Devils somehow still find themselves as one of the ‘First Four Out’ on Joe Lunardi’s bracketology list. The chances of making it to The Dance all depend on tonight, and whatever happens after that. Otherwise, NIT here we come.
The last time these two teams matched up, ASU had a three-man combination of the Cambridge brothers and Frankie Collins score 45 points as a trio in a 68-57 win over the Beavers in Tempe. As far as defense is concerned, the Sun Devils held OSU’s top scorer, Jordan Pope to 14 points and under 30-percent shooting. Be careful with him, though. He can light it up from deep and change the game in a minute if he gets hot. Like all games in March, all of this information seems to catapult itself out of the theoretical window.
Regardless, this is Bobby Hurley’s chance to get this ship pointed towards the NCAA tournament. This one comes down to ASU’s ability to hit the interior shots and not getting into foul trouble early on. If all goes well, this one shouldn’t be too nail-biting. Prediction: 65-59, Arizona State.