In the history of the CenturyLink (Qwest) Center, there have been very few power conference teams that have stepped foot into the facility to take on the Creighton men’s basketball team. Fortunately as a part of the Big East now, the Bluejays are able to draw more teams into the top 10 college basketball attendance venue.
Fortunately, Arizona St. agreed to a new home-home series with the Bluejays with the first game at the CenturyLink Center on Wednesday night. However, the Bluejays are very familiar with the Sun Devils, playing them two seasons ago as a part of the Wooden Legacy, and three seasons ago in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational. In both cases, Creighton came out as winners.
After a season of not playing ASU, a lot of things have changed including hiring new head coach Bobby Hurley, mainly known from his days at Duke. To get us up to speed on the Sun Devils, we were able to talk to Connor Pelton from the Arizona St. site House of Sparky. Here is what he had to say before Wednesday night’s game.
White & Blue Review: What kind of expectations are there for Arizona St. this season and are they meeting them so far though the first month of the season?
Connor Pelton: I’d say most of the fan base expects the team to finish inside the upper half of the Pac-12. Some growing pains are expected early as Hurley implements his new system with Herb Sendek’s players, but they think the team should be playing some good basketball once January rolls around. It is really early, but I’d say the Sun Devils are close to meeting those expectations thus far. The opening night loss to Sacramento State was bad, but they responded nicely with wins over Belmont and NC State. The team has taken a bit of a step back with the loss to Marquette and an ugly performance against UC Santa Barbara, but like I said above, some growing pains are par for the course.
WBR: What are your thoughts of Bobby Hurley at the helm? Is he the right guy to bring the program to where it needs to be?
CP: It was certainly a splashy and sexy hire, and that’s all I was really looking for from this coaching search. This program needed an infusion of excitement, so mission accomplished there. To be honest, I’m not sure if he is going to be the guy to bring Arizona State to the next level, but I would say that about any new coach. It is early, but I am optimistic nonetheless.
WBR: For people not familiar with Arizona St., which players does Creighton need to look out for?
CP: Any scouting report should start with guard Gerry Blakes. He is the most vocal player on the team and can be counted on late to get the maroon and gold a big bucket. The senior is currently averaging 13 and 6 through the first six games. Savon Goodman is the other big name that Creighton fans should be looking out for. He is the team’s most athletic big, averaging 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Getting him in foul trouble and forcing ASU to play small will be the key to a Bluejay win.
WBR: Which player is flying under the radar that might surprise people?
CP: Obinna Oleka. The JC transfer is the definition of inconsistent and will probably be the second or third player off the bench. He is definitely under the radar, but dangerous all the same. The forward exploded for 19 points against Kennesaw State and had another 10 in the Legends Classic title game against Marquette. At the very least he can throw a different look at opposing defenses and provide a spark when called upon.
WBR: What weaknesses does ASU have that the Bluejays could exploit?
CP: They work too hard. Care too much. Sometimes are too invested in their jobs. Just kidding. I referenced their only real weakness above, and that is an inability to find offense when forced to play small. Goodman and center Eric Jacobsen are the only capable bigs on this roster, and when they are off the court the offense becomes one dimensional and easy to stop.
WBR: Do you have any insight into how this series came together?
CP: Even though it wasn’t reported until April, this series was actually scheduled by Herb Sendek’s staff back in July of 2014. Sendek liked to recruit the midwest, having found guys like Evan Gordon and Trent Lockett in the region in the past. He also likes playing there once every couple of years, having taken the team to locales such as Chicago, Tulsa, and Milwaukee. Creighton seemed like as good a place as any to take ASU next, a natural fit since the teams met up in bracketed tournaments in 2012 and 2013.
WBR: The Sun Devils have quite a non-conference schedule with high caliber competition. Is this a little too much to take on in Hurley’s first season?
CP: It very well could be, but if you’re going to be the best, you have got to beat the best. Best case scenario, Arizona State picks up a few quality wins that they could use on a resume once March rolls around. Worse case, the team takes a couple losses but gets used to playing in hostile environments like the Clink, the Thomas & Mack Center, and Rupp Arena. That’s not a bad deal.
WBR: What is your final prediction? What does ASU need to do to escape Omaha with a win?
CP: The Sun Devils need to get off to a quick start and not be intimidated by the big crowd. This team has looked nervous at several different points already this season, and that can’t happen if they want to escape with a win. If they play with confidence and get off to a hot shooting start, it should be a close game. I’ll take Creighton as the ones getting out on top for an 85-80 win.
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Here’s the Q&A we did for House of Sparky on Creighton.