@SunDevilHoops Travels To Stanford For Another Test

By Evan Millstein, SDA Student Assistant

Through the many themes of  No. 16 Arizona State's 2017-18 campaign, one has recently stood out. Teams are not going to fold easily, and play thus far in the "Conference of Champions" is the epitome of that.

ASU opened Pac-12 play on a tough stretch that included three hostile road games, then two competitive Oregon teams who mixed zone and man defenses effectively. After splitting a  home series against the Oregon schools,  Arizona State is set for a matchup against the Stanford Cardinal in its third conference road trip of the season.

Shannon Evans II propelled the Sun Devils (14-3, 2-3 Pac-12) over Oregon State with 22 points in Saturday's victory. The senior scored all 22 in the second half, while leading the team in rebounds (six) and assists (seven).  Evans II has delivered on 12-of-19 three-point attempts in his last three games while adding 13 assists to that same resume.

"I feel like we've played the right way the last four to five minutes of that game," Evans II said of the Oregon State matchup.  "Hopefully we can carry that to the Bay with us and play the right way and get the win."

The Sun Devils wrapped up Tuesday's practice looking to build off the 77-75 victory against Oregon State. The 27 points in bench production played a large role in securing a  sixth halftime deficit win.

"We have the capability of getting it," said head coach Bobby Hurley. "The seniors have been great and they will get their fair share. The guys coming off the bench, Romello [White], Mickey [Mitchell], I think there is a number of guys that can have a great impact on our team not only scoring, but taking charge."

Arizona State understands the difficulty in college basketball, as Hurley noted Michigan State's rocky stretch as the number one team in the nation.

"Things happen. It's fragile," said Hurley.  "You want to preserve it when you're going well, and when you face some adversity you have to find your gear again, and hopefully we'll get that done soon."

Stanford (10-8, 4-1 Pac- 12) has four straight victories under  its belt and just notched  its first Pac-12 road sweep since 2010. The Cardinal defeated Washington 73-64 behind Reid Travis and Daejon Davis. The duo each scored 16 points on 6-of-13 from the field respectively.

The Pac-12 foe has seven players over  6-foot-8, as the Devils will be tested on the glass.  Hurley's squad is +24 in the rebound margin but -12 in conference play.

"We're trying to get our guards to go in there and rebound, grab a few rebounds," said Evans II. "Me in particular, I need to go grab five or six a game, Tra (Holder) and Kodi (Justice) as well."

Tra Holder, named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, is looking to bounce back from a rare 1-for-9 shooting night. Holder averages just over 16 points per game against Stanford in his career, the second most against any other Pac-12 team besides Washington State (17.4).  Hurley praised Holder, noting his performances against Xavier, Kansas and Arizona.

Fellow member of "Guard U," Kodi Justice, added Saturday night that the team wanted to win for Tra. "Without him, we wouldn't be where we are at," said Justice. "He is one of the top point guards in the country."

The Sun Devils and Cardinal do have something in common other than playing in the same conference. Like Arizona State, 6-1 while trailing at half, Stanford has won three of its last four games while trailing by at least nine through the game's first 20 minutes .

Tip-off from Maples Pavilion in Stanford, California is slated for 9 p.m. MST, as Arizona State looks to win its fifth consecutive game against the Cardinal.