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Chalk It Up, Devils Down No. 1 Kansas

Updated 11-game statistics Opens in a new window Sun Devil Hoops Wins Vs. Ranked Teams Out of Conference (Pac-10/12 Era) Opens in a new window Pac-12 Men's Basketball Wins vs. No. 1 Opens in a new window Halftime Deficit Comebacks Under Bobby Hurley Opens in a new window #18 ASU 80, #1 Kansas 76 (Dec. 22, 2018) PDF Game Book Opens in a new window
Chalk It Up, Devils Down No. 1 KansasChalk It Up, Devils Down No. 1 Kansas
Remy Martin was tightly defended. He got to his spot at the free-throw line and pulled up.
 
"It felt great," said Martin. "It is a shot I've been working on my whole life, trying to perfect it."
 
The Devils led by two with 59 seconds remaining. 

Lockdown defense allowed zero Kansas field goals in the final 4:58 and forced two Kansas  turnovers down the stretch that resulted in Rob Edwards with a chance to ice the game from the charity stripe.
 
Both good. The clock was at six seconds and the Jayhawks were down two possessions.
 
Buzzer.
 
The third largest attended crowd (14,592) in program history came together on center court to celebrate the historic win with a court storm.
 
"This was just a huge moment for our basketball program, I remember when I started my first couple of games here, to see what it is like now is just unreal," said Hurley.

"It proves a lot," said Martin. "Everything about ASU is now starting to feel what it's supposed to be."
 
It's supposed to be packed, full of high-energy fans and high-quality basketball. On Saturday, it was that and much more.
 
The Sun Devils (9-2) completed their 17th come from behind victory while trailing at halftime under Bobby Hurley and handed the Jayhawks (10-1) their first loss of the season.
 
"Well, that was one of the great sports moments of my life," said Hurley.
 
The Devils downed the Jayhawks for the second consecutive season,80-76,marking the program's first victory over a No. 1 team in Tempe.
 
Arizona State grabbed their first lead of the night with 2:23 left. Rob Edwards pulled up in transition, drilled a three and finally got the chance to show Tempe his game.

 

TEMPE WE LIT ?? pic.twitter.com/geNTwHumJ4

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 23, 2018

"Congrats to my man, Rob," said Martin. "He's been going through some injuries…he came out today and he played. He played basketball how he usually plays."
 
 The Sun Devils battled all evening long, being resilient even when hustle plays failed to go their way. "I think we battled as hard as we could every possession, we went all in, they went all in, they gave everything they had tonight," said Hurley.
 

Attention @SunDevilHoops fans & @942Crew: Remy Martin has a message for you. pic.twitter.com/txnZa31vgt

— ABC15 Sports (@abc15sports) December 23, 2018
 
Arizona State had five in double figures as Zylan Cheatham recorded a double-double behind Edwards' 15.
 
Taeshon Cherry provided a spark inside Wells Fargo Arena during key momentum points. He connected on two three-pointers in the first half that halted possible Kansas runs and kept the crowd lively.
 
Cherry scored eight in 16 minutes and grabbed back-to-back steals down the stretch. It's safe to say the freshman is getting comfortable in Tempe.
 
"He's just scratching the surface of where he will be as his career continues to develop," said Hurley. "A lot of adversity in the game, we have a lot of winners in the locker room, even the freshman really aren't afraid of the moment and can play at such a high level, it was a great team win."

The Sun Devils are back on the hardwood  on Dec. 29 at home against Princeton. The 2 p.m. MST tip-off can be viewed on Pac-12 Networks and heard on ESPN 620 AM with Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd.
 
 

"We went through adversity… and we chose to will our way to victory." @SunDevilHoops' Remy Martin talked with @TheAndyKatz after No. 18 Arizona State's huge win over No. 1 Kansas! pic.twitter.com/OO3W2AfD1f

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) December 23, 2018
QUOTES FROM KANSAS COACH BILL SELF
Taking the loss and ASU performance:

"We didn't finish down the stretch. We did a really poor job of getting Edwards (ASU), I thought he was terrific. I mean, he was really the difference in the game because when we had control of the game, he basically single-handedly brought them back."

Role of free throws in the game:

"We gave them free throws, obviously. And I'd have to go back and watch the tape because everybody thinks they're getting screwed as the game goes on... but certainly, it felt like we had a hard time getting any easy points and we certainly saw them get a lot, even from the free throw line or a lot of layups and we didn't have those same opportunities for us." 

Big picture take-away from the game:
"I think that losing sucks and it's never good, but it can actually be a positive if you learn from it so that it doesn't happen the same way so hopefully we can learn from it. We didn't close the game right, at all. So hopefully we can learn from that but the reality of it is: we weren't going to run the table, let's not get carried away so, I hate saying this, you never ever want to lose but certainly you'd rather learn from a non-conference loss than a conference loss so hopefully we'll learn something from it and get better from it. I think it's a teaching moment. 

QUOTES FROM BOBBY HURLEY
TOpening Statement:
"That was one of the great sports moments of my life. That's really the best way I can put it."
 
On if the Georgia game helped to prepare them for a tight game tonight:
"We have tough kids that have big time grit, heart and believe in themselves. They're really confident kids. They're as a hard-working group as I've ever had, and if they didn't work that hard, they wouldn't have the confidence to go out and do what they did tonight."
 
On what the wins means:
"This was a huge moment for our basketball program. I remember when I first started my first couple of games here. To see what it's like now, it's unreal. To have these memories and or our players to have it, it's terrific. The crowd was dynamic. It was off the charts in terms of the electricity in that building. It felt like a NCAA Tournament game for something real important. That's the caliber of athletes and basketball players on the floor."
 
On how the team digs deep in games like this:
"We have high-level players. We have guys that in games like this, we're not at a disadvantage from a talent standpoint. We have guys that can make plays. Remy [Martin] was 1-for-6 in the first half and came out and made a couple of the biggest shots in the game. Rob Edwards, who's been through so much with injury stuff, he was so clutch down the stretch in making free throws and big shots. Zylan [Cheatham] is always the stability. He's like a guy that's been through all these wars. There won't be another guy who can guard as many guys on the floor as he can and rebound the way he does and have an overall impact on what we do."
 
On how it feels to win a big time game showing resilience:
"It all started last year with the year we had and the seniors flipping the script for ASU. We have players in the program now that went through that year, and it was valuable for us. That's helped us in these close games. There was a lot of adversity in this game. There are a lot of winners in the locker room. Even the freshmen really aren't scared or intimidated in the moment. They can play at such a high level. It was a great team win."
 
On whether they were unphased when things went wrong:
"As the game wore on, we gained more confidence to think that we should win this game. They just kept on staying in it and staying in it, and then we got our stops. Rob Edwards and Remy were huge with the shot-making late in the game. That was it."
 

ASU VS. KANSAS (6-5)
#18 ASU 80, #1 Kansas 76 (Dec. 22, 2018)
#16 ASU 95, @#2 Kansas 85 (Dec. 10, 2017)
#6 Kansas 108, ASU 76 (March 22, 2003/NCAA @Oklahoma City)
#2 Kansas 90, ASU 88 (Nov. 26, 1997/Preseason NIT @NYC)
ASU 70, Kansas 68 (Nov. 23, 1990)
@ #2 Kansas 90, ASU 67 (Dec. 22, 1989)
@Kansas 63, ASU 62 (Nov. 30, 1981)
#5 Kansas 88, #3 ASU 71 (March 14, 1981/NCAA @Wichita)
ASU 73, Kansas 65, OT (Dec. 29, 1979)
ASU 71, Kansas 62 (Dec. 14, 1962)
ASU 72, Kansas 58 (Dec. 11, 1961)