Tucson, Ariz.- The McKale Center began to file out of the arena as A-S-U chants arose in enemy territory. The Sun Devil men's basketball team defeated the Arizona Wildcats 72-64 and swept the Wildcats (17-14; 8-10 Pac-12) for the first time since 2008-09.
"It was a connected group," said Bobby Hurley. "I was a team that was motivated to win in one of the toughest places to play in college basketball. I'm really proud of the effort tonight."
"I'm going to Las Vegas with these guys, I feel great about that and push to try and to compete for a championship. I know we've done enough, and I knew coming in that if we got this one that there would be no doubt."
It was evident early on that both squads would fight like you'd expect, in rivalry fashion. Through the intensity and aggressive play, foul trouble limited what both teams could do on the offensive end.
Luguentz Dort and Rob Edwards both had two fouls early, and Taeshon Cherry didn't travel with the team (injury). The Sun Devils (21-9; 12-6 Pac-12) needed to find offensive production to counter Arizona and its active fan base.
"I took it upon myself and said 'hey I'm not going to let us lose, I'm here for you guys no matter what,'" said Remy Martin.
ASU BEST PAC-12 RECORDS
16-2 (1): 1980-81
15-3 (2): 1979-80
12-6 (4): 2018-19, 2009-10, 1994-95, 1982-83
Martin did just that and had arguably his best game of the season, only looking at his last performance against Arizona where he scored 31 and sealed the game late in Tempe.
"I knew if I could get to the lane, they'll bring somebody and would try to block my shot so I can have that dump off or get fouled and go to the basket," said Martin. "So, I just try to make the game easiest as possible for myself; I play downhill."
On one dump off, it went to the hands of Kimani Lawrence who had his most emphatic dunk of the season for an old fashioned three-point play. Lawrence played his best game in almost a month, looking more comfortable spacing the floor and finding his shots.
"Even when I wasn't playing games the way I wanted to play, I was still putting work in, and it was a matter of time before it started to click," said Lawrence. "I'm glad it started to click at the right time."
He was one of four in double figures for ASU and found himself in that category for the first time since Feb. 7 against Washington State.
For Martin, he notched team-highs in points (27), rebounds (8) and assists (7). It was his second-highest scoring total of the season and came at the perfect time as the Sun Devils' depth was limited in a big game.
"He just lets me play, lets me be myself," said Martin on Hurley.
Martin showcased a leadership mentality against UA, scoring on those plays that would be out of control for most but right in stride for Martin. He was able to play his game, scoring on a few tough layups down the stretch in critical moments.
The Wildcats tried to make one last run at the Sun Devils late, connecting on two three-pointers to push a 10-1 run and a one-point lead with seven minutes remaining.
"We knew they were going to make a push," said Hurley.
The Sun Devils were ready for it as Martin scored on one of his layups, Zylan Cheatham forced an offensive foul, and the Sun Devils never gave the lead back to their rivals.
The majority of the contest was tightly contested and highly competitive. With two minutes left, the Sun Devils jumped to a 10 point lead, the first double digit lead for either team all afternoon long.
Elias Valtonen made the most of his minutes, snagging four rebounds and came up with a big block at the end of the first half to keep the game tied.
"Every minute matters," said Hurley. "He moved his feet well on defense. We closed the gap when he was in the game, so he had some good minutes."
Dort scored nine of his 15 early, pacing the Devils offensively before picking up his third foul. Cheatham was solid again as he notched 13 points and six rebounds.
As a team, the Sun Devils shot 49 percent and outrebounded their opponent for the 22nd time this season. With the regular season over, ASU will finish in the second spot of the Pac-12 standings for the fourth time in 41-year Pac-10/12 history.
The Sun Devils play next at the Pac-12 Tournament in Las VegaS against the winner of the 7/10 game on Thursday, March, 14 at 6 p.m.
"We're taking it game by game," said Martin. "The time is now."
"It was a connected group," said Bobby Hurley. "I was a team that was motivated to win in one of the toughest places to play in college basketball. I'm really proud of the effort tonight."
"I'm going to Las Vegas with these guys, I feel great about that and push to try and to compete for a championship. I know we've done enough, and I knew coming in that if we got this one that there would be no doubt."
It was evident early on that both squads would fight like you'd expect, in rivalry fashion. Through the intensity and aggressive play, foul trouble limited what both teams could do on the offensive end.
Luguentz Dort and Rob Edwards both had two fouls early, and Taeshon Cherry didn't travel with the team (injury). The Sun Devils (21-9; 12-6 Pac-12) needed to find offensive production to counter Arizona and its active fan base.
"I took it upon myself and said 'hey I'm not going to let us lose, I'm here for you guys no matter what,'" said Remy Martin.
ASU BEST PAC-12 RECORDS
16-2 (1): 1980-81
15-3 (2): 1979-80
12-6 (4): 2018-19, 2009-10, 1994-95, 1982-83
Martin did just that and had arguably his best game of the season, only looking at his last performance against Arizona where he scored 31 and sealed the game late in Tempe.
"I knew if I could get to the lane, they'll bring somebody and would try to block my shot so I can have that dump off or get fouled and go to the basket," said Martin. "So, I just try to make the game easiest as possible for myself; I play downhill."
On one dump off, it went to the hands of Kimani Lawrence who had his most emphatic dunk of the season for an old fashioned three-point play. Lawrence played his best game in almost a month, looking more comfortable spacing the floor and finding his shots.
"Even when I wasn't playing games the way I wanted to play, I was still putting work in, and it was a matter of time before it started to click," said Lawrence. "I'm glad it started to click at the right time."
He was one of four in double figures for ASU and found himself in that category for the first time since Feb. 7 against Washington State.
For Martin, he notched team-highs in points (27), rebounds (8) and assists (7). It was his second-highest scoring total of the season and came at the perfect time as the Sun Devils' depth was limited in a big game.
"He just lets me play, lets me be myself," said Martin on Hurley.
Martin showcased a leadership mentality against UA, scoring on those plays that would be out of control for most but right in stride for Martin. He was able to play his game, scoring on a few tough layups down the stretch in critical moments.
The Wildcats tried to make one last run at the Sun Devils late, connecting on two three-pointers to push a 10-1 run and a one-point lead with seven minutes remaining.
"We knew they were going to make a push," said Hurley.
The Sun Devils were ready for it as Martin scored on one of his layups, Zylan Cheatham forced an offensive foul, and the Sun Devils never gave the lead back to their rivals.
The majority of the contest was tightly contested and highly competitive. With two minutes left, the Sun Devils jumped to a 10 point lead, the first double digit lead for either team all afternoon long.
Elias Valtonen made the most of his minutes, snagging four rebounds and came up with a big block at the end of the first half to keep the game tied.
"Every minute matters," said Hurley. "He moved his feet well on defense. We closed the gap when he was in the game, so he had some good minutes."
Dort scored nine of his 15 early, pacing the Devils offensively before picking up his third foul. Cheatham was solid again as he notched 13 points and six rebounds.
As a team, the Sun Devils shot 49 percent and outrebounded their opponent for the 22nd time this season. With the regular season over, ASU will finish in the second spot of the Pac-12 standings for the fourth time in 41-year Pac-10/12 history.
The Sun Devils play next at the Pac-12 Tournament in Las VegaS against the winner of the 7/10 game on Thursday, March, 14 at 6 p.m.
"We're taking it game by game," said Martin. "The time is now."