TEMPE– Sun Devil Men's Basketball returned to the valley to take on BYU at Desert Financial Arena.
Arizona State (13-15, 4-13) dropped a high scoring affair to BYU (20-8, 11-6), 91-81. The Sun Devils were in a tight rotation down guard Alston Mason and forward Jayden Quaintance. However, freshman Trevor Best stepped up to fill the absences. The freshman finished the night with 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while connecting on 6-of-6 from the line.
Three other Sun Devils finished the night in double digits, with Basheer Jihad asserting dominance in the paint. Jihad finished with a team-high 19 points while cleaning the glass for four boards. Joson Sanon continues to find his form returning from injury, racking up 18 points and dishing out four assists. Adam Miller missed the majority of the game due to an injury that occurred in the first half, but toughed it out in the second half to finish the night with 11 points, connecting on 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will hit the road to take on former Pac-12 Conference opponent, Utah, on March 1st.
Notables
Potential lottery pick, Egor Demin, who averages 10.9 ppg was held to only two points on the night on 1-of-5 shooting. On top of that, the Sun Devils managed to force four turnovers out of the guard. In their last matchup on Dec. 31, ASU held the future NBA guard to only four points as well.
Ba-Sheer Force
Senior forward Basheer Jihad has been extremely effective at getting to the free throw line while also getting opposing big men in foul trouble. Jihad ranks Top-5 in the Big 12 in free throw attempts (149) and third in made free throws (112). He has five games in which he has attempted 10+ free throws.
80-Point Mark
The Sun Devils have scored 80 points or more eleven times through 28 games this season after doing it only six times in 32 games last year. ASU is 7-4 when reaching the 80-point mark.
Ace Wolf
Senior guard Adam Miller is putting together one of the most efficient seasons from beyond the arc in program history. He is currently shooting 45.5% from distance, the second-best total by a Sun Devil.
Single-Season 3 PT %
51.3 – Matt Anderson, 1989 (41-of-80)
45.5 - Adam Miller, 2025 (55-of-121)
45.3 – Tarence Wheeler, 1988 (58-of-128)
44.9 – Bobby Thompson, 1987 (31-of-69)
44.3 – Rihards Kuksiks, 2009 (93-of-210)
44.3 – Jeremy Veal, 1997 (58-of-131)
43.8 – Alex Austin, 1989 (49-of-112)
43.5 – Bryson Krueger, 2005 (40-of-92)
43.4 – Jon Gilling, 2014 (66-of-152)
43.0 – Jay Heath, 2022 (46-of-107)
43.0 – Jon Gilling, 2015 (55-of-128)
Displaying his Best
Freshman Trevor Best scored his career-collegiate points as a Sun Devil, finishing the night with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Trevor Best was also very efficient from the free throw line, connecting on 6-of-6 from the line.
From the Stripe
Arizona State finished with 26 free throw attempts. It is the 13th time they have shot 20+ free throws and 10th time they have gone over 25 free throw attempts. It is their fifth conference game with 25 or more chances from the line.
20+ Free Throw Attempts this Season
11/08/24 - Santa Clara (18-27)
11/14/24 - Grand Canyon (18-21)
11/17/24 - St. Thomas (MN) (18-26)
11/20/24 - Cal Poly (27-41)
11/28/24 - New Mexico (24-32)
12/03/24 - San Diego (22-35)
1/11/25 - Baylor (15-22)
1/14/25 - UCF (17-26)
1/28/25 - Colorado (19-26)
2/04/25 - Kansas State (14-21)
2/09/25 - Oklahoma State (22-26)
2/18/25 - Houston (19-26)
2/26/25 - BYU (19-26)
First Half:
Basheer Jihad got the Sun Devils on the board to start the game, trailing 3-2 to the Cougars. Amier Ali found his sweet spot from the jay and cashed one in to bring Arizona State's deficit within five. The Sun Devils trailed 17-11 to the Cougars heading into the first media timeout with 14:48 remaining in the half.
Basheer Jihad pulled one from way downtown and got it to go, giving the Sun Devils some life while trailing 21-17. Jihad kept his foot on the gas and rolled by the defender and got to the rack for an and-1 finish, leaving Arizona State trailing 25-20. Joson Sanon caught his defender slipping and splashed the jay, making it a three point game with 9:40 remaining. Freshman Trevor Best brought the energy on defense and picked up a steal and forced an offensive charge. The Sun Devils trailed 28-24 with 7:57 left on the clock.
The Cougars got hot from beyond the arc, knocking down back-to-back treyballs and forcing the Sun Devils into a timeout to regroup. Arizona State couldn't find an answer to BYU's offense, leaving ASU trailing 39-28 with just under four minutes left before halftime.
Trevor Best decided to pull the trigger and got it to rattle in from way downtown, to bring the Sun Devils deficit within eight. ASU headed into halftime trailing 47-37 to BYU, hoping to keep the red hot Cougars down in percentage from deep in the second half.
Second Half:
Adam Miller created enough space from his defender and knocked down an easy treyball, getting things rolling for the Sun Devils. Adam Miller continued to stay hot from beyond the arc, nailing another treyball to bring Arizona State's deficit within 13.
The Sun Devils continued to keep pace with the Cougars but could not manage to put together a scoring run. ASU heads into the media timeout trailing 67-53 with 11:21 remaining in regulation.
Arizona State cut the lead to as few as nine points, but were unable to reduce the Cougar lead any further.
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley
On Trevor Best's performance:
"He was a bright spot. He was in high school in December, got to us and hasn't had a lot of time to really adjust to being here and playing at this level. So that was certainly a bright spot."
On playing a ranked BYU team:
"We didn't have four starters in the game for a variety of reasons. When we played them the first time, it was our first league game. They had a really solid non-conference and they probably should have beat Ole Miss and they lost in overtime. Watching them, they looked a lot better on film. I saw a team that day that I thought would be an NCAA tournament type team and that's what they are. They are strong and they have really good shooting. They run good stuff and they're older."
On his message to fans:
"I thought it was a good crowd. They supported us and I'm glad that they did. We have to figure out how to play better here, but we're shorthanded in this game. There are several other games this year that we had no business losing here, so we have to own that. But we appreciate their support. We talked about us playing better on the road and neutral games, and how we can play better here. We just haven't solved that."
Redshirt Senior Guard Adam Miller
On continuing to play hard as a team:
"I was talking to my mom about it. At the end of the day, college sports are about winning. You get everything that you want when you win, but there's two sides to it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes you have years where it's up and down. Sometimes you have years where people get hurt and things on the team happen. We're not in the best spot, but like I told my teammates, we just need to stay as a team. This is a great opportunity. We're at Arizona State University. We're playing for a great team in the Big 12, and I've just been telling myself to go out there and have fun and let loose. By the time I was out there, it was fun playing with my teammates. I'll never get this time back so I'm just happy to be out there with my guys."
On dealing with the adversity the team has gone through:
"I think we're at a spot where everybody could do something better, myself included. There's a lot I could do better. There's three games left now, and we should have been saying this a little earlier…But it's never over until it's over. Big Ike was over there talking to us and I've been hearing this a lot, teams get hot. It can happen to anybody, and if you find yourself hot at the right time, anything can happen. So we're still in that boat and we're not going to give up.
Up Next
Sun Devil Men's Basketball heads to Salt Lake City to take on Utah on March 1st at 5:00 p.m. MST. Coverage can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP).
Sun Devils on Social
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program, follow our X/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilHoops), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilHoops/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com). Follow Coach Hurley on X (@BobbyHurley11).
Arizona State (13-15, 4-13) dropped a high scoring affair to BYU (20-8, 11-6), 91-81. The Sun Devils were in a tight rotation down guard Alston Mason and forward Jayden Quaintance. However, freshman Trevor Best stepped up to fill the absences. The freshman finished the night with 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while connecting on 6-of-6 from the line.
Three other Sun Devils finished the night in double digits, with Basheer Jihad asserting dominance in the paint. Jihad finished with a team-high 19 points while cleaning the glass for four boards. Joson Sanon continues to find his form returning from injury, racking up 18 points and dishing out four assists. Adam Miller missed the majority of the game due to an injury that occurred in the first half, but toughed it out in the second half to finish the night with 11 points, connecting on 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will hit the road to take on former Pac-12 Conference opponent, Utah, on March 1st.
Notables
Potential lottery pick, Egor Demin, who averages 10.9 ppg was held to only two points on the night on 1-of-5 shooting. On top of that, the Sun Devils managed to force four turnovers out of the guard. In their last matchup on Dec. 31, ASU held the future NBA guard to only four points as well.
Ba-Sheer Force
Senior forward Basheer Jihad has been extremely effective at getting to the free throw line while also getting opposing big men in foul trouble. Jihad ranks Top-5 in the Big 12 in free throw attempts (149) and third in made free throws (112). He has five games in which he has attempted 10+ free throws.
80-Point Mark
The Sun Devils have scored 80 points or more eleven times through 28 games this season after doing it only six times in 32 games last year. ASU is 7-4 when reaching the 80-point mark.
Ace Wolf
Senior guard Adam Miller is putting together one of the most efficient seasons from beyond the arc in program history. He is currently shooting 45.5% from distance, the second-best total by a Sun Devil.
Single-Season 3 PT %
51.3 – Matt Anderson, 1989 (41-of-80)
45.5 - Adam Miller, 2025 (55-of-121)
45.3 – Tarence Wheeler, 1988 (58-of-128)
44.9 – Bobby Thompson, 1987 (31-of-69)
44.3 – Rihards Kuksiks, 2009 (93-of-210)
44.3 – Jeremy Veal, 1997 (58-of-131)
43.8 – Alex Austin, 1989 (49-of-112)
43.5 – Bryson Krueger, 2005 (40-of-92)
43.4 – Jon Gilling, 2014 (66-of-152)
43.0 – Jay Heath, 2022 (46-of-107)
43.0 – Jon Gilling, 2015 (55-of-128)
Displaying his Best
Freshman Trevor Best scored his career-collegiate points as a Sun Devil, finishing the night with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Trevor Best was also very efficient from the free throw line, connecting on 6-of-6 from the line.
From the Stripe
Arizona State finished with 26 free throw attempts. It is the 13th time they have shot 20+ free throws and 10th time they have gone over 25 free throw attempts. It is their fifth conference game with 25 or more chances from the line.
20+ Free Throw Attempts this Season
11/08/24 - Santa Clara (18-27)
11/14/24 - Grand Canyon (18-21)
11/17/24 - St. Thomas (MN) (18-26)
11/20/24 - Cal Poly (27-41)
11/28/24 - New Mexico (24-32)
12/03/24 - San Diego (22-35)
1/11/25 - Baylor (15-22)
1/14/25 - UCF (17-26)
1/28/25 - Colorado (19-26)
2/04/25 - Kansas State (14-21)
2/09/25 - Oklahoma State (22-26)
2/18/25 - Houston (19-26)
2/26/25 - BYU (19-26)
First Half:
Basheer Jihad got the Sun Devils on the board to start the game, trailing 3-2 to the Cougars. Amier Ali found his sweet spot from the jay and cashed one in to bring Arizona State's deficit within five. The Sun Devils trailed 17-11 to the Cougars heading into the first media timeout with 14:48 remaining in the half.
Basheer Jihad pulled one from way downtown and got it to go, giving the Sun Devils some life while trailing 21-17. Jihad kept his foot on the gas and rolled by the defender and got to the rack for an and-1 finish, leaving Arizona State trailing 25-20. Joson Sanon caught his defender slipping and splashed the jay, making it a three point game with 9:40 remaining. Freshman Trevor Best brought the energy on defense and picked up a steal and forced an offensive charge. The Sun Devils trailed 28-24 with 7:57 left on the clock.
The Cougars got hot from beyond the arc, knocking down back-to-back treyballs and forcing the Sun Devils into a timeout to regroup. Arizona State couldn't find an answer to BYU's offense, leaving ASU trailing 39-28 with just under four minutes left before halftime.
Trevor Best decided to pull the trigger and got it to rattle in from way downtown, to bring the Sun Devils deficit within eight. ASU headed into halftime trailing 47-37 to BYU, hoping to keep the red hot Cougars down in percentage from deep in the second half.
Second Half:
Adam Miller created enough space from his defender and knocked down an easy treyball, getting things rolling for the Sun Devils. Adam Miller continued to stay hot from beyond the arc, nailing another treyball to bring Arizona State's deficit within 13.
The Sun Devils continued to keep pace with the Cougars but could not manage to put together a scoring run. ASU heads into the media timeout trailing 67-53 with 11:21 remaining in regulation.
Arizona State cut the lead to as few as nine points, but were unable to reduce the Cougar lead any further.
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley
On Trevor Best's performance:
"He was a bright spot. He was in high school in December, got to us and hasn't had a lot of time to really adjust to being here and playing at this level. So that was certainly a bright spot."
On playing a ranked BYU team:
"We didn't have four starters in the game for a variety of reasons. When we played them the first time, it was our first league game. They had a really solid non-conference and they probably should have beat Ole Miss and they lost in overtime. Watching them, they looked a lot better on film. I saw a team that day that I thought would be an NCAA tournament type team and that's what they are. They are strong and they have really good shooting. They run good stuff and they're older."
On his message to fans:
"I thought it was a good crowd. They supported us and I'm glad that they did. We have to figure out how to play better here, but we're shorthanded in this game. There are several other games this year that we had no business losing here, so we have to own that. But we appreciate their support. We talked about us playing better on the road and neutral games, and how we can play better here. We just haven't solved that."
Redshirt Senior Guard Adam Miller
On continuing to play hard as a team:
"I was talking to my mom about it. At the end of the day, college sports are about winning. You get everything that you want when you win, but there's two sides to it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes you have years where it's up and down. Sometimes you have years where people get hurt and things on the team happen. We're not in the best spot, but like I told my teammates, we just need to stay as a team. This is a great opportunity. We're at Arizona State University. We're playing for a great team in the Big 12, and I've just been telling myself to go out there and have fun and let loose. By the time I was out there, it was fun playing with my teammates. I'll never get this time back so I'm just happy to be out there with my guys."
On dealing with the adversity the team has gone through:
"I think we're at a spot where everybody could do something better, myself included. There's a lot I could do better. There's three games left now, and we should have been saying this a little earlier…But it's never over until it's over. Big Ike was over there talking to us and I've been hearing this a lot, teams get hot. It can happen to anybody, and if you find yourself hot at the right time, anything can happen. So we're still in that boat and we're not going to give up.
Up Next
Sun Devil Men's Basketball heads to Salt Lake City to take on Utah on March 1st at 5:00 p.m. MST. Coverage can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP).
Sun Devils on Social
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program, follow our X/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilHoops), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilHoops/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com). Follow Coach Hurley on X (@BobbyHurley11).