Idaho State Bengals vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 5th 2024

Preview and Prediction

Following a devastating loss to Duke in an exhibition game last week, Arizona State's head coach Bobby Hurley declared that "all positions are up for grabs" as they prepare for their season opener against Idaho State in Tempe, Arizona.

During a press conference on Thursday, Hurley stated, "I believe that Jayden Quaintance, our 17-year-old freshman, has solidified his spot on the team. However, aside from that, I am still very open to different rotations. The next four practices will determine a lot."

Against Duke, Quaintance, a forward, was joined by senior wing BJ Freeman, senior guards Alston Mason and Adam Miller, and junior center Shawn Phillips Jr. in the starting lineup.

Quaintance put up 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 31 minutes of play during the 103-47 loss to Duke. Hurley himself was a standout player at Duke, winning two national championships and earning All-American honors as a guard from 1989-1993.

The rest of the starting lineup, consisting of Freeman, Mason, Miller, and Phillips, combined for 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

Unfortunately, Arizona State only managed to rack up 11 assists while committing 18 turnovers.

Hurley expressed his disappointment, saying, "When the game started to slip away, we didn't put up much of a fight. There was a lack of backbone and mental toughness to try and stop the bleeding."

Hurley has a record of 155-131 in his 10th season at Arizona State and an overall record of 197-151, including his two years at Buffalo before joining the Sun Devils.

Idaho State, led by head coach Ryan Looney, is entering their sixth season. Looney has a record of 53-97 with the Bengals.

Last season, Idaho State made it to the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament for the first time since 2009. However, eight players left the team through the transfer portal and their all-conference center, Brayden Parker, graduated.

To fill the gaps, Looney signed nine new scholarship players, seven of whom come from junior colleges, Division II programs, or NAIA schools. He also brought in two Division I transfers, including guard Dylan Darling from Washington State.

Looney spoke highly of Darling, saying, "He is probably the most talented point guard we have had during my time at Idaho State." Darling was granted a medical redshirt last season after starting four games as a freshman in 2022-2023.

PREDICTION

Idaho State Bengals

Arizona State Sun Devils

Idaho State Bengals vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Recap NOV 5TH 2024

Alston Mason's 14 points and Jayden Quaintance's six blocked shots led Arizona State to a 55-48 home victory on Tuesday night over Idaho State in Tempe, Ariz.

In the season opener for both teams, BJ Freeman finished with 12 points and Joson Sanon had 11 for the Sun Devils.

Idaho State was led by Isaiah Griffin's 12 points and seven rebounds.

Connor Hollenbeck and Jake O'Neil each had 10 points, while O'Neil also collected 11 rebounds.

Arizona State, able to overcome 14 turnovers, held on after allowing a 13-point lead in the second half slip away.

O'Neil had the opportunity to cut into the Sun Devils' 51-46 lead with two minutes left but missed the front end of a one-and-one situation.

Arizona State corralled offensive rebounds after missing a pair from 3-point range before Quainance was fouled with 1:01 left.

Quaintance made both free throws to increase the lead to 53-46.

Quaintance then blocked a shot before Hollenbeck grabbed the miss and was fouled by Solon.

Hollenbeck's two free throws cut the lead to 53-48 with 41 seconds left.

After Quaintance missed the front end of a one-and-one, Idaho State's Jaedyn Brown missed a 3-pointer.

Mason sealed the win with two free throws with 10 seconds left.

A layup by Freeman gave Arizona State its biggest lead at 39-26 with 13:48 left.

A 10-2 run by Idaho State cut the lead to 45-44 with 5:07 remaining.

The Sun Devils turned an 11-3 deficit with 16:17 left in the first half to a 29-16 lead almost 15 minutes later.

The hosts went on a 15-0 run to take the 29-16 lead with 1:29 remaining in the first half.

Mason began that stretch scoring the first eight points, which included two 3-pointers, and Freeman ended it with a layup and a 3-pointer.

The Bengals shot 25.4 percent (17-for-67) from the field in the game, including 14.3 percent (4-of-28) from 3-point range.

The Sun Devils made just 7 of their 24 3-point attempts (29.2 percent) and shot 36.4 percent (20-for-55) from the field.