By: Jake Gadon
With the last seconds of the Arizona State-UCLA game ticking away, it wasn’t just the block by Carrick Felix stopping a last second lay-up that made the crowd in Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, AZ go crazy - it was the stunning win that the team put up against a very good, but young UCLA team. After coming off a narrow OT victory against a non-threatening USC team last Thursday night, and the loss to a top-5 Arizona team the Saturday before, many speculated if this Sun Devil team was as good as advertised. Those critics were silenced on Saturday when the Sun Devil team came out to play.
According to sources, Carrick Felix, the senior forward on ASU and dominant team leader, was very upset with his team’s performance and his own performance these past two games and vowed to be more ready to come out and be competitive against the UCLA squad. Well, if 23 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks meant being ready, Carrick Felix was on his game. Right from the tip, Felix and freshman sensation Jahii Carson set the tone for the game and worked the offense to perfection. As the game rolled on, you could tell this wasn’t going to be a normal Arizona State basketball game; it was going to be something more. The reason for it was from the 7’2” center Jordan Bachnyski. Bachnyski, in his last two games, had looked soft and sluggish as if he had a hangover. But like Felix, Bachnyski stepped up his game big time with one of his best games this season. The junior had 22 points, 15 rebounds, 1 steal and 6 blocks, something we all knew that Bachnyski had in him, but never performed to expectations.
Junior guard Evan Gordon had a fantastic game with 12 points, 3 rebound and 2 steals. If he only didn’t give up 5 turnovers and go 2-7 from 3-point range, the junior guard would have a game like Felix or Bachnyski. Forward Jonathan Gilling chipped in 7 points and 12 rebounds, but also had a poor night from behind the arch. The Sun Devil bench seemed non-existent, as for all five starters played over 30 minutes. Guard Jahii Carson had a sub-par night on the stats sheet with 12 points and 8 assists, but played a pivotal role all game long by commanding the Sun Devil offense and really slowing down UCLA star: Shabazz Muhammad. The other freshman sensation in the Pac-12 had 18 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists against ASU and was really UCLA’s only offense all game along with Kyle Anderson (19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals). Overall, the Sun Devils shut down the Bruins by making them take outside shots and lose in the inside battle with rebounds and put-backs. One of the most interesting notes on this game was that if Carson had two more rebounds and Gilling had three more points, four out of five Arizona State starters would have recorded double-doubles.
What’s next for this ASU team? Well, being ranked 4th in the Pac-12 rankings and having there first big win under their belt; I can definitely see this Sun Devil team doing big things in conference play and make a push for a ticket to March Madness. Their next opponent is Washington State this Thursday in Washington and I believe they will take care of business and come back to Tempe with a win.
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