The Arizona State men's basketball team discovered resiliency in Maui and a lot of ways to score at home. Yet, a long to-do list is incomplete, mostly because of things unknown.
There's more to discover on a path that takes the Sun Devils to Nebraska today in the Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series.
The Cornhuskers, coached by former ASU assistant Doc Sadler, don't have the basketball tradition possessed by Illinois or even Louisiana State. The Sun Devils lost to the Illini and came back to beat LSU at the Maui Invitational.
An undersized ASU lineup faces a test from strong big man, Nebraska center Aleks Maric, in the first true road game for the freshmen-dominated Sun Devils, who will play for the first time on an opposing team's floor. After it's over, Maui's neutral court in Lahaina might look like a day at the beach.
"Yeah, this will be a great test," said ASU's Jeff Pendergraph, a junior who was recruited by former ASU assistant Tony Benford, now a Nebraska assistant.
Victories over LSU and Princeton after a sobering season-opening loss to Illinois in Maui indicate the Sun Devils are resilient. They have enough on the perimeter, which mostly means they have freshman James Harden, their leading scorer. The Sun Devils won their past two games by wide margins, and they have proved they can score. But can they rebound?
That's the biggest question as they move closer to next month's start of the Pac-10 season.
ASU is outrebounding opponents, 34.8 to 29.6, but they routed two teams last week, Cal Poly and Florida Gulf Coast, that don't have anybody who resembles Maric, a 6-foot-11 senior from Australia who some project to be a first-round NBA draft pick.
"He's a special player," ASU coach Herb Sendek said. "He's very strong and skilled."
Over the final eight games last year Maric had two of the top seven scoring performances in Nebraska history. Against Kansas State he had 41 points, one point shy of Eric Piatkowski's Nebraska record. Going into today's game, his averages are just short of a double-double - 16.6 points and 9.2 rebounds. Pendergraph is averaging 11.4 points and 6.2 rebounds.
It's an intriguing matchup, mostly because Pendergraph and Maric are considered emerging stars. For Pendergraph, the biggest question might rest on the bench: Can he get any backup help?
It looks as if center Eric Boateng, a sophomore transfer from Duke, needs some development time. He started alongside Pendergraph against Illinois but now is his backup.
If Boateng emerges, it could be a seasonlong process.
"Yeah, I think so," said Sendek, who also might turn to 6-8 freshman forward Kraidon Woods for some early-season help.
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ASU update: The Sun Devils (4-1) have won four in a row since a season-opening loss to Illinois. They won their last two against Cal Poly and Florida Gulf Coast, both at Wells Fargo Arena, by an average of 33 points. This is ASU's first game on an opposing team's home floor. The Sun Devils are 2-1 on a neutral court. G/F James Harden, a freshman, is the leading scorer (17.6 ppg) on 51.8 percent shooting. F/C Jeff Pendergraph is the leading rebounder (6.2 rpg).
Nebraska update: The Cornhuskers (4-1) are 1-1 over the past two, suffering their only loss to Creighton. Their wins are against Indiana-Purdue/Fort Wayne, Presbyterian, Alabama A&M and Norfolk State. They are 4-0 at home. C Aleks Maric, a 6-foot-11 senior, leads in scoring (16.6) and rebounding (9.2).
There's more to discover on a path that takes the Sun Devils to Nebraska today in the Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series.
The Cornhuskers, coached by former ASU assistant Doc Sadler, don't have the basketball tradition possessed by Illinois or even Louisiana State. The Sun Devils lost to the Illini and came back to beat LSU at the Maui Invitational.
An undersized ASU lineup faces a test from strong big man, Nebraska center Aleks Maric, in the first true road game for the freshmen-dominated Sun Devils, who will play for the first time on an opposing team's floor. After it's over, Maui's neutral court in Lahaina might look like a day at the beach.
"Yeah, this will be a great test," said ASU's Jeff Pendergraph, a junior who was recruited by former ASU assistant Tony Benford, now a Nebraska assistant.
Victories over LSU and Princeton after a sobering season-opening loss to Illinois in Maui indicate the Sun Devils are resilient. They have enough on the perimeter, which mostly means they have freshman James Harden, their leading scorer. The Sun Devils won their past two games by wide margins, and they have proved they can score. But can they rebound?
That's the biggest question as they move closer to next month's start of the Pac-10 season.
ASU is outrebounding opponents, 34.8 to 29.6, but they routed two teams last week, Cal Poly and Florida Gulf Coast, that don't have anybody who resembles Maric, a 6-foot-11 senior from Australia who some project to be a first-round NBA draft pick.
"He's a special player," ASU coach Herb Sendek said. "He's very strong and skilled."
Over the final eight games last year Maric had two of the top seven scoring performances in Nebraska history. Against Kansas State he had 41 points, one point shy of Eric Piatkowski's Nebraska record. Going into today's game, his averages are just short of a double-double - 16.6 points and 9.2 rebounds. Pendergraph is averaging 11.4 points and 6.2 rebounds.
It's an intriguing matchup, mostly because Pendergraph and Maric are considered emerging stars. For Pendergraph, the biggest question might rest on the bench: Can he get any backup help?
It looks as if center Eric Boateng, a sophomore transfer from Duke, needs some development time. He started alongside Pendergraph against Illinois but now is his backup.
If Boateng emerges, it could be a seasonlong process.
"Yeah, I think so," said Sendek, who also might turn to 6-8 freshman forward Kraidon Woods for some early-season help.
=======
ASU update: The Sun Devils (4-1) have won four in a row since a season-opening loss to Illinois. They won their last two against Cal Poly and Florida Gulf Coast, both at Wells Fargo Arena, by an average of 33 points. This is ASU's first game on an opposing team's home floor. The Sun Devils are 2-1 on a neutral court. G/F James Harden, a freshman, is the leading scorer (17.6 ppg) on 51.8 percent shooting. F/C Jeff Pendergraph is the leading rebounder (6.2 rpg).
Nebraska update: The Cornhuskers (4-1) are 1-1 over the past two, suffering their only loss to Creighton. Their wins are against Indiana-Purdue/Fort Wayne, Presbyterian, Alabama A&M and Norfolk State. They are 4-0 at home. C Aleks Maric, a 6-foot-11 senior, leads in scoring (16.6) and rebounding (9.2).
