As March Madness kicked off with the first four play-in games, Bulls fans watched Arizona State versus St. John’s intently Tuesday night. The winner of the play-in game would be the No.11 seed and have to face the No.6 seed Bulls. Arizona State beat St. John’s 74-65 which will punch their ticket to Tulsa, Oklahoma to play the Bulls. This game is much more than the first round of madness though, and here’s why:
The History:
In 2013, Bobby Hurley was named the head coach for the Bulls after coaching two seasons with his brother at Rhode Island. Hurley would lead the Bulls to their first NCAA March Madness appearance in the 2014-2015 season where they would lose to West Virginia. After leading the Bulls to their first March Madness appearance, Hurley received an offer from Arizona State and left Buffalo in the dust. Except he did leave one thing behind: Nate Oats.
Oats was hired by Hurley as an assistant coach when he got the Buffalo job and Oats got the position as interim head coach soon after Hurley left for Arizona State. The rest is history for Bulls fans. Oats helped take the Bulls program to the next level in 2017-2018 when they won the MAC and upset No.4 seed Arizona in the first round of March Madness. Oats continued to improve the program’s status in the current season by setting multiple school and conference records:
- 31 Wins (T-Most in the country, MAC and school record)
- Won MAC for the fourth time in five years (MAC and school record).
- No.6 seed in the NCAA tournament (MAC and school record).
While all that was happening, Hurley hasn’t accomplished much at Arizona State. Despite being the best team in the PAC-12 in the 2017-18 season, Arizona State lost in the first round of the PAC-12 tournament. They would then get bounced out of the NCAA tournament after losing to Syracuse in the "first four." Arizona State managed to win their "first four" game this year, but it was a sloppy performance against St. John’s who played a bad game themselves. The two teams combined for 37 turnovers.
The Matchup:
Despite some sloppy play by Arizona State, they have a lot of talent and Hurley is a good coach. Arizona State’s guards, Remy Martin and Luguentz Dort are both good for their own reasons. Martin is a great shooter and Dort is very athletic. If those guards get hot, it could be a bad night for the Bulls. Not to mention, Arizona State has another athletic forward in 6’7 forward Zylan Cheatham.
Despite these good players, the Bulls shouldn’t be worried. The Bulls have the prototype players to defend these guards. Martin is a good shooter, but I’d expect Bulls starting point guard, Davonta Jordan, to be pressed on him tight all night. Dort’s athleticism is scary too, but between 2x MAC defensive player of the year, Dontay Caruthers, and sophomore, Jayvon Graves, and his athleticism, I don’t think Dort will be a problem for the Bulls. Cheatham posses a threat, but between 6’10 senior, Montell McRae, and one of the best centers in the country, Nick Perkins, I don’t think Cheatham will have an easy day in the paint.
Another advantage the Bulls have: Maturity. The Bulls have five seniors who helped upset No.4 seed Arizona last year and these seniors are ready to play a lot of minutes against a young Arizona State team. The Bulls also have junior, Donvanta Jordan, and sophomore, Jayvon Graves, who played significant minutes against No.4 seed Arizona last year.
The Bulls have more than an advantage in talent and maturity though, they also have rest. While Hurley and Arizona State were worried about St. John’s in Ohio early this week, the Bulls were getting acquainted in Tulsa and no doubt the team was watching film on both Arizona State and St. John’s. With Oats and the Bulls now knowing who they play, they have all of tomorrow to watch more film and rest. Meanwhile, Hurley will be tasked with getting the team to Tulsa, resting and scouting.
The Bulls have all of the advantages for this game, but they can't take Arizona State for granted. This is a talented team that can get hot and ruin your season with a big run or two. Despite Buffalo’s lack of love for Hurley, he is a good coach who could pull off a big win like this. Also, let’s not forget, this is March, and anything can happen...
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