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    • 5 things we learned from Arizona State’s lopsided loss to Duke.
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    5 things we learned from Arizona State’s lopsided loss to Duke.

    Harry Posted on

    This wasn’t just a homecoming for Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley. In a way, it was for his big man, Jayden Quaintance.

    The Sun Devils play Sunday night at famed Cameron Indoor Stadium against No. 1, where Hurley played nearly three decades ago and contributed to two national championships. 7 Played in an exhibition game against Duke.

    Quaintance also has connections to the region. Although he is from Ohio, he played his senior year of high school basketball at Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    It wasn’t a happy homecoming for the visitors, as Duke advanced 103-47 from start to finish.

    Hurley’s return was one story, but Quaintance was part of the other. He is the highest-ranked recruit ASU has landed in the modern recruiting era and shares the same mention as Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 prospect nationally by 247Sports and ESPN.

    Both were surpassed by five-star freshman Kon Knueppel, ranked No. 16 in the 247Sports rankings, who led Duke with 19 points in 21 minutes. Caleb Foster added 17 points.

    Our takeaways from the game:

    Work continues on the team

    A team with nine new players can’t develop overnight, and that can be even more evident when you start so early in an elite program. The offense lacked fluidity and there was too much one-on-one play. ASU had just 11 assists and had trouble putting the ball in the basket, but Duke had good size and made that difficult to do. He had 18 turnovers and Duke finished the game with a 26-2 advantage in turnovers.

    Shooting issues were a problem

    ASU shot just 28.1% (16-for-57). ASU hit just six of 24 attempts from long range. Attacking and scoring were the team’s biggest problems a year ago, and with the addition of so many new players, that continues to be a problem.

    Quaintance looked good

    Hurley praised the 17-year-old freshman, saying he “looks like he belongs” despite being one of the youngest players in college basketball and taking the court against an elite program. His 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and steals were a good start. Hurley admitted the five-star prospect was “not perfect,” but it was a good start and Quaintance was unfazed by the competition.

    Defense was not good

    When the offense struggled last year, the only thing ASU could hang its hat on was defense. Duke shot 53.5% (38-for-71) and had 17 fast break points. The Blue Devils started the second half by making 14 of 20 three-point shots, and scored 38 points in the painted area, causing ASU to offer little resistance. ASU got just two points off turnovers, another category in which it traditionally performs well.

    Free throw could be better

    This was another area that was a problem for ASU last year, going 9-for-11. Granted most of those are singles — Basheer Jihad went 6-for-7 — but ASU can’t afford to struggle at the line if it’s going to win games in the more competitive Big 12.

    he said

    Some lines from Bobby Hurley after the loss

    “I’ve been around long enough to know that what just happened has happened before and it could happen to me. I was quietly worried because I don’t think we were as impressive as I thought we should have been in our shutout, and this was against a smaller opponent.”

    “I wasn’t experimenting tonight and this just happened to us. No, we got our asses kicked. Hats off to where they were and ‘ah (expletive)’ hats off to where we were.”

    “The best part about this is that my grandson will not remember this match. Thank God he is only three months old. This was his first match, I hope there will be better days.”

    “Sometimes it’s better to be on your own. That’s why I was so anxious about coming back here.”

    “Let me get out of here before they throw another bucket.” (leaving the media room)

    ASU will open the regular season against Idaho State on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at Desert Financial Arena.

    Harry
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