👋 GOOD MORNING

Friday, Jan. 31, 2025 — Happy Friday! I hope you’re ready for a little in-state rivalry action, as the Wildcats and Sun Devils face off as members of the Big 12 for the first-ever time. I’ll dive a little bit deeper in to that matchup below (and don’t forget to sound off on who you think will win in the poll at the bottom of this email!), but I truly hope you enjoy tomorrow’s matinee!

Congrats to guard TyTy Washington Jr., who earned a spot in the NBA G League All-Star Game on Feb. 16. The Phoenix native has appeared in 22 games with the Valley Suns, and leads the team with 21 points per game on 49.7 percent shooting. He has notched four double-doubles this season.

If you’d like to tune in, the NBA League Up Next Game, presented by AT&T, is part of the NBA All-Star 2025 activities on Feb. 16. The game is at 1:30 pm MST on Tubi and the NBA App, and features a tournament style format with four teams.

Finally, if you need a joke to get you through to the weekend, here you go: I was at the park wondering why the frisbee was getting bigger. Then, it hit me.

Let’s run it back next week. On to the show!

Sun Devils, Wildcats Meet in Critical Big 12 Game

This one means a lot — but you already know that.

The stakes are high for both the ASU and Arizona men’s basketball teams, albeit for very different reasons. the Sun Devils are looking to climb back into the race for an NCAA Tournament berth, and have little room for error. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are battling for the top spot in the conference, and a win would maintain their spot just one game behind No. 6 Houston in the Big 12, or even tie them if the Cougars lose to Texas Tech tomorrow afternoon.

What does the path to victory look like for both teams, and what would a win or loss mean? Let’s dive in.

How Arizona Can Win, and What It Will Mean

The Wildcats are riding high following a signature win at home over No. 3 Iowa State on Monday, emerging victorious, in large part, because of Caleb Love’s game-tying shot from beyond half court as time expired. Love took the game over from there, willing Arizona to a huge Big 12 win, toppling one of the conference’s most dominant teams.

The result shouldn’t have surprised anyone. UA’s overall record may appear fairly run-of-the-mill at 14-6, but the Wildcats are 8-1 in the Big 12 and have won 10 of their last 11 games. They have defeated the last four ranked opponents they have faced, and had the season not started with a gauntlet that included matchups against Duke, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, West Virginia and UCLA, they would likely be nationally ranked right now.

Keys to victory: Caleb Love needs to come through the way he did in the waning moments of the win against ISU. The senior guard managed just 11 points against the Cyclones in the first 39:59, but buried the 3-pointer to tie it as time expired, and then accounted for eight of the Wildcats’ 15 overtime points.

What a time to turn it up!

UA will need Love to be on his game earlier in this one — he has notched under 10 points in four of the Wildcats’ six losses this season.

What a win would mean: It’s hard to predict if Arizona would finally climb back into the top-25 with a win, but you’d have to like their odds considering the triumph over ISU earlier this week. The Wildcats received 47 votes in the most recent AP poll — taken before Monday’s win — but have their sights set on a bigger prize: The Big 12. There’s a huge matchup against the league-leading Cougars in Tucson on Feb. 15, but they face another ranked foe before that: No. 22 Texas Tech on Feb. 8, who won the first meeting in Lubbock earlier this season.

How the Sun Devils Can Win, and What It Will Mean

Arizona State is in a tough spot. A slow start to the Big 12 season puts them 12th in the 16-team conference, but the Sun Devils earned a critical road win at Colorado on Tuesday, despite playing without 17-year-old phenom Jayden Quaintance. Senior guard Adam Miller has stepped up recently, and was the leading scorer in their last two games: A loss to No. 3 Iowa State, and the win over the Buffaloes.

ASU could really use a return from Quaintance, who missed the game against Colorado after rolling his ankle last week. The Sun Devils won without him in the lineup after junior center Shawn Phillips Jr. filled in admirably, but the Buffaloes are (still) winless in the Big 12, and Quaintance’s 31.4 minutes, 10.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and three blocked shots per game will be tough to replace against the second-place Wildcats.

Keys to victory: Aside from health, this one comes down to keeping pace with Arizona, and then doing what it hasn’t yet shown the ability to do this season — close out games against quality opponents. The 76-61 loss to Iowa State was much closer than the final score appeared, as Arizona State led by seven at the half, and also owned a 58-57 lead with 5:38 to play in the game. The Cyclones took over from there though, taking over the game’s final five minutes.

That has been a common theme this season for the young ASU team. The Sun Devils lost a close one to then-No. 6 Gonzaga (tied 71-71 with 5:21 left), led then-No. 11 Kansas early in the second half (42-40 with 16:48 to play before losing by 19), were outscored 11-5 in overtime against Baylor and led UCF 80-79 with 5:16 remaining (95-89 loss).

That finishing touch was on display in Morgantown in a 65-57 win over then-No. 23 West Virginia, and the Sun Devils need to channel that energy to top their in-state rival.

What a win would mean: There’s still plenty of hope for an appearance at the NCAA Tournament, but realistically ASU needs to win at least seven of its remaining 11 games — maybe more — to get a look from the committee. A win over a quality opponent such as the Wildcats would go a long way in doing just that.

Who Needs The Win More?

No question, it’s ASU. A loss would bruise the ego of Wildcats faithful, but they’re well on their way to the Big Dance in March, regardless of tomorrow’s outcome. The Sun Devils, though, are on borrowed time in the Big 12, and though there’s still time to right the proverbial ship, they’ll officially be halfway through their conference slate at the conclusion of Saturday’s game.

That said, a loss would damage (but not destroy) Arizona’s Big 12 championship aspirations, so it’s just as meaningful to the Wildcats.

Don’t forget about bragging rights, which the winner will have until the two meet once more, in Tucson, on March 4.

There may be even more at stake then.

Full PHNX Sun Devils Coverage
Full PHNX Wildcats Coverage

🧢 TIP OF THE HAT BY BRANDED BILLS

One of the greatest to ever put on the pads. Congrats, Flower!