ASU can't afford to sympathize with OSU Saturday

EUGENE, Ore. - One vision the Arizona State men’s basketball team would rather not revisit meets a present-day do-or-die reality as it closes out the regular season.

Loss to Oregon doesn't sit well with Sun Devils

There are possible NCAA tournament implications (again), as the Sun Devils need a win today in Corvallis to finish .500 in the Pac-10 heading into the conference tournament.

The league has feasted on Oregon State all season, a Beavers program which has been through a Rolodex of nightmares this season, on and off the court.
Yet, if any Sun Devils looked in the mirror today, the reflection might have worn orange and black.

While the Sun Devils never succumbed to near-fisticuffs between each team’s shootaround or challenged the opposition in a hotel parking lot — as a few Oregon State players did with Washington last month — when it comes to losing, few teams are as versed as ASU and Oregon State.

This time, it’s the Beavers who are in a 16-game tailspin, and though ASU played many more close games during its 15-game losing skid last season, the “horseshoes and hand grenades” theory quickly wore thin.

The Beavers don’t want to become the first team since the league expanded to 10 teams in 1978 to get shut out of the win column. The Sun Devils don’t want to be that one and only victim.

“It’s definitely tough going down that road,” ASU sophomore point guard Derek Glasser said. “They’re one team we’re not going to overlook.”

The Sun Devils (18-11, 8-9 Pac-10) can’t afford such a luxury. After losing to Oregon on Thursday, a loss to the Beavers would pummel an already precarious RPI (No. 72) and strength of schedule, and almost guarantee a spot in the National Invitation Tournament.

The NCAA tournament, however, is this team’s tunnel vision, a far cry from a year ago when ASU couldn’t buy a conference victory until the end of the season.

Frustration and daily misery piled up, and ASU senses Oregon State (6-23, 0-17) feels the same way, if not worse.

“You lose so many in a row and it’s like, ‘Are you serious? Do we suck that bad?

What’s going on?’ ” ASU forward Jeff Pendergraph said. “It’s a true test of a team to keep fighting and feel like this isn’t us, and we’re going to keep fighting and we’re going to get one.”

In deep retrospect, the experience was one of many gut-check times for the Sun Devils, a lesson on personal and collective adversity, and perhaps a little appreciation for what can be done one year later.

“Even though the record wasn’t good, in many ways the harvest was still productive,” ASU coach Herb Sendek said. “You can’t go through this journey or process in any year and not be left with some scars, some wounds and ups and downs, as well as the joyful moments.”

ASU seeks a few more chances to cheer. The Sun Devils may sympathize with OSU’s plight, but not today.

“They’re just playing. They’re like, ‘... We don’t care. We’re just going to go out there and have fun,’ ” Pendergraph said.

“You have to be ready for that and can’t expect a team that’ll lay down for you and expect you to beat them. They’re going to play you and you’re going to have to earn it on them.”

Arizona State at Oregon State

When: 3:30 p.m. today
Where: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Ore.
TV/Radio: FSN Arizona/KTAR (620 AM)
Records: Arizona State (18-11, 8-9 Pac-10); Oregon State (6-23, 0-17)
Outlook: Arizona State — A win alone may or may not be enough to reach the NCAA tournament, but outside winning the conference tournament championship next weekend, a loss would send the Sun Devils to the NIT. The Sun Devils defeated OSU 72-53 in early January at Wells Fargo Arena, as Jeff Pendergraph and James Harden combined for 42 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks.
Oregon State — Less than a week after playing Oregon close in the “Civil War,” the Beavers were trounced by 36 points at the hands of Arizona on Thursday for their 16th consecutive loss. Firing Jay John in the middle of the season and replacing him in the interim with assistant Kevin Mouton hasn’t mattered much. Oregon State used its 16th different starting lineup against the Wildcats, but looked disinterested most of the night. It was the fifth time this season the Beavers failed to score 50 points in a game.