UC Irvine coach Murphy:
“Honestly, if I were just a casual fan in Las Vegas, this is a game that I personally would buy a ticket for,” Northern Arizona coach Jack Murphy said of the Kansas State contest.
Along with UC Irvine coach Russell Turner, Murphy has played both the Sun Devils and Wildcats this season.
“Both teams, for the most part, are led by their guards," Murphy continued, "and I think it’s very intriguing to see what Holder and Shannon Evans and the ASU guards can do against the really stout defensive guards of K-State. It’s a really good matchup.”
“Arizona State played at a really great level against us, and we weren’t able to really make it that much of a game,” Turner said. “We did come back in the second half, but I don’t think we ever threatened them, and that was a credit to their senior guards. But I think that will be hard for them to replicate against Kansas State because Kansas State is excellent defensively.”
Are the Sun Devils legit NCAA Tournament contenders? They look the part. Senior guard Tra Holder – the Pac-12 Player of the Week – has been outstanding. Senior guard Shannon Evans has been equal parts play-maker and scorer. And redshirt-freshman forward Romello White has been as advertised, strong in the post.