Arizona State misses big opportunity in loss to Iowa State: 3 takeaways

The Arizona State men's basketball team was right there.

After battling the No. 3 team in the nation for 35 minutes, the Sun Devils led Iowa State 58-57 with 5:23 left in the game.

Then it all fell apart.

Iowa State (17-2, 7-1) ended the game on a 19-3 run to secure a 76-61 victory over Arizona State (11-8, 2-6) on Saturday at Desert Finanical Arena. ISU guard Curtis Jones led all scorers with 33 points. Adam Miller was the only ASU player in double figures with 13 points.

Jayden Quaintance Hurt

Arizona State's late-game meltdown coincided with 5-star freshman forward Jayden Quaintance fouling out with 4:21 to play and ASU trailing 62-58. Quaintance battled foul trouble all game and finished with just 9 points, 2 rebounds and no blocked shots in 17 minutes.

Quaintance came into the game averaging 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks. Thanks in part to his 7-foot-3 wingspan, Quaintance is tied for second in the nation in blocks per game.

After the game, ASU coach Bobby Hurley revealed that Quaintance injured his ankle in practice on Thursday and was playing injured.

"He just 'manned up' and played," Hurley said. "He just didn't have the same explosiveness that he normally would have. ... That kid is a warrior and he wants to play."

Joson Sanon Returns

Arizona State's other 5-star freshman, shooting guard Joson Sanon, played his first game in two weeks and finished with 8 points and 3 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.

Sanon was 3-of-6 from the field (2-of-3 from downtown) and also had a steal and a blocked shot. He fouled out with 1:06 to play.

A projected first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Sanon was averaging a team-leading 13.5 points when he went down with a high ankle sprain in ASU's Big 12-opening loss at BYU on New Year's eve.

Missed Quad 1 Opportunity

A win over Iowa State would have vaulted Arizona State into the top 50 of the NCAA NET Rankings — and into the thick of the NCAA tournament picture.

Instead, the Sun Devils fell to 2-7 in Quadrant 1 games and their March Madness hopes took another hit. A Quad 1 win is a home win over a top 30 team in the NET, or a road victory over a top 50 team in the NET. Iowa State is ranked No. 5 in the NET.

Arizona State came into the game ranked No. 56 in the NET and listed among the "Next four out" in ESPN's latest NCAA tournament Bracketology projection. To get into the tournament, the Sun Devils will need to pick up at least four more Quad 1 wins.

Since the Big 12 has nine teams in the top 50 of the NET, ASU will have several more opportunities to play its way into the postseason mix — starting with next Saturday's home game vs. rival Arizona.