Herb Sendek’s surprising young No. 22 Arizona State Sun Devils (13-2, 3-0 Pac-10) take their nine-game win streak to Haas Pavilion (where they have won three straight) Thursday, 7:30 p.m., to take on the California Golden Bears (11-4, 2-2).
The Sun Devils’ No. 22 ranking is their first appearance in the top-25 since the 1994-95 season and, should they defeat Cal, they would have their first 10-game win streak since 1981.
Cal is looking to build momentum coming off a 69-59 victory at Oregon State. The Bears are 9-2 at Haas Pavilion this season.
Arizona State features the eighth-best scoring defense in the nation, a trait that Bears coach Ben Braun sees as a main issue for anyone going up against the Sun Devils.
“They (the Sun Devils) are a team that defends you well,” Braun said in a Cal release. “They play great zone defense, match-up zone, and they make it very difficult for you.”
And if some have been surprised at Arizona State’s 13-2 start to the season, Braun isn’t among them.
“They are a team that I saw coming on last year,” he said. “I know Herb Sendek, he’s a great coach, so I really feel that what they’ve done is not a surprise, it’s not a fluke.
“Our whole league is good. But they really have improved, and I thought their win over Arizona was a huge win for their program.”
Arizona State features one of the Pacific-10 Conference’s rising stars in 6-foot-9-inch junior forward Jeff Pendergraph, who in three Pac-10 games has missed a total of eight shots as he is 17-of-23 (.739) from the field and 15-of-17 (.882) from the foul line.
“Pendergraph has been more involved (this season). He’s doing a great job for his team,” Braun said.
The Sun Devils have five freshmen on their roster, including the Pac-10’s youngest player, James Harden, who turned 18 on Aug. 26. Harden leads the Sun Devils in scoring at 18.2 points per game, and is fourth in the Pac-10.
“They’ve really gotten a good performance from James Harden,” said Braun. “He’s given them a lot of offensive efficiency.”
The Battle for Los Angeles
The Pac-10-leading No. 4 UCLA Bruins (16-1, 4-0 Pac-10) will look to stake their claim to Los Angeles this Saturday, when they welcome rival Southern California (10-6, 1-3 Pac-10) into Pauley Pavilion at 12:30 p.m.
UCLA freshman phenom Kevin Love was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for his play in Bruin victories over Washington (69-55) and Washington State (81-74) last week.
Love managed just 11 points and seven rebounds against the Huskies, but was a major factor in the win over the Cougars, ringing up a season-high 27 points while pulling down 14 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. He shot 9-of-12 (.750) from the field and 2-of-3 (.667) from three-point range while adding four assists and two blocks in a win that put UCLA in firm control of the Pac-10 Championship race. For the week, Love shot 12-of-18 (.667) from the field, 3-of-5 (.600) from three-point range, 11-of-14 (.786) from the free throw line and averaged 19.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. This is the second Pac-10 Player of the Week honor for Love, a Lake Oswego, Ore., native.
The Trojans opened conference play with a three-game losing streak, but bounced back Saturday by defeating the Washington Huskies, 66-51, on the strength of 17 points from sophomore guard Dwight Lewis, who also added four rebounds, a steal and an assist. Freshman O.J. Mayo missed his first six field goal attempts, finally getting one to drop in the first minute of the second half, but still managed to finish with 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting while adding five assists, four rebounds and a steal.
The game will be broadcast regionally by CBS at 12:30 p.m.
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