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Duel in the Desert

The latest installment of the Duel in the Desert will be a Clash of the Contenders.

When the Arizona State Sun Devils and Arizona Wildcats meet Sunday night in Tempe in a backyard rivalry showdown, 14 th-ranked ASU will be aiming to vault into a first-place tie in the Pac-10 while the U of A will attempt to ascend to within a game of the conference lead.

The Sun Devils (20-5 overall, 9-4 Pac-10) are riding a four-game victory streak and trail league-leading Washington (19-7, 10-4) by just a half-game. The Wildcats (18-8, 8-5) have won seven straight and are closing in on securing the school’s 25 th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

“This is your crosstown rival,” Arizona junior swingman Chase Budinger said. “It’s a huge game.”

A packed house is anticipated for the 8 p.m. tip-off at Wells Fargo Arena, where the Arizona State faithful will welcome back Arizona interim head coach Russ Pennell, a Sun Devil assistant from 1998-2006 who worked last season as color commentator on the ASU radio network.

“I think the oddest part will be walking to the visitors dressing room,” said Pennell, who served on the staff of former ASU head coach Rob Evans for eight seasons. “I’m sure I’ll see some old friends who will smile at me and then will hold up signs that say, ‘Kill U of A.’ I understand their loyalty and where it lies, and I appreciate their well-wishes.”

Pennell, who was elevated from assistant coach to interim head coach at UA following Lute Olson’s sudden retirement in late October, and Herb Sendek, who is in his third season as head coach at ASU, exchanged compliments at their pre-game press conferences this week.

“The thing with Arizona State is Herb just does such a great job of not having them beat themselves,” Pennell said. “Come Sunday, we’re both going to want to kick each other’s tail. I understand that it’s Herb’s birthday. I don’t want him to get a birthday present at our expense. But I have great respect for Herb.”

“He has plenty of experience and knowledge,” Sendek, who will turn 46 on Sunday, said about Pennell, who is 48. “He’s been coaching a long time and he is the son of a coach, so he has been part of basketball for his entire life. He has done a great job with the Arizona team this year.”

The Wildcats have not lost since falling at home to Arizona State on Jan. 21. After the 53-47 setback to the Sun Devils dropped Arizona’s record to 11-8 overall and 2-5 in the Pac-10, the Wildcats posted a non-league overtime win over Houston and then have strung together consecutive conference victories over Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, Oregon, USC and UCLA.

“After beating the Washington schools (on Jan. 29 and Jan. 31), we realized we could beat any team in the conference,” Budinger said.

The Wildcats posted two huge wins at home last week, defeating USC 83-76 on Feb. 12 and coming back two days later to earn a decisive 84-72 triumph over UCLA.

Arizona State, meanwhile, also swept the Los Angeles schools last weekend. The Sun Devils topped the then league-leading Bruins 74-67 on Feb. 12 and defeated the Trojans 65-53 on Sunday, Feb. 15.

“Both of those teams are playing great,” UCLA head coach Ben Howland said this week about Arizona State and Arizona.

The Sun Devils and Wildcats’ matchup in Tucson on Jan. 21 was a defensive struggle, as ASU shot 28.6 percent from the field and the UA shot 29.8 percent.

“I don’t know if I remember a game where both teams shot that low a percentage,” Pennell said. “But I thought the defenses had a lot to do with that.”

“It was probably one of the ugliest games I’ve played in, as far as shooting and tempo,” said Budinger. “It was a very disappointing loss.”

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Sendek said that the low score from Jan. 21 does not necessarily signify that a similar type of contest should be expected on Sunday. “That was that game, that time,” the Arizona State coach said. “This time, both teams may score in the 80s. Every game seems to take on its own storyline, its own life. It has a new beginning and a new end.”

Both teams have exhibited plenty of offensive firepower recently.

Arizona junior point guard Nic Wise was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week after scoring 27 points in the victory over USC and 26 in last Saturday’s win over UCLA. With his 53-point output last week, Wise has increased his scoring average to 14.7 points per contest.

Budinger, who is averaging 18.0 points per game, finished with 25 against the Trojans and 17 versus UCLA last week. Junior forward/center Jordan Hill scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the UA against the Bruins and is averaging 18.2 points and a conference-leading 11.3 rebounds per contest.

Arizona State swingman James Harden leads the Pac-10 in scoring with an average of 21.3 points per game. The 6-5 sophomore finished with 15 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in the Sun Devils’ win last week over UCLA, and he added 13 points and five rebounds against USC.

Junior guard Derek Glasser led the Sun Devils with 18 points against USC after matching Harden for team-high honors with 15 against UCLA. Power forward Jeff Pendergraph finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in Arizona State’s win over UCLA and had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the victory over USC.

Pendergraph, a 6-9 senior, is averaging 13.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. His matchup against Arizona’s Hill figures to be one of the keys to Sunday’s game.

“I think you have two of the better post guys in the Pac-10,” Pennell said about Hill and Pendergraph. “I think there is really a great respect between Jordan and Jeff.”

By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer