Metro madness: GCU crosses town for ASU rematch

Thursday, Dec. 9 \| 7:30 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| Desert Financial Arena \| Tempe, Ariz.

	ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (3-6)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (8-1)

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The only player in the above photo who wants a repeat of last year's Grand Canyon-Arizona State result is now in Houston.

The GCU-ASU series' Thursday night shift to Tempe is not so much a rematch as it is a reshuffle. Only three Sun Devils who played in last year's 71-70 ASU win at GCU Arena are back for this 7:30 p.m. game at Desert Financial Arena, where ex-Sun Devils players Holland Woods and Taeshon Cherry (pictured at left) will be integral parts if the Lopes can make a metro marquee message.

At 8-1, GCU is having the best start of its nine-year Division I era but is also looking for the program's first victory against a Power 5 opponent. The Lopes never came closer than last season, when Jovan Blacksher Jr. and Alessandro Lever made back-to-back 3-pointers for a 70-68 lead before ASU's Remy Martin made a game-winning 3 with nine seconds remaining.

"It was heartbreaking," said GCU graduate forward Sean Miller-Moore (pictured), who combined with Blacksher for seven steals in last season's meeting. "Now, there's some build-up behind the game for sure and it's local. Holland and Taeshon are transfers from there so it's kind of becoming a rivalry, but we're still approaching it the same every day like it's a regular game."

That is hard to do with the Lopes garnering more attention after being the only Arizona team in last season's NCAA tournament and ranking No. 65 in NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) and No. 8 in rebound margin this season.

ASU is off to a 3-6 start with a made-over roster taking on a challenging nonconference slate in which GCU will be its sixth opponent that qualified for last season's NCAA tournament. The Sun Devils also have been going without sophomore forward Marcus Bagley, who is expected to miss his seventh consecutive game for injury on Thursday night. ASU was on a five-game losing streak since he went out until Sunday night, when it won 69-67 at Oregon.

"I think they played their best game of the year against Oregon," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "They looked really good on both ends. Offensively, they moved the ball and made shots. Defensively, they played with a lot of energy and put a lot of ball pressure on them.

"They have a lot of weapons and guys who can score. There are a lot of two-ways players who can score and put pressure on you defensively." Jovan Blacksher Jr.

As much as the Lopes love their unique home-court environment, this might be the rare road game that they look forward to experiencing. Last season's meeting was limited to 325 students at GCU Arena and the Lopes roster includes two ASU transfers and four Arizona high school products who appreciate the significance of the matchup, which had not occurred for 41 years until last season.

"I look forward to this one even though last year was at home," said Blacksher, a Phoenix Shadow Mountain High School graduate. "I would love it to be home, but it's still out here and I know our Havocs are going to be there supporting us. Even though we're at their place, we'll feel our support system so we'll feel good about that."

Until last season's COVID-19 protocols, ASU drew 10,140 fans per home game over the previous three seasons.

"I'm looking forward to it because I know it's going to be fun," said Miller-Moore, who played at ASU for Oregon State two seasons ago. "It's going to be kind of like our crowd. Our crowd is obviously better, but it's going to be rowdy for sure."

Taeshon Cherry

Drew expressed appreciation for Hurley to schedule the series, knowing there are other cities where one program will not recruit a crosstown nemesis. This one has the extra intrigue of Woods and Cherry moving from ASU to GCU, where they are combining to score 20 points per game.

Both expressed appreciation to Hurley for how he handled their decisions to transfer. Across town, Hurley hurled praise back at them and said Woods "was one of my favorite players that I've coached."

"For GCU to continue to be on the rise in the city, to beat a team that has been so great over the years and has so many good players, to beat that top dog in Phoenix would be amazing," Woods said.

In the big picture for the Lopes, the game kicks off their most difficult nonconference stretch. They also play undefeated San Francisco on Dec. 18 in the Jerry Colangelo Classic at Footprint Center, the Phoenix Suns' arena, and travel to Nevada for a Dec. 21 game.

It was at this time that the WAC champions learned their potential with a win against Nevada and the close call with ASU.

"It definitely let us know that we could play with some of the good ones," Blacksher said. "To get a win this time would mean a lot to the school."

Thursday, Dec. 9 | 7:30 p.m. (Phoenix time) | Desert Financial Arena | Tempe, Ariz.

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Players Mentioned

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

Taeshon Cherry

Alessandro Lever

Sean Miller-Moore

Grand Canyon University Athletics