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The only podcast covering all things Arizona State athletics! We bleed maroon and gold, and love talking about the Sun Devils no matter what sport.
Tom Hardon (00:01)
Welcome in Sun Devil fans to a holiday Monday edition of Echo from the Buttes. I'm your host Tom Harden with me is my excellent panel of Andrew Hazlett, Austin Bundy and I have Dean and we have reached the end of the transfer portal. Of course there there are no extenuating circumstances that could arise for certain players, but by and large the portal is now closed and.
Arizona State is coming off on the better end of the portal. 24-7 sports ranks ASU is having a top 15 incoming transfer portal class and looking at some of these names up and down the list, three fourth star incoming transfers, filling in a ton of positional needs. Andrew, I'm gonna start with you.
Is there any stone that was left unturned by Coach Kenny Dillingham and the rest of the staff when it comes to getting players out of the portal?
Andrew Hayslett (01:06)
I don't think so. At the beginning of this portal I mentioned, they need pretty much every position in the book besides really tight end. And they got players to fill all those positions. All the way down from punter to long snapper, defensive backs, linebackers, everything.
So I'm more than satisfied with the return in the portal, I would say. I would give it an A grade.
Tom Hardon (01:41)
Now Austin, not only is this class top 15 in the nation, but it's ranked the third best in the Big 12. Does this set the Sun Devils up for contending for a chance at the Big 12 Championship game in 2026?
Austen Bundy (01:59)
They're certainly on the right track. mean, considering that ASU landed a bunch of guys who were graded 85 or higher in the portal here, according to On3. I'm looking at a lot of the most recent guys coming in. mean, there's hardly any of these guys rated lower than 80 coming in. There's a few 90s in here, too. And it's like it's incredible what Kenny and the staff has been able to do this portal cycle. mean, we were all kind of in awe what Kenny did within the first two years of his cycle.
of his tenure in the portal cycles, bringing in lot of staffs that ended up, or lot of players that resulted in the 24 conference title going to the college football playoff. Having a roster that was competing for it down to the final couple of weeks of the season just this past year, he's somehow figured out how to top himself again. And I think that's going to be very exciting for Sun Devil fans going into spring ball, seeing what a lot of these guys really have.
And I think the thing that I am most excited about seeing these guys come in, especially a lot of these that are freshmen, redshirt freshmen, the amount of depth ASU is going to have, especially considering this past season was always a next man up mentality when the injury bug came through and absolutely ravaged the roster. That's going to be something that's going to give us all a peace of mind going into next season, knowing that if we do get hit with that injury bug again, there's a lot of promise in these freshmen and these redshirt freshmen coming in that are rated very highly. That can very much, very well fill out the depth.
Potentially compete for some of starting jobs or very well be the guys that are subbed in and out in the second half when you need ⁓ To give guys a breather and still put on pressure on defense Or be able to relieve an offensive lineman who maybe gets nicked up somehow somewhere down the road It's very exciting for Sun Devils fans looking at this
Tom Hardon (03:44)
I am going to kick this one to you. Two quarterbacks coming in out of the portal, plus Cam Dyer already on the roster, plus Jake Fetty coming in as a freshman. Do you think that this is, what do you see out of this quarterback room and quarterback competition, starting with Spring Ball?
Aya Abdeen (03:47)
you
⁓
What I see is there's gonna be a lot of questions heading into which ⁓ Starting which quarterback will be the starter for this Sun Devils team for sure in which it was a lot to to find a gap Left by Sam Levitt who is now with the LSU Tigers especially after being one of the one of the keys in the Sun Devils big 12 championship run and I mean it was I mean respect to Sam Levitt for it
his contributions as the Sun Devils and he was appreciate, he was thankful for his time as the Sun Devil as well. But it comes down to experience. I think, I think Bowley could have a chance to prove to Kenny Dilliam, who was also familiar with him, like when back in like in high school days for sure, which is like, you know, pretty interesting, but it's going to be a lot of competition on who will be the starting quarterback.
I didn't Jake Fetty who was like an incoming freshman. So I'm like pretty fascinated to see how it all works out for sure.
Austen Bundy (05:08)
not forget Mikey Keene either is a Chandler boy coming in as a quite a few years of experience under his. Yeah under his belt he came in with BASU out during Kenny's freshman Kenny's first year with Fresno State now he spent a couple seasons up in ⁓ Ann Arbor under that under that program so I he's got a lot of good experience under his belt I wouldn't count out Mikey Keene to threaten for the starting job next year either.
Aya Abdeen (05:12)
I forgot about that!
yeah!
100 % I apologize if I messed up a little bit.
Tom Hardon (05:35)
Not to dwell on the past, but if we're, you you kind of can't help but look at the Sam Levitz saga. We already talked about the closing of the door from the Arizona State side, but I got a little bit of a, you know, piqued my interest when I saw that LSU brought in a four-star quarterback out of USC in Husson Longstreet. Do you think that Sam might be?
getting a little bit of buyer's remorse out of that move. I want to go around the room and get everybody's on that. Austin, we'll start with you. It like you were pondering that.
Aya Abdeen (06:08)
Good question.
Austen Bundy (06:15)
I don't think he's going to have Byers remorse. Levitt's a competitor. He's going to go in there with all the confidence in the world that he'll earn the starting job. ⁓ I would not put it outside the realm of possibility that Lane Kiffin will have a quicker trigger finger, say that five times fast, ⁓ on maybe yanking Levitt at some point in the season if he does not play up to standard. I mean, I think Kenny had a lot of belief in Sam no matter how he was playing here.
⁓ Especially because I mean, yeah, you had Jeff Simms back there, but Levitt was also miles ahead of Sam ahead of Sims in potential now going to an SEC program where if you are the starter, you are expected to deliver win after win. If you're not playing up to that SEC standard, I would not be surprised to see Lane Kiffin ⁓ yank him off stage in order for somebody who may be in practice has shown just and just enough.
of potential keeping up with Sam, but Sam edging him out just with the experience level and the type of recruiting that went into him, frankly. You want to get your money's worth out of that. So I would not be surprised to see Sam be the starter, but to also have a short-ish leash going into next season with Lane Kiffin at the helm.
Tom Hardon (07:34)
I know what's your thoughts ⁓ on that situation.
Aya Abdeen (07:39)
I second out on Austin as well. But like, mean, it comes, like what I said, it comes down to experience, but it's going to be pretty interesting to see how.
how Sam could fit in Lane Kiffin's like knowing what you have brought up about this quarterback who could be a potential starter for the Tigers as well. But overall, I wish Sam the best as well and respect for him for his hell of a career as a Sun Devil so far.
Tom Hardon (08:11)
Andrew, ahead and close the book on the post-SAM and ⁓ post-SAM speculation with LSU.
Andrew Hayslett (08:19)
Yeah, it's like Austin and I have said, it's his to lose and if he does what he is capable of, he won't lose it. But ⁓ Kiffin and the staff at LSU will have to tap into it, run the system that ⁓ Levit can excel in and if they can do that, they'll have a great season. If not, they'll struggle.
Tom Hardon (08:45)
So with all the moves that Arizona State has made in the portal period, are there any holes that you see that are left to be filled as any weak spots that you think might be exploited by opponents during the season? Andrew, go ahead and take the first crack at that.
Andrew Hayslett (09:05)
It's too early to tell for me. I know you probably want, yes there is, no there isn't, but I don't know yet. There's just so many guys coming in, a lot of, okay you could work out, but we are not sure, let's wait and see. Come Spring Ball, I'll have an answer for you, but at this point there's so much...
volatility with bringing in transfers losing so many of your top guys like CJ Fight or not he's staying but other defensive guys like Keith Abney that's your cornerback one wasn't about devoted as an all-american by some and then you go on the offensive side you're losing Tyson you're losing Levitt you're losing a lot of your offensive line
There's a lot of potential for holes, but that's the transfer force to have those holes not, or to fill those holes and have them not be exposed. But you don't see that until spring ball or even really the first game of the season. So.
Tom Hardon (10:26)
Myleson, your thoughts on any potential areas of opportunity, we should say?
Austen Bundy (10:32)
I mean, I think Andrew hit it well on the head there that it's a little early to make that decision considering like you can say, there was not a lot of this position that came in through the portal. But if you go and look at the roster, there might be guys who are already here that average out that number a little bit, or even if you were to go to the recruiting trail and look at some of the guys that committed, ⁓ I think this is going to be one of those situations where.
They did what they could in the transfer portal, which was already, I think, overachieving. We're going to go into spring ball and see now when you combine everybody, the guys who stayed, the guys who were coming in from the portal, true freshmen coming in from high school. Everybody's going to be competing. Everybody's going to be trying to earn their spots and prove that they're worth exactly what the coaches saw in them and more. ⁓
I don't think we're going to be able to tell whether or not there are holes until maybe an injury or two comes up, whether that's in spring ball or if that's in the first couple of weeks of the season. It's going to be a question of depth and sustainability. Do they have the depth based on the numbers? I think so. I think it's a pretty healthy number that they've got of guys at each position. It's going to come down to sustainability and that's going to be the quality of player you brought in from the portal. It's going to be the quality of player that you're coaching up that has been there already and the quality of players you're bringing in.
⁓ from high school that are going to be waiting their turn and earning their way onto the roster. We're not going to know exactly what the sustainability of this roster is until it gets tested. And we're probably not going to have any those true tests until you get past the first couple weeks of the season when fatigue starts to set in, conference play begins. ⁓ I don't think there's really a way to evaluate that until you actually get into the season. You can talk about how like
how great and solid the roster is going in. But we don't actually know how solid the roster is until they actually like these guys step out on the field and prove it, you know? So I feel confident that they have filled what they needed to fill. And at this point, it's just coaching and health.
Tom Hardon (12:42)
I wrap us up, ⁓ anything that you see as an opportunity or wait to see until spring practice starts to see where the areas can be improved.
Aya Abdeen (12:53)
So I agree with what both of you, Austin and Andrew, has pointed out about the Sun Devil roster and like the needs, but it's gonna come down to who will stay healthy and who will thrive, who will be put to succeed in that position.
in this upcoming season. So it's going to be really interesting to see how the spring training will all turn out for them as well as they could start formulated tea chemistry along with the new incoming players from the portal and especially true freshmen and the coaching. So I'm just pretty fascinated to see how it all turn out. And the Sun Devil fans will look forward to it, especially after how they've been so aggressive in the portal as well.
Andrew Hayslett (13:36)
Yeah, to kind of just further this point, I want to take a look at this to see what our last season's running backs is coming into it. ⁓ everyone said, ⁓ Kanye Udo is going to be the guy as soon as he is. got him. But kind of as spring ball developed and fall developed, it was, Kyson Brown is going to be able to to fight for that number one spot.
And then the first game we saw a lot of Kyson Brown out on the field with a little bit of Relique and Relique Brown and Kanyuudo and then Kyson went down and it was Relique Brown and after that Mississippi State game Kanyuudo didn't see much playing time at all. it's perception of things change over time.
That's just kind of, want to, that's how I would put a bow on this conversation.
Tom Hardon (14:38)
Yeah, the team looks great on paper, but we'll see how everything starts to work itself out during the spring practices and into the summer camp. But I, for one, am really excited to see how these position battles start to work out and who takes that step up and really shows themselves as the position number one of the 2026 season.
I'm really excited to see that. We're going to pivot over to ⁓ basketball here. And the Hallmark game ⁓ of the early season was the trip down to Tucson for the first of two matchups against the Wildcats of Arizona. And despite coming in as very heavy underdogs, the Sun Devils put a much better than expected fight.
out on the court in Tucson. I'm sure that all of you guys would agree. I was very impressed with how close the game was. I was ready to call it when it was five-four a couple minutes into the game. I had seen enough. I was ready to declare a winner. But even having a three-point lead in the early minutes of the second half, it gave a little bit ⁓ of optimism. It's like, can the Sun Nipples really pull this off?
Ultimately not able to pull it off, Co-Opete just had himself an incredible second half and took over the entire game. Sun Devils did lose 89 to 82, but I want to pose this question to the room. Is a moral victory in this case as good as, know, does this do as much for the team as a regular win does given the expectations coming into the game?
Austen Bundy (16:36)
start I don't. I want to say yes a moral victory especially against your biggest rival going into their place having a half time lead not getting bullied like we all thought they were going to be- ⁓ and despite losing by seven I would not have predicted it would have been a single digit deficit by the end of the game there I mean it's-
Andrew Hayslett (16:36)
Hi.
Austen Bundy (17:02)
watching it, was, it means disappointing the fact that like, they were leading for a while. Like they showed they could keep up that this team was vulnerable. And then ultimately it just fell apart. But moral vict, moral victories only take you so far, but I think they're the type of victories that they're good on the day of. then afterwards you cannot sit on them. It's gotta be the reality of the situation was they had more points on the scoreboard than we did at when the clock hit zero.
and that should be unacceptable to any team and it should be motivation to get back and practice harder, motivation to work on the things that did not work ⁓ in the game, the things that potentially you should have done better in order to hold on to whatever lead you had. Had they beaten Houston or even if it wasn't Houston, because I think Houston's a bad example going into the second game for the men this weekend, had they been played, if they played anybody else and then gone and beaten them, then you could
to a little bit more weight behind the moral victory that, this was a little bit of a momentum builder for them. showed they could really keep up with the number one team in the nation. And then they go and beat somebody who's a lot lower and closer to their talent level. But then, I mean, this was just a really brutal pairing of games to have to go from the number one team in the nation to the number seven team in the nation, a national championship favorite in Houston and get absolutely slaughtered by 30 points.
I think the moral victory against U of A is kind of pointless when you go and look at things from that perspective because it didn't help you much, you didn't really fix what you needed to, and you're right back to where everybody was thinking going into this stretch that, this is going to be an absolute bloodbath against these two teams. Well, one of the games was, the other one was just a disappointment.
Andrew Hayslett (18:51)
Yeah, I agree with Austin. Yeah. Like if they beat Houston, or at least contended, there could have been something there. no, it's at this point, it's you have to stack good performances with good performances. And what happened against Houston just wasn't good enough. Suppose that.
Aya Abdeen (18:51)
Alright, I'll see you in a
I definitely agree with both the statements. You, Austin and Andrew have made about the Sun Devils men's basketball from putting up a dogfight against a very talented Wildcats team in the Territorial Cup in Tucson being a basketball, not football obviously, to getting blown out in Houston. Now looking back, Sun Devils men's basketball has had a...
had a tremendous start to the season, especially like how they performed in a tournament in Hawaii back in November. And now to see how they've been doing the ups and downs of the Big 12 Conference play, it's pretty interesting to see as well. So I have to say that.
Tom Hardon (20:07)
Yeah, it was kind of a tale of tale of two, know, Jekyll and Hyde, so to speak, for for the two big two big guys on the roster, Moe Odom and ⁓ and Masamba Diop, both in double digit points, Odom with 23 points against the Wildcats, Diop with 16. But then you turn around and follow that up. Odom only came away with eight points against Houston, Diop with six points. It's the consistency that
that comes from game to game that just isn't there. I do want to recognize Andra Gerbovic with back-to-back solid efforts, 10 points, 10 points out in Tucson and then 14 points over in Houston. But just the overall top-to-bottom team consistency just did not exist in between these two games. And it's really just indicative of what's been plaguing.
the Bobby Hurley years as of late.
But it's, know, this is kind of, was this the result? Were you expecting both of these games to be losses? I just want to go around the horn on this one. Were you expecting to be able to come away with a win in either game?
Austen Bundy (21:31)
wasn't expecting a win in either game. I was expecting the Houston game to potentially be a little bit closer than the territorial cup game just because like, you have as the number one team in the nation. had been obliterating opponents up to that point. But the fact that it was reversed is kind of typical ASU. I mean, they have beaten you of a in situations where they were severe underdogs before. So it kind of checks out. But real disappointing to go from potentially beating a rival, potentially being number one team in the nation and then turning around and getting absolutely slaughtered by the number seven.
Andrew Hayslett (22:04)
Austin said it perfectly.
Tom Hardon (22:07)
It was definitely a rough swing to go through, but the men will be back at it, back from home court. Hopefully a little home cooking will get the team moving in the right direction, hosting West Virginia on Wednesday, January 21st, and hosting Cincinnati on Saturday, January 24th. Wednesday's game at 7 p.m. and Saturday's game at 8 p.m.
Women's basketball was also an action hosting, hosting Kansas and did come away with a win in this game, 67 to 51. I was not able to catch much of the game. So I want to kick this one to you for the full on breakdown. What did you see that stood out to getting this win?
Aya Abdeen (22:47)
I was here for the car.
Hello Lisa Carrera. I mean, I've been impressed to see what she has accomplished as a member of the Sun Devils from the start of the season to now. Like how she's been put to succeed in this position. That's what stands out to me and especially credit to Molly Miller and the coaching staff for putting in a position to succeed. The game at TCU, last Sunday she got in some foul trouble and that...
led to the Sun Devils losing to a ranked team, which is Horned Frogs in a blowout, which was one of the worst performances of the season. Then they had a bounce back game against Kansas, ⁓ with getting back to their defensive identity and how they returned to what they're known for is the defense. ⁓ Defense, run, and score. And that's what the three words of Molly Miller's system.
That's what it stands out to me. Also Marlee Washnitz, she's been all over the place. Like she had three to four steals in the win and like and when I saw that block in person that really got the crowd excited. So and Gabby Elliott being Gabby Elliott, that's what she's known for is her scoring. That's what one of the players Miller has been impressed with. But overall props to
Professor Deborah Davenport, who has been stepping up and making a back-end spot when she was coming off the bench, how she helped with her scoring, which she shot perfectly from the field. 4 for 4 from the field on Saturday. I mean, the Sun Devils team is stacked from the starters to the bench as well.
Tom Hardon (24:46)
You you mentioned the defense and what stands out to me looking at the, just looking at the box score is Kansas was unable to score in the last 4-10 of the game. Just some, you know, some really stand out, locked down defense, being able to bring the game home, even with a healthy lead. Sun Devils did score the final six points of the game on a 6-0 run in the last 3-49, but...
Again, to me, you brought it up perfectly with the defense just holding strong and taking over. Austin and Andrew, is that something that you guys see taking a look at the recap of this game?
Austen Bundy (25:32)
I'm impressed with how they have rebounded. ⁓ mean, we were all talking about the last time, like, this is going to be a huge stretch for women's, Sandoval women's basketball to prove that if they stumble, that's not going to become a consistent thing. It's not going to get in their heads. And they've clearly turned around and are showing the rest of the women's college basketball world that like, they're still legit. They are still a threat to be reckoned with. I am still confident this team is going to make the tournament and
potentially shock a few folks. ⁓ This is the type of team that is flying under the radar nationally to the extent that they're not getting top 25 respect. ⁓ But eventually they will eventually they're going to have people are going to have to pay attention. I think they're going to win enough games to where they're going to have to pay attention to this team. I think they're going to make a run in the Big 12 tournament. I don't know if they'll win it, but I think they're going to make a run and I think they're going to do enough to make
Aya Abdeen (26:18)
For sure.
Austen Bundy (26:30)
the women's national tournament. And at that point, don't be surprised if this team pulls off two victories to get to the Sweet 16.
Aya Abdeen (26:38)
For sure, I could see that as a possibility as well, and especially how they've been put into tests throughout the conference play and how they've been improving from last season's team. That's a big improvement and especially the type of identity. Graham Rossini, the athletic director, has been looking into building as well for this women's basketball team.
Andrew Hayslett (27:03)
Something I would do on touch on is that when she was brought in Molly Miller ⁓ they everyone said all right, this is gonna be a defensive team and What we saw I've been seeing this season is this this team generally plays a lot low or plays low scoring games And that's what we saw at the end of the game on what was that? Saturday against Kansas with what Tom said of ⁓
of just holding Kansas to not score in those final handful of minutes, so I'm not surprised about that.
Tom Hardon (27:41)
Yeah, it's refreshing to see just the bounce back after that tough loss against TCU and being able to just buckle down and say, we're still in control of our season. We're not going to let other teams dictate what we can and can't do. And Molly Miller coaching to the style of play that ⁓ has been widely expected out of her. This is going to be a
an exciting team to watch down the stretch. ⁓ The women will have a mirror schedule of the men's team this week traveling to West Virginia and traveling to Cincinnati, both games ⁓ on Wednesday and Saturday as well. Women tipping off at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at West Virginia and then at 12 noon on Saturday against Cincinnati.
Pivot to hockey here men's hockey was off this weekend, but still and you know still a lot of moving pieces around the NCHC and just throughout all of college hockey with the with the NPI rankings and you know, it's we're getting to that point in season where it is not too early to look at the broader picture and and just be able to
work out your own bracketology of, where is Arizona State? Where is the cut line? Who is and what needs to happen for the Sun Devils to be able to make the tournament? And it was a pretty light schedule around the NCHC this week. Only only three NCHC series were in play. Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State split their series. Miami swept Omaha and Denver and North Dakota split their series, which
Arguably is pretty favorable results for the Sun Devils and the Sandings. Still sitting in fifth place in the NCHC, tied with St. Cloud State and chasing Western Michigan by six points for the fourth spot and the last home ice spot in the NCHC tournament. ⁓ Andrew, how much of the action across the country this weekend were you able to catch and are you confident with where Arizona State is sitting?
at this point in the season coming into a weekend series with North Dakota.
Andrew Hayslett (30:11)
I wasn't able to catch anything besides the scores. ⁓ I did see the fight at UMass Lowell in Boston University with former North Dakota player Sasha Boivere. ⁓ I love pronouncing French names. ⁓
Tom Hardon (30:24)
and Boston University.
Andrew Hayslett (30:36)
And I don't remember the UMass LoL player's name. that's... I'm kind of going to make a relate back to ASU here. A few years ago, Tucker Ness got in a fight with an Alaska Fairbanks player. And Ness missed a...
Handful of further games throughout the rest of the year. So fight fighting in college hockey That's something if you drop the gloves you get suspended for so not the first time that's happened. So Do Do I want to see that rule changed? Yes Selfishly because I think that's part of the game. I think Just a game ejections good enough for me
That just proves the point. But that's not for me to decide. just looking at where Arizona State is 23rd in the NPI right now, top 15 as of assuming how that there isn't any other bid stealers by besides the Atlantic Hockey Conference gets you in. And right now, Arizona State sitting 23rd.
Not only one NCHC team between Arizona State and that bubble in St. Cloud State, so that series in a few weeks is gonna be key. You just gotta stack wins at this point. Arizona State is at 12, 11 and one right now. And Boston College, that 15th ranked team in the NPI is 11, eight and one, a few games over 500, so.
You'll want to see ASU get 3 out of the next 4 at minimum. If you want to consider ASU to be right there on the bubble. Ideally you'll want to be around 13th or so. That's what you've been saying Tom. That's what I feel. And that 13th ranked team is St. Thomas who is 14-7-3. So that's a long way to go from a-
just over 500 to winning two thirds of your games. But this is the time to lock in down the stretch is if you want to make a run, you gotta win games. And this team is capable of it. But we'll see how the injuries play out because this team is thin right now.
Tom Hardon (33:12)
When you mentioned St. Thomas, they are a future NCHC opponent. Next season, they will join the NCHC, bringing the membership up to 10 teams. But I want to bring this back to just how tight the NCHC standings are. We talk about the top four and how important the top four spots are for Home Ice Advantage. It's even more important this season because the NCHC tournament is reverting to campus sites only.
There's no more frozen face-off being held in the Twin Cities for the semifinals and championship games. So to be able to have that top four spot for the first round and even to be able to get a top two spot like Arizona State had last year, critical to be able to have as much advantage as possible for the NCHC tournament. But what I want to point out is the bottom five teams.
in the standings as of right now are separated by just five points. Arizona State and St. Cloud are both at 17 points. Arizona State does have the tiebreaker over St. Cloud currently due to a superior points percentage. Arizona State's played only 12 games to St. Cloud's 14 conference games. Then you have Miami in seventh place, one point back at 16.
followed by them are Omaha and Colorado College, both at 12 points. Only eight teams make the NCHC tournament. So like we saw with Miami last year when they had their historically terrible season, ninth place does not get you postseason hockey. And when you're looking at the broader picture of what Arizona State has to do to be able to keep control of their own destiny for
for tournament. It takes a lot for the Sun Devils to even control their destiny for a top four spot in the tournament. I've been mulling over various probabilities and the Sun Devils would have to win, I believe it was all but three of their remaining games just to be able to...
have a shot at controlling their own destiny for home-lice advantage. That's also assuming current probabilities of winning based on where the teams are. Obviously does not factor in any future injuries or otherwise, but it's getting to be crunch time for Coach Powers and the Sun Devils. And we'll go more in-depth into this in our next episode, but a...
matchup against the top four team in North Dakota is looming on the horizon this weekend. ⁓ Austin, give us your across the country view on where you see the Sun Devils at on the ice.
Austen Bundy (36:22)
Well, I'm glad to see that they're still hanging in there, especially with the amount of injuries they're going through. This is going to be a crucial stretch going forward. As you two have said that this is going to really test the strength of their roster, of their depth. ⁓ Can Coach Powers really bring these guys together in the locker room to not panic and play for each other, play for the man next to you on your line, next to you in your locker? ⁓ This is going to be
especially the same cloud series, if you can somehow, ideally you get a sweep out of that great. are now well on the inside track to continuing to push for a top four spot in the conference. ⁓ I would like to see them. mean, obviously you'd like to see them pull off that, that sweep, but I want at the very least, can they, can they get out of there with points in each matchup because you need to be able to keep pace with everybody here.
⁓ I don't think it would be a disaster if they, they don't pull away with the sweep there. If you get points in each of those matchups, you're doing exactly, I think what the expectation would be for a banged up roster. you have, ⁓ but obviously they need to play, they need to pub punch above their weight class right now. And especially in a stacked NCHC, that's, that's your, that's going to be the requirement because you are playing guys that are in.
weight classes well above you right now. And if if ASU wants to prove that they belong in this conference and they're going to be perennial contenders, you're going to have to continue to punch above that weight class until you build a roster that has the depth of Duluth, the depth of a North Dakota where just about anybody on this roster could play in the NHL or ⁓ be some sort of contender for the Hobie Baker. so
I'm not expecting them to go out and do just that the rest of the way down this season, but I mean, if you can pull points out of every matchup, I think you've done your job.
Tom Hardon (38:22)
And especially against North Dakota being as highly rated a team as they are, a loss while it will still hurt a little bit in the grand scheme is going to be a little bit diminished, especially if the Sentinels can figure out a way to get to overtime and mitigate the effects of an overtime loss. you can, with North Dakota's roster, can expect to see Jan Spoonar in goal for one of the games.
But you might get to see Gibson-Homer back in net. I would expect to see Homer getting one of the two games coming back to Tempe where he played for two seasons. I think that North Dakota coach, Coach Dane Jackson will give him one of games as Spooner is still a freshman and still, ⁓ he is playing like a true number one. In my mind, is one of the, ⁓ he's one of the...
⁓ strong contenders for the Mike Richter Award, the sentimental side of me thinks that Homer will still get a chance against his former team and I think that would be the best opportunity for the Sun Devils to come away with points against the Hawks. Andrew, your thoughts on that?
Andrew Hayslett (39:38)
Yeah, I look at the series earlier in the year. ASU got blown out when Spoonar was in the net and they won in kind of a blowout fashion when Homer was in the net. So we'll see. I think.
Yeah, I'd like to see Homer both games because I think he's worse than spoon are but I don't think that's gonna happen. think spoon are will start at least one game that second games up in the air depending on how spoon are placed and I think the result will dictate that a little bit. I think it's also going to come down to
how the Sun Devils' goaltending is. We saw last series against Miami. ⁓ Connor Hasley played, think, well enough to win, ⁓ letting in two goals in 60-some-odd minutes. You say, okay, you should win that game. And it's kind of pitiful that they lost that one with that goaltending.
and Samuel Urban, he had his first career NCAA collegiate shootout, or shutout rather, and ASU won that game. So I think we might see both goalies in that based on their previous performance.
I know the order. I don't I'm not sure at this point. We might hear something from Greg Powers later today because I assume this is going to come out on Tuesday, but we'll see. But on Tuesday, we'll probably have some sort of an out. We might have some sort of announcement on that. And then the other I think the one more key thing in this series is injuries for Arizona State. We know Jack backs out for the year. He's not coming back. Lincoln Keen.
the way powers has phrased it, think he's gonna come back for the series and based on powers in the past. We'll know more tomorrow about all these. Shimick might return. We'll know how Potter is because we, no one knows outside of that locker room how Cole and Potter is because he took a big hit late in that second Miami game and didn't see the rest of the ice, or the ice for the rest of the game.
So he could be fine or he could be out for the year. We don't know. somewhere in the middle as well. Bennett Schimek as well could return. And Potter and Schimek are two of ASU's big three. And with those guys possibly being injured, this team gets a lot worse, at least on paper. Because Potter and Schimek.
heart pretty good at hockey. Just simply put right now I've got the college hockey news Hobie Baker tracker in front of me and Bennett Shimmick's fifth and Potter's in the top 20 as well. You just can't replace that.
Tom Hardon (42:48)
As I like to call them, they make up the 3M line of Shemek, Cruz Lucius, and Colin Potter, all three boys from Minnesota, hence 3M. I know, very creative there. Didn't have to grasp too hard for that one, but you don't want to see these guys out for an extended period of time. ⁓ Johnny Waldron is another injured Sun Devil that Coach Powers is. ⁓
optimistic we'll be able to return for the North Dakota series. Again, throughout the week we will have more information for you on Devils in Detail and we will do a much more in-depth preview of the North Dakota series along with the rest of Sun Devil Athletics on our next show later on this week. signing off for tonight, for Austin Bundy, for Andrew Hazlitt, I'm Tom Harden and as always, give them hell devils.