Arizona vs. ASU: Score, Twitter Reaction for Sun Devils' Upset Win
The No. 6-ranked Arizona Wildcats picked up their third loss of the 2014-15 season, falling to their in-state rivals, the Arizona State Sun Devils, 81-78 on Saturday evening in Tempe.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, it's the first time in a decade that Arizona State has won back-to-back home games against a ranked Arizona:
A little less than a year ago, the Sun Devils needed two overtimes to put their conference foes away.
After earning a 41-34 halftime lead, ASU managed to keep the Wildcats at bay throughout the second half. Sean Miller's team would get to within two or three points before the Sun Devils got a bucket or two to rebuild its advantage.
When senior guard Bo Barnes nailed a three-pointer with 55 seconds left to make it a 75-68 game, that all but sealed the deal:
Doug Haller of AZCentral.com played up the significance of that shot:
Miller seemed resigned to his fate at that point, per Andrew Joseph of The Arizona Republic:
It was a game to forget for both the players and coach, as Miller let his emotions boil over and needed his team to hold him back while arguing with officials late in the second half, per Mike Christy of the Arizona Daily Star:
ESPN.com's Myron Medcalf is already anticipating Miller's press conference:
Although Arizona State is far from a pushover when facing off against 'Zona, few could've foreseen this upset happening. The two teams met back in January, with Arizona rolling to a 73-49 win in Tucson. The Wildcats shot an impressive 51 percent from the field while holding ASU to 14-of-43 from the floor.
On Saturday, the shoe was on the other foot.
Four different players scored in double figures for the Sun Devils, who shot an even 50 percent as a team. Barnes led the way, coming off the bench to score 18 points. Savon Goodman and Tra Holder chipped in 15 points apiece.
After the game, Miller laid into his players for their collective performance on the defensive end of the floor, per Anthony Gimino of FoxSportsArizona.com:
Arizona's loss wiped out a great performance from T.J. McConnell. The senior guard scored 25 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Looking at the bigger picture, Arizona's defeat doesn't shake up the Pac-12 standings too much. The Wildcats still own a half-game lead over Utah, while Arizona State only improves to 4-6 and sits in a tie for eighth.
The Sun Devils will, however, own bragging rights until the two teams step on the court again.
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