FACTS & STATS: Site: Wells Fargo Arena (14,198) -- Tempe, Arizona. Television: None. Home Record: Utah 5-7, Arizona State 4-8. Away Record: Utah 0-8, Arizona State 2-5. Neutral Record: Utah 0-3, Arizona State 1-3. Conference Record: Utah 2-9, Arizona State 3-8. Series Record: Utah leads 26-17. GAMES NOTES: Arizona State will try to get some revenge for a loss earlier this season when the Sun Devils bring in Pac-12 newcomer Utah for a conference showdown at Wells Fargo Arena. Utah dismissed Arizona State 64-43 at home earlier this season in what was the 43rd all-time meeting between the squads but first in conference play. The Utes now hold a 26-17 all-time advantage against the Sun Devils. Since the win over Arizona State, Utah has not been able to get in the win column in what has been a forgettable first season in the Pac-12. The Utes have lost four straight since the victory and are just a game above last place USC in the conference standings with a record of 2-9. This matchup begins a two-game road swing for Utah that wraps up against Arizona on Saturday. Arizona State can't lean on the crutch of being a newcomer to the conference to defend its struggles this season. The Sun Devils have lost five of their last six and have put together a 3-8 record against conference opponents which is just a game up on Utah in the standings. Arizona State will face another conference newcomer when the Sun Devils host Colorado on Saturday. The Utes took another loss in which it struggled to find any rhythm with a 76-58 defeat at home against Oregon State. Utah shot an even 40.0 (18-of-45) percent from the floor in the game and turned the ball over 23 times. Utah has not made it easy on itself this season. Senior guard and leading scorer Josh Watkins (15.6 ppg) was dismissed from the team in mid-January for an undisclosed violation. Since then the already poor Utah offense (56.5 ppg) has been even worse, scoring 55.8 points per game and being held to less than 50 twice. With Watkins out, the offensive pressure has fallen to junior center Jason Washburn (10.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg) who leads the team in both scoring and rebounding. Washburn had 15 points and six rebounds against Oregon State the fourth time in the six games since Watkins was dismissed he has scored in double figures. Junior guards Chris Hines (8.9 ppg) and Cedric Martin (7.5 ppg) have shown some ability to score with Martin having a team-high 18 points against Oregon State. In the loss to California in its last outing Arizona State was held to less than 50 points for the second straight game in taking a 68-47 defeat. Arizona State managed only 16 points in the first half and shot a paltry 38.3 percent from the floor while turning the ball over 20 times in the loss. The Sun Devils were also outscored 24-6 from beyond the arc. The recent offensive woes are nothing new for Arizona State which is scoring just 60.9 points per game this season, despite shooting a decent 45.9 percent from the floor. As in the loss to California, the Sun Devils have been done in by their inability to control the ball as they commit a conference leading 16.4 turnovers per game. Arizona State also lost its lead scorer to disciplinary issues when sophomore guard Keala King (13.7 ppg) was sent off the team for misconduct in early January. The Sun Devils have been further hurt with junior guard Trent Lockett out since re-aggravating a sprained right ankle on January 14th. Fortunately Lockett expects to play in this game and his scoring average of 13.9 points per game and team leading 6.4 rebounds per game will be a welcome addition. Junior guard Carrick Felix (10.3 ppg) can also score in double figures while sophomore forward Kyle Cain (8.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg) showed he can carry the offense by putting in a team-high 18 points against California. Neither of these teams seem like they'll be having much of a say in how the Pac-12 shakes out this season. Utah has been an atrocious road team and has yet to win away from home. Although Arizona State does not own a dominating homecourt advantage at just 4-8, the Sun Devils won't be the first road victim for the Utes. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Arizona State 61, Utah 53 02/09 10:39:59 ET
Thursday, February 9th, 8:30 p.m. (et)
