The ASU men’s basketball team were ‘those kids’ tonight. You know the ones I mean. The ones whose parents have guests over for dinner, but let them stay home if they stay out of the way. Those kids are throwing a ball around, albeit innocently, and all they need to do is to stay out of trouble while Mom and Dad get things ready. They are told to go upstairs and get their work done. Guests are arriving, and a toy or a ball comes flying down the stairs, almost knocking something over, but the parents don’t want to make a scene, so they just calmly remind them that they just need to stay out of the way for a little while longer, and then they would get to stay up late like the big kids and play longer. Dinner is going well, and those kids seemingly have done all they needed to do, but then something happens. A shout of “MOM!”, two boys come running down the stairs, one trying to tell what the other did while the accused tries to explain, and then, as they both get to the table…a bump, a spill, and then…a mess on one of the guests. They were so close…

The Sun Devils were that close. They rattled off 22 wins in a season that was predicted to be bad. No really bad losses (although one ugly one against USC), a winning road record in the conference, and second place overall. On the other hand, there were no signature wins, their non-conference schedule was weak, and the PAC-10 has been viewed as a joke. Even so, ASU was in a position to squeeze into the NCAA Tournament (I mean, the selection committee wouldn’t only take one team from the conference, would it? After all, it is the PAC-10, not some conference of mid-major schools).  The Devils, in the conference tournament, had a chance to send a message to the committee and state definitively that they belong. They controlled their own destiny. So what did they go and do against a Stanford team they had already beaten twice? *Bump*, *spill*, and “Oh, @%#^&!”

The Devils came out flat to start the game and fell behind. They uncharacteristically turned the ball over 17 times (entering the game, they were the best in the conference at not turning the ball over). They struggled to find an offensive rhythm. They were not sharp defensively and had to play catch-up from early on in the game. Ty Abbott only shot 4 of 16. Rihards Kuksiks didn’t score in the second half. It was hugely disappointing.

Where does that leave the overachieving (but not tonight) ASU basketball team? Some may say that it didn’t matter what the Devils did in the conference tournament, but I don’t know. During the Cal/Oregon broadcast, the announcers were optimistic that if all went well (if Cal, Washington, and ASU all won) that the conference could possibly see three teams in the Big Dance. Now I wonder if there will even be two. California is clearly a cut above the rest of the teams in the PAC-10 and will likely win the conference tourney. I just don’t trust the committee. No one there is going to do ASU any favors. The team is not prestigious and has no history of tournament play, is not entertaining to watch, and its best player is Ty Abbott, who just a year ago shot under 30% from the field for the season.

I really hope that ASU gets to stay up and play with the big kids, and I personally believe that they deserve an at-large bid. I’m like that parent who knows the mess was a mistake and can see the kids for who they really are. But the selection committee is that guest that got spilled on, who is not terribly happy for the mess on his clothes. It will surprise me if Abbott and company will be playing on. We shall soon find out.