John Minchillo/Associated Press Arizona State's NCAA tournament dreams are still alive. The Pac-12's Sun Devils defeated the Big East's St. John's Red Storm 74-65 in Wednesday's First Four clash of No. 11 seeds in the West Region of the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament. Thanks to its victory in Dayton, Ohio, Arizona State will face the sixth-seeded Buffalo Bulls on Friday. Luguentz Dort was brilliant for the Sun Devils with 21 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, overcoming a scary moment when he fell hard while going for a loose ball. Zylan Cheatham added 14 points and 10 boards in support. Shamorie Ponds (25 points, four assists and three steals) and LJ Figueroa (19 points and 10 boards) led the way in defeat for the Red Storm. Video Play Button Videos you might like Shamorie Ponds Provides ASU's Backcourt with Ideal Test for Buffalo Arizona State knew it would have its hands full defensively with Ponds entering the game. After all, he is a high-usage offensive playmaker who thrives in transition, dribbles past defenders in half-court sets, hits from three-point range and facilitates when doubled. He averaged 19.5 points and 5.2 assists per game after pouring in 21.6 points a night last season. Ponds was named All-Big East First Team and flashed his talent while carrying the Red Storm offense for extended stretches in Wednesday's game. While he was a daunting matchup, he also provided the Sun Devils with ideal experience heading into the Buffalo matchup. The Bulls are loaded with difference-makers in the backcourt, including leading scorer CJ Massinburg (18.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game behind 39.6 percent shooting from deep) and Jeremy Harris (14.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game). It isn't just a two-man show, though, as Jayvon Graves, Dontay Caruthers and Davonta Jordan provide impressive depth. Graves (37.9 percent) and Caruthers (39.5 percent) in particular can light it up from deep if given too much space and will take advantage when Arizona State focuses too much attention on Massinburg. North Carolina is the only team in the tournament that plays with a faster pace than Buffalo, according to KenPom.com's tempo rankings. The Bulls consistently push the pace with so many guards who can handle the ball and won't hesitate to look for opportunities to get out in transition against Arizona State. The fast breaks either set up looks at the rim or open up three-pointers when the defense runs straight to the lane to prevent layups. The tempo and plethora of guards served as primary reasons Buffalo tied for fifth in the country in points per game during the regular season at 84.9. That figures to be an issue for a Sun Devils defense that is 78th in KenPom's rankings and didn't consistently face this type of explosiveness in a weak Pac-12 this season. While the Pac-12 is normally a power conference that would have adequately prepared Bobby Hurley's team for the NCAA tournament, it put only three teams in the field. Oregon was only included because it won the conference tournament; otherwise, it would have been two. That is why the clash with Ponds was so important. The combination of Dort, Rob Edwards and Remy Martin garnered experience against one of the Big East's best players in the pressure-packed environment of the Big Dance and passed the test. Their work on backcourt mate Mustapha Heron—who averaged 14.9 points per game this season—was also critical in the win. He finished with a mere six points on 1-of-12 shooting, which should give the Arizona State backcourt confidence moving into the round of 64. The Sun Devils will likely need that confidence if they are going to upset the Bulls. What's Next? Arizona State will face Buffalo on Friday in the round of 64 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.<doc-sep>The Heat Index azcentral sports Look back at our updates from Friday's ASU vs. Buffalo NCAA Tournament game in Tulsa, Okla., where the No. 11 seeded Sun Devils and No. 6 seeded Bulls faced off for a berth in the second round of March Madness. The Sun Devils' 2019 season ends with a 91-74 loss to Buffalo in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Bobby Hurley's team fell behind early against his former team and it couldn't rally in Tulsa, Okla. ASU will enter the offseason with some questions surrounding the program, but showed some strides during the season. The team came in second place in the Pac-12 during the regular season and had some big wins over Kansas, Mississippi State, Utah State and Washington. The team also won its first NCAA Tournament game since 2009 when it defeated St. John's in the First Four on Wednesday. The Sun Devils will lose Zylan Cheatham and De'Quon Lake to graduation. Will they lose Luguentz Dort to the NBA? Be sure to visit sundevils.azcentral.com for more on the game. Buffalo's lead grows some more It's now a 20-point lead for Buffalo. 20 points. A few numbers tell the story: ASU is 1-for-12 from 3-point range and 19-for-43 from the field overall. Buffalo is 7-for-22 from three and 24-for-47 overall. Buffalo has out-rebounded ASU 29-21 (including 10 offensive boards). It's been getting real ugly for Bobby Hurley's team. ASU now has a 0.4 win probability, according to ESPN (Buffalo is 99.6 percent going to win this game). Buffalo's lead grows The Sun Devils opened the second half with a lot of energy, but Buffalo has grown its lead to 16 points after the first four minutes of play. Halftime adjustments? Bobby Hurley has his work cut out for him at halftime. What adjustments will he make to help his team get back on track? The team hasn't been able to protect the ball or hit shots and is getting out-rebounded by the Bulls. That's not exactly a recipe for success. Someone has to step up in order for ASU to have a chance to extend its season. ASU's Luguentz Dort has just two points at the break. Could he help lead a comeback? It's not impossible, but it doesn't appear likely, at least based on what we saw in the first half of the game. No 3-pointers for ASU The Sun Devils are now 0-for-9 from 3-point range in the game. Could the long trip from Phoenix to Dayton, Ohio to Tulsa, Okla. be affecting them? The shot selection is hurting for ASU as well, as Michelle Gardner points out. ESPN's win-probability index currently gives the Sun Devils an eight percent chance of winning this game. Bulls take control Bobby Hurley calls timeout with 7:27 left in the first half and his Sun Devils behind 31-19. ASU is shooting 42 percent from the field. Buffalo is shooting 52 percent. ASU is 0-for-6 from the 3-point line. Buffalo is 3-for-8. The Bulls have 15 rebounds, ASU has 8. These last few minutes of the first half are obviously going to be critical for the Sun Devils. Buffalo goes on a run The Sun Devils have no answer for the Bulls right now. Buffalo is on a 14-2 run over the last three minutes, giving it a 24-16 lead a little over halfway through the first half. The Sun Devils have four turnovers. Greg Moore's early thoughts Remy Martin's start ASU point guard Remy Martin has been dealing with an injury and it showed in the team's win over St. John's in the First Four. It looks like he's moving better than he did in that game in the early going vs. Buffalo. Martin is pivotal for the Sun Devils' chances of an upset over the Bulls. Starting lineups It's not hard to remember the numbers of Buffalo's starting lineup. You just have to count from one to five. The Bulls' starters wear Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Delayed start Due to Texas Tech vs. Northern Kentucky lasting longer that expected, the tip off for the game is now scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Up next The winner of the ASU vs. Buffalo game will take on No. 3 seed Texas Tech on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Tulsa. Texas Tech defeated No. 14 seed Northern Kentucky 72-57. The Sun Devils already faced the Red Storm in the First Four of March Madness and could now also face the Red Raiders. Pregame reading ASU basketball season photos:<doc-sep>DAYTON, Ohio — Sophomore point guard Remy Martin sat on a chair in the Arizona State locker room while teammates around him celebrated Wednesday night. The Sun Devils had just disposed of St.John's 74-65 in a play-in game at the University of Dayton Arena for the school's first postseason win in a decade. The unquestioned catalyst of the Sun Devils offense sustained a mild groin strain a week ago in ASU's Pac-12 semifinal overtime loss to Oregon in Las Vegas and was held out of practice until some run-throughs the day before the showdown against the Red Storm. Now, the No. 11 seeded Sun Devils (23-10) are on to West Region play Friday in Tulsa, Okla. and Martin's heath is their biggest concern. ASU will be facing a well-rested team in Mid-American Conference champion University Buffalo (31-3), which enters the postseason riding a 12-game win streak. It will make three games in three different time zones in eight days for the Sun Devils, who have won six of their last eight games. If Martin was hurting, he wasn't telling. "As long as I'm between the lines I'm 100 percent healthy," he said, trying to convince the media that surrounded him. "I'm fine." Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley called Martin a "warrior." This isn't the first time he has had to play through ailments. Before the season started, Martin was hobbled by a bad ankle, yet he was in the starting lineup when the Sun Devils opened against Cal State Fullerton in November. Martin aggravated the ankle injury early in a win over Utah State later in the month at an event in Las Vegas. He sat in an ice bath after that game with both ankles immersed. "You never know when something is wrong with him because he won't tell you," teammate Zylan Cheatham said. "He just goes out there and plays. You can't keep him down." Martin is averaging 13.1 points and 5.1 assists in 32 minutes per game through 31 games this season. He had a season-high 31 points to go with eight assists in a win against rival Arizona. His highest assist total (11) came in a road win at UCLA. But he played just 23 minutes against the Red Storm, with Hurley admittedly trying to give him a few more breaks than is typical. Martin got downcourt quickly triggering a fast break that ended with a layup by Luguentz Dort late in the first half. But he was limping noticeably when he went back to the bench during a timeout early in the second. While Martin said he was fine, statistics would seem to say otherwise. He had six points, four rebounds and three assists and a season-high six turnovers. He led the Pac-12 in assist-to-turnover ratio so that turnover total would seem to indicate he was not at full strength. Yes, St John's is a solid defensive team, which proved a factor as well. But again, the Southern California native was not making excuses. "I had too many turnovers. I have to do better," Martin said. The Sun Devils led by as many as 18 points in the first half but had their lead cut to seven at three different points in the second half. When the Red Storm made their run, most times it came with Martin on the bench. The other ASU guards are not the playmakers Martin is so he will continue to do what he can, healthy or not. "Remy is a warrior," Hurley said. "It's hard to keep him out of the lineup because he wants to be out there and sometimes you almost have to save him from himself." The health of Martin won't be the only storyline the next time the Sun Devils take the floor. The opponent will be the team Hurley coached before taking the ASU job and his successor at Buffalo is Nate Oats, whom Hurley hired as his lead assistant and recruiting coordinator. Oats has continued to build on the foundation Hurley established and takes his team into the tournament as a No. 6 seed. Last season, Buffalo upended perennial title contender Arizona 89-68 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, striking a blow for the mid-majors. The Bulls were dismissed in the next round by Kentucky. "It's going to be a little bit surreal playing them," Hurley said. "Ever since the bracket came out people have been talking about this matchup for the obvious reasons but I really tried not to think about it because I had another opponent ahead of me first." Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@Gannett.com or 602 444-4783. Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. ASU basketball photos<doc-sep>
DAYTON, Ohio – Earlier in the week, Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley was asked about a potential first-round matchup against the school he left to coach the Sun Devils: Buffalo. Hurley knew better than to offer a comment since his team first needed to win a play-in game against St. John's. He can officially talk about facing the Bulls now after ASU chalked up a 74-65 victory over the Red Storm in a First Four game Wednesday night. No. 11 ASU (23-10), the second-place finisher in the Pac-12, now moves on to the first round in the West Region against No. 6 Buffalo (31-3) on Friday in Tulsa, Okla. Hurley is happy the season is continuing, stressing the tight-knit bond he has with his players and that they have with each other. "They’re just so fun to coach," Hurley said. "That just means I get to coach them again for a few more days and that’s what this tournament’s about. I loved our effort and how we played in the first half. We've got to take care of the ball better, so we’ll have to get to the drawing board on that and clean it up going into our next game." It was nice to win a playoff game but the Sun Devils have made it clear, they aren't prepared for just a cameo appearance. "We didn't pack for just one game," senior forward Zylan Cheatham said. "We're locked in. We're really focused and obviously this is a big step in the right direction. But we're not content by any means." The final First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena matched a couple of teams with modest resumes when it comes to recent success in the postseason. ASU was making back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 1981, and it had not won a postseason game since 2009 when it defeated Temple in the first round 66-57, then lost to Syracuse 78-67. Meanwhile, St. John's had not been in the playoffs since 2015 and had not won a postseason game since 2000. The Red Storm also looked little like a postseason team coming in, having lost five of its last seven games and settling for seventh in the Big East. The ASU team looked calm, composed and determined for the first 15 minutes, surging out to an 18-point lead, going up 35-17 on a pair of free throws by freshman Luguentz Dort with 5:17 left. The Sun Devils made 13 of their first 21 shots from the field while St. John's struggled, making only seven of its first 26 tries. "I really love how we started and really took control of the game," Hurley said. "I thought our defense was very good. We mixed our defenses up some, and our zone was pretty effective. And we played well on the offensive end." As ASU has done this season, it then had a stretch of turnovers and poor shot selection and the Red Storm were able to close the gap slightly and trailed at the half 38-25. The Sun Devils started the second half the way they ended the first and St. John's inched to with in seven points at 40-33 three minutes into the half. ASU sophomore point guard Remy Martin played despite being slowed by a mild groin strain sustained in ASU's Pac-12 semifinal loss to Oregon last Friday. He played 11 minutes in the opening half but was on the bench when the Red Storm made their run and cut the deficit to seven. He ended up playing 23 minutes with Hurley trying to give him a break when the Sun Devils were up big. Martin finished with six points, four rebounds and three assists but had an uncharacteristic, season-high six turnovers. He made no excuses. "As long as I'm between the lines I'm 100 percent," he said. Martin wasn't the only one banged up. Dort took a hard foul in the opening minute of the second half, injuring a knee. He came out of the game and Rob Edward went to the line, making two free throws for him. But Dort returned after having a couple of minute to gather himself. "I hit my knee and butt a little bit and just had to walk through it," he said.