The Washington State Cougars begin their desert road trip with Thursday's game against an Arizona State team whose back is already up against the wall.

Bobby Hurley's club began Pac-12 play with a rough slate of games, taking on rival Arizona and then traveling to both of the Los Angeles schools. The Sun Devils have yet to pick up Hurley's first Pac-12 win after going 0-3 in those contests, putting ASU in a hole that makes a victory over the Cougars imperative.

And the Sun Devils have looked pretty good under Hurley. ASU beat No. 15 Texas A&M and took a good Marquette team to overtime. Point guard Tra (aptly pronounced "trey") Holder has become a much better shooter over the past year and has hit 10-of-18 3-point attempts against Pac-12 teams.

Winning at Arizona is always a monumental challenge, so Thursday's game is also critical for the Cougars to avoid a 1-4 start.

Here's a quick glance at the Sun Devils:
Record: 10-6, 0-3 Pac-12
Points per game: 75.2
Opponent points per game: 70.9
Field goal percentage: 43
3-point percentage: 31.5
Free throw percentage: 70.7
Rebounding margin: +3.1
Assist/TO ration: 1:1
Steals per game: 5.4
Blocks per game: 3.3
Average home attendance: 5,474

And here are some more detailed statistics, courtesy of KenPom.com.

Adjusted efficiency national rank (offense/defense): 77/61
Adjusted tempo national rank: 174
Average possession length: 17.5 seconds (No. 213 nationally)
Turnover percentage: 17.4 (No. 101)
Offensive rebound percentage: 33.8 (No. 64)
3-point percentage: 31.5 (No. 266)
Block percentage: 12.8 (N0. 332)

There has been some movement in the Sun Devils starting lineup recently, so don't be surprised if there's a surprise, but here is who I expect to start:
PG: Tra Holder 16. 3 ppg, 3.4 apg, 38.7 3FG%
G: Gerry Blakes 11.3 ppg, 2 ap, 6.1 rbg
F: Obi Oleka 7.8 ppg, 4.5 rbg, 13 blocks
F: Willie Atwood 10.3 ppg, 5.8 rbg, 81.8 FT%
C: Eric Jacobsen 7.4 ppg, 5.4 rbg, 59 FG%
 
Injured players: Forward Andre Adams is out for the season with a knee injury.
 

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