#658 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Arizona State -5.5 over Stanford, Saturday at 3 PM ET - ASU is playing as well as nearly anyone in the Pac 12 right now. After starting the season with a 3-9 conference record, the Devils have now won 6 of their last 7 with their only loss coming @ UCLA. Their defense has been fantastic during this 7 game stretch holding their opponents to just 57 PPG. They rank 2nd in the conference in eFG% defense and 1st in 3 point % defense. That’s a big problem for a Stanford offense that averages just 61 PPG on the road this season and ranks 10th in the Pac 12 in offensive efficiency. The Cardinal have been held to 60 points or less in 4 of their last 6 games and we highly doubt they get out of the 50’s in this match up. ASU also has been very good at creating turnovers (almost 20% rate) which should give them plenty of extra opportunities here vs a Stanford offense that turns the ball over 22% of the time (last in the Pac 12). In their 71-44 win here vs Cal on Thursday, the Sun Devils outscored the Bears 16-2 off turnovers and Cal is much better at protecting the ball then Stanford is. The Cardinal are in a tough scheduling spot here as well playing their 3rd straight road game in the span of 8 days. While ASU is peaking, Stanford is heading the opposite direction losing 6 of their last 7 games with their only win coming vs Oregon State, the worst team in the conference. In their first meeting this year, Stanford topped ASU 79-76 shooting 47% from beyond the arc (ASU shot 28%) and made 32 FT’s to just 7 for the Sun Devils. Despite those huge differentials, the game went to the wire. ASU was actually called for a foul on a Stanford 3 point shot with 1 second remaining and the game tied at 76-76. And that’s when Arizona State was playing poorly in the middle of a stretch where they lost 9 of 11 games. We like the Devils to roll in this one.