Another Arizona State Player Ejected in Loss to Kansas State
The Sun Devils are struggling to maintain composure
For the second consecutive game, an Arizona State men’s basketball player was ejected in a Big 12 matchup.
In Arizona State’s 71-70 loss to Kansas State on Tuesday, senior guard Adam Miller was assessed a Flagrant 2 technical foul by official Tony Padilla with 7:34 remaining and was ejected from the game. The incident occurred when Miller got into a confrontation with Kansas State’s Dug McDaniel right in front of the official.
McDaniel received a technical foul but stayed in the game.
After the game, Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley stated that the ejection was out of character for Miller.
“The emotions of the game got the best of him, and that contributed to the situation,” Hurley explained. “He’s never done anything like this in my two years coaching him.”
Miller finished the game with 10 points and 2 rebounds in 28 minutes. His presence would have been valuable for Arizona State, especially in the final moments of a tight contest.
BJ Freeman Ejected Against Arizona
Miller’s ejection came just one game after guard BJ Freeman was tossed for headbutting Arizona’s Caleb Love with 30 seconds left in ASU’s 81-72 loss to their rival on Saturday. Following the game, Hurley pulled his team off the floor with just 0.5 seconds left and refused to shake hands with Arizona’s coaches and players.
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Hurley was also given a technical foul in that game for arguing with officials. Afterward, he criticized Arizona for excessive talking and the referees for not addressing it.
“If you were near our bench, you could hear nonstop chatter from a couple of Arizona players, and it wasn’t being controlled,” Hurley remarked. “Of course, they’re happy with the win, but it was done in a way that lacked class, in my opinion.”
“The back-and-forth words contributed to Freeman losing his cool. I had to make the tough call to pull the team into the locker room to prevent any further incidents during the game or the handshake line.”
Arizona State’s Struggles Continue
With Tuesday’s defeat to Kansas State, Arizona State fell to 3-8 in the Big 12, effectively dashing their NCAA tournament hopes.
Five-star freshman Jayden Quaintance missed two free throws with 4.1 seconds left that could have given Arizona State the lead.
ASU will now prepare for a Big 12 road game at Oklahoma State on Saturday.
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