[rjt721]

In or out tonight v. UW? Anyone know?

[EaglesPhan36]

Questionable is all I have seen. He'll be less than 100% I would think if he does play. Washington seems like a decent play to me tonight only.

[mofome]

No Harden? Don't even ask, Sendek says
EV Tribune
Herb Sendek tried his old, standby humor in answering a question his players would rather not. Namely, what happens to the Arizona State men's basketball team if freshman James Harden can't play tonight against Washington? "That's a complicated question," Sendek said.

There was silence.

The stat sheet says the 24th-ranked Sun Devils would have to account for 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 55 percent shooting and replace the team leader in free throws.

Sendek's answer went beyond numbers.

"If I broke that down, you'd all miss lunch, and I wouldn't dare keep some of you away from lunch," Sendek said.

Laughter filled the room.

It was the coach's way of sidestepping the issue, partly because it's a difficult proposition for the Sun Devils, partly because the team won't know Harden's status until tip-off.

The 6-foot-4 guard suffered a pulled muscle during the second half of ASU's loss to Stanford Saturday, sat out a few minutes, then tried to play through it with little success.

He hasn't practiced all week, instead going through daily treatments.

Harden has quickly become the team's most explosive offensive threat, both inside (55 percent from the field) and outside the arc (44 percent). He's also the team's best one-on-one playmaker — a guy who can break down a defense and create for himself and others.