Finding a way to stop James Harden appears to be the key to beating Arizona State. Unfortunately for the Pac-10, teams are finding it nearly impossible to slow down the dynamic guard.

In their final tune-up before league play, Harden and the 17th-ranked Sun Devils look to continue what has been their best start in 34 seasons when they face Central Connecticut State on Monday night.

In the Pac-10, the scouting report says that if you stop Harden, you can stop Arizona State (10-1).

In Harden's only bad game this season, the Sun Devils struggled to compensate. He scored nine points before fouling out against IUPUI on Dec. 14, and Arizona State had to go into overtime to avoid an embarrassing loss.

But as the Sun Devils enter their final contest before opening conference play Friday at Stanford, the sophomore guard only appears to be gaining confidence. Harden has scored 30 or more points four times this season, the most by a Sun Devil since Ike Diogu did it six times in 2004-05.

Harden made 3-of-6 3s and scored 18 points in just 26 minutes as Arizona State beat Idaho State 90-55 on Tuesday to match its best 11-game start in 34 seasons. In 1974-75, the Sun Devils won 15 of their first 16 games.

Harden is one of the nation's leading scorers, averaging 23.7 points per game even though he remains passive at times.

"He's the only kid I've ever coached who I had to tell to shoot," said Arizona State assistant coach Scott Pera, who also coached Harden at Artesia High School in Lakewood, Calif. "And I would yell at him to shoot it."

Fans, coaches and teammates have implored Harden to shoot more.

"I see what they're talking about," Harden said. "But I'm not that type of player who, I want to score every time or need 20 shots per game. That's not my game."

Harden has attempted 137 shots, 34 more than the next-highest Sun Devil, and he has taken 100 of ASU's 235 free throws. Harden also leads the team in steals and minutes, and his 69 rebounds are second to Jeff Pendergraph (81).

His 46 assists are second to point guard Derek Glasser, his former Artesia High teammate.

"Great, great court sense," Pera said. "He has instincts that you can't teach."

Central Connecticut State (5-5) got a breakout game from a young guard of its own, with freshman guard Robby Ptacek scoring a season-high 20 points and adding six rebounds in a 67-56 victory over Princeton on Dec. 20. He was named the Northeast Conference's rookie of the week Monday for that performance.

Ptacek has made five straight attempts from 3-point range.

Blue Devils sophomore forward Ken Horton leads the team with averages of 20.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks a contest. He had 18 points against Princeton.

Horton has helped Central Connecticut State win five of seven after opening the season with three straight losses. The Blue Devils, though, are 1-4 on the road, averaging 64.8 points per game and shooting 30.1 percent from 3-point range

This will be the first meeting between Arizona State and Central Connecticut State. The Blue Devils are 0-3 all-time against Pac-10 teams.