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Arizona State MBB Takes on Saint Mary's in Acrisure Classic Championship

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Arizona State MBB Takes on Saint Mary's in Acrisure Classic ChampionshipArizona State MBB Takes on Saint Mary's in Acrisure Classic Championship
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Sun Devil Men's Basketball takes on Saint Mary's in the Acrisure Classic Championship at Acrisure Arena on Friday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 PM MST.

Arizona State (6-1) is 3-0 at neutral sites so far this season and have another matchup against a premiere opponent coming up as part of the Acrisure Series. The Sun Devils have scored 80+ points in six straight games and sit Top-40 nationally in blocks and three pointers per game. They look to continue the momentum built in a thrilling 85-82 win over New Mexico last night, Head Coach Bobby Hurley's 16th win at a Neutral site while at ASU.

Acrisure Classic Championship Game
Sun Devil Men's Basketball is seeking their fourth non-conference tournament championship in the Bobby Hurley era. ASU also won the 2022 Legends Classic, 2018 MGM Resorts Title, and the 2017 Continental Tire Invitational.

The Matchup
Arizona State will battle Saint Mary's in the Acrisure Classic Championship game. It will be only the third meeting between the two programs, the last coming in 2019. The Sun Devils are seeking their first win over the Gaels.

How to Follow
Arizona State will once again be featured on TruTv when they take on Saint Mary's, scheduled for a 7:30 PM MST tip-off with Chris Sylvester, Steve Smith, and Nkwa Asonye on the call. Make sure to listen to Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP).
 
Last Time Out
Sun Devil Men's Basketball advances to the Acrisure Classic Championship game after capturing a thrilling 85-82 victory over New Mexico on Thursday night. Head Coach Bobby Hurley's teams have always done a good job winning close games and making halftime adjustments. Both happened late Thanksgiving night in Palm Springs.
 
Arizona State led by 13 early and trailed by nine late but came back to beat New Mexico 85-82 in a back-and-forth game that had 10 ties and seven lead changes. ASU – who has scored 80+ in six straight games -- led 34-21 with 5:38 left in first half, but the Lobos closed the half on a 16-1 run to lead 37-34 at recess and then pushed the lead to 50-41 with just over 10 minutes remaining. ASU then outscored the Lobos 34-22, which included 20-of-25 from the free throw line in the second half.
 
Basheer Jihad led the Sun Devils 20 points and added six boards, while freshman Joson Sanon had 19 points off the bench. BJ Freeman added 16 points, including 7-of-8 from the free throw line, while Alston Mason added 11 points and five assists.
 
6-1 Start
Arizona State starts 6-1 for the first time since the 2022-2023 season and the fourth time under the Bobby Hurley era (2017-18, 2018-19, 2022-23, 2024-25).

Neutralizing the Opponent
Arizona State continues their success under Bobby Hurley at neutral sites. The Sun Devils have defeated three teams that won 20+ games in neutral settings already in 2024-25 (Grand Canyon, Santa Clara, New Mexico). Two were 2024 NCAA Tournament participants. ASU has now won 16 games overall under Hurley in neutral games. That includes past wins over NC State, Kansas State, St. John's, Mississippi State, Xavier, Michigan, Utah State, New Mexico, and Creighton.

80-point Streak
For the first time since the 2017-18 season, Arizona State has reached the 80-point mark in six straight games. That season, Arizona State did it in six straight games, including a win over No. 15 Xavier. That 2017-18 team went on to make the NCAA Tournament. 
 
2024-25 (6 Games)
Arizona State 81, Santa Clara 74
Arizona State 80, Gonzaga 88
Arizona State 87, GCU 76
Arizona State 81, St. Thomas 66
Arizona State 93, Cal Poly 89
Arizona State 85, New Mexico 82
 
2017-18 (6 Games)
Arizona State 94, Idaho State 74
Arizona State 90, San Diego State 68
Arizona State 97, NAU 62
Arizona State 99, UC Irvine 78
Arizona State 92, Kansas State 90
Arizona State 102, #15 Xavier 86
 
Block Party
Freshman Jayden Quaintance has recorded 25 blocks thus far in the 2024-2025 season, surpassing Pac-12 career blocks leader Jordan Bachynski on the ASU freshman single-season blocks list. Quaintance already has the fifth-most blocks by a freshman in program history. 

Sun Devil Freshman Blocks Record (1978-79-present)
55, Mario Bennett, 1991-92
33, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
31, Ike Diogu, 2002-03
29, Jalen Graham, 2019-20
25, Jayden Quaintance, 2024-25
 
Quaintance has four or more blocks in four games, becoming the first Sun Devil to accomplish that feat in a season since Warren Washington did it four times during the entire 2022-23 season. Quaintance has matched that total in only six games, joining all-time ASU shot blocker Jordan Bachysnski as the only Sun Devils to record four or more blocks in the first seven games to start the season. 

Sansational Start
Joson Sanon continues to emerge as one of the premier freshman in the country. He finished with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting off the bench. Over the last four games, Joson Sanon has scored a total of 80 points (20 ppg) and grabbed 18 rebounds (4.5 rpg). During that span, he is shooting 27-47 (57.4%) from the field and 12-22 (54.5%) from beyond the arc. He is now averaging a team-best 15.0 points per game this season.

Sanon is just the 20th Sun Devil to have two 20+ point games in their freshman campaign. 

Sun Devil Fresman 20-Point Games (1972-73 to present)
18, Jahii Carson, 2012-13
16, James Harden, 2007-08
12, Ike Diogu, 2002-03
9, Luguentz Dort, 2018-19
7, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
5, Steve Beck, 1983-84
4, Christian Polk, 2006-07
3, Josh Christopher, 2020-21
3, Eddie House, 1996-97
3, Ron Riley, 1992-93
3, Byron Scott, 1979-80
3, Gary Jackson, 1972-73
2, Joson Sanon, 2024-25
2, Remy Martin, 2017-18
2, Jonathan Gilling, 2011-12
2, Ty Abbott, 2007-08
2, Jeff Pendergraph, 2005-06
2, Kevin Kruger (RS), 2003-04
2, Stevin Smith, 1990-91
2, Gregg Goorjian, 1978-79

Ba-Sheer Force
In his first two games, Basheer Jihad combined for five points on 1-of-10 shooting. Over his past five games, Jihad has accumulated 88 points (17.6 ppg) on 23-of-41 (56.1%) shooting . He is also 36-for-47 (76.6%) from the free throw line during that span.  
 
Comfortable when it is Close
Sun Devils moved to 18-8 in two-possession games over the past three seasons, including a three-point victory over New Mexico last night. Arizona State is 60-42 (58.8%) in close games in the Bobby Hurley era. 

Player of the Year Watch Lists
Freshman Jayden Quaintance is one of 20 initial candidates for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given out annually the nation's best center. Senior BJ Freeman is one of 20 players selected to the Julius Erving Award preseason watch list, which recognizes the top small forward in the country. The duo represent the first Sun Devils to land on a national award preseason watch list since 2021.

Phenomenal Freshman
Head Coach Bobby Hurley put together a Top-10 recruiting class, the highest in program history. It was ranked No. 9 by 247 Sports and No. 8 by Rivals and features a five-star recruit alongside two high four-star prospects.

Jayden Quaintance

  • The highest-rated recruit to ever sign with Arizona State. 
  • Ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect in the entire class of 2024 and the No. 2 center prospect by 247 Sports
  • Rivals tabbed him as the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 1 center in the 2024 class
  • Consensus five-star recruit and No. 1 prospect out of the state of North Carolina among all the major recruiting services
  • 2024 McDonald's All-American

Joson Sanon

  • Third-highest ranked recruit to ever sign with Arizona State according to 247 Sports, trailing only Jayden Quaintance and Josh Christopher
  • Ranked as the No. 24 overall prospect in the entire class of 2024 and the No. 5 shooting guard prospect by 247 Sports
  • Identified as the No. 26 overall player and No. 8 shooting guard in the nation by Rivals
  • ESPN lists him as the No. 23 overall prospect in their Top-100 and the No. 6 shooting guard in the class of 2024

G/F Amier Ali

  • 11th-highest ranked recruit to ever sign with Arizona State according to 247 Sports
  • ESPN lists him at No. 54 in their Top-100 prospect rankings
    • No. 15 small forward prospect in the nation
    • No. 3 prospect in the state of Arizona
  • No. 98 overall prospect in the nation according to 247 Sports
    • No. 21 small forward prospect in the country
    • No. 5 prospect in the state of Arizona
  • Tabbed by Rivals as the No. 104 overall prospect and No. 27 small forward in the class of 2024

Impact Transfers
A five-man transfer class immediately bolstered the Sun Devil Men's Basketball roster. It is one of the premier transfer classes in program history. BJ FreemanAlston Mason, and Basheer Jihad join the fold after leading their teams in scoring a season ago. Brandon Gardner and Austin Nunez return to Arizona State after making strong connections with the connections in their previous recruitment process.

Brandon Gardner, USC
G/F BJ Freeman, UW Milwaukee
Alston Mason, Missouri State
Basheer Jihad, Ball State
Austin Nunez, Ole Miss

Youth movement
Arizona State freshman forward Jayden Quaintance enters the 2024-25 season as the youngest player in college basketball. He is over six months younger than the second-youngest on the list, which is Duke's Cooper Flagg. 

Name School Birthdate
Jayden Quaintance Arizona State 07/2007
Cooper Flagg Duke 12/2006
Colt Langdon Butler 11/2006
Bryce Heard NC State 10/2006
Khaman Maluach Duke 09/2006

Family Ties
The Sun Devil Men's Basketball roster features several connections through bloodline. Head Coach Bobby Hurley's son, Bobby Hurley, is a senior guard on the team. Senior guard Alston Mason's father, Alton Mason, played at Arizona State from 1998-2001. Senior guard Jordan Williams cousin is legendary Sun Devil guard James Harden.

Career Games Played (total | @ ASU)
Sun Devils have a combined 672 games of experience at the Division I Level (Includes previous school). ASU has eight players with over 49 games of experience at the Division I level.

Basheer Jihad - 98 | 7
Adam Miller - 94 | 30
Brycen Long - 90 | 6
Alston Mason - 86 | 7
Connor Braun - 75 | 0
BJ Freeman  - 66 | 7
Austin Nunez  - 62 | 32
Shawn Phillips Jr. - 50 | 30
Bobby Hurley - 21 | 21
Jordan Williams 8 | 8
Jayden Quaintance - 7 | 7
Joson Sanon - 7 | 7
Amier Ali - 7 | 7
Brandon Gardner - 1 | 0
Chianti Clay - 0 | 0
Quentin McCoy - 0 | 0

The Hurley Era
Bobby Hurley has won 161 games at ASU and is only the second coach in program history to reach the mark. With the win over Cal Poly, he passed Herb Sendek for the second-most victories in program history.

Career Wins at ASU
406, Ned Wulk (1957-82)
161, Bobby Hurley (2015-present)
159, Herb Sendek (2006-15)

About those Sun Devil Wins
Coach Hurley has notched 161 wins at Arizona State and has done it while scheduling aggressively and not being afraid to play on the road. He has won 102 games in Arizona, but also has won at least five games in California (15), Nevada (13), Oregon (six) and Washington (five). Four wins have taken place in Utah, three in New York, and two in Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Single wins have taken place in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, New Jersey and Texas.

Milestone Complete
Hurley earned the 200th win in his head coaching career between Arizona State and Buffalo in his 12th season at the Division I level. 160 of those wins have come with Sun Devil Men's Basketball. Hurley also earned his 150th career win when ASU beat Grand Canyon back in 2021.

Roster Snapshot (numerical)
#0 Brandon Gardner (Redshirt Freshman/Forward/USC/Waynesboro, GA)
#1 Alston Mason (Senior/Guard/Missouri State/Phoenix, AZ)
#2 Austin Nunez (Junior/Guard/Ole Miss/Garden Ridge, TX)
#3 Joson Sanon (Freshman/Guard/Saxton Rivers, VT)
#5 Amier Ali (Freshman/Guard/Forward/Little Elm, TX)
#6 Connor Braun (Graduate/Forward/Northeastern/Tempe, AZ)
#8 Basheer Jihad (Senior/Forward/Ball State/Detroit, MI)
#9 Shawn Phillips Jr. (Junior/Center/Dayton, OH)
#10 BJ Freeman (Senior/Guard & Forward/UW Milwaukee/Selma, NC)
#11 Bobby Hurley (Senior/Guard/Scottsdale, AZ)
#14 Chianti Clay (Senior/Guard/University of Fort Lauderdale/Milwaukee, WI)
#21 Jayden Quaintance (Freshman/Forward/Raleigh, NC)
#22 Quentin McCoy (Freshman/Guard/Chicago, IL)
#25 Jordan Williams (Senior/Guard/Los Angeles, CA)
#33 Brycen Long (Graduate/Guard/Gilbert, AZ)
#44 Adam Miller (Redshirt Senior/Guard/Peoria, IL)
5 returners; 7 transfers; 4 incoming freshman

Constant Competition

Head Coach Bobby Hurley and his staff have once again constructed an extremely challenging slate that sees Arizona State hosting winning programs and taking on strong competition away from home. The 11-game schedule features seven contests away from home and four at Desert Financial Arena in addition to the exhibition matchup with Duke prior to the season on Oct. 27. ASU has 2024 NCAA Tournament participants Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, New Mexico, and Florida with a showdown against St. Mary's possible as well. 

Season Metrics
Ken Pom: 63
Strength of Record: 20
RPI (Warren Nolan): 18
NET: Available beginning in December

AP Top-13 (ASU game)
1. Kansas (Jan. 8 road game)
2. Connecticut
3. Gonzaga (Nov. 10 road game)
4. Auburn
5. Iowa State (Jan. 25 home game)
6. Houston (Feb. 18 home game)
7. Tennessee (Feb. 18 home game)
8. Kentucky
9. Alabama
10. Marquette
11. Duke (Oct. 27 road game; Exhibition)
Arizona State plays six AP Top-11 teams.

2024-25 Arizona State Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Oct. 27 - at Duke (Brotherhood Run Exhibition; Cameron Indoor Stadium)*
Nov. 5 - vs. Idaho State (Home/Regular Season Opener; Desert Financial Arena)
Nov. 8 - Santa Clara (Lee's Family Forum; Las Vegas, NV)
Nov. 10 - at Gonzaga (McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, WA)
Nov. 14 - Grand Canyon (Hall of Fame Series; Footprint Center in Phoenix)
Nov. 17 - vs. St. Thomas (Desert Financial Arena)
Nov. 20 - vs. Cal Poly (Desert Financial Arena)
Nov. 28 - New Mexico (Acrisure Classic; Palm Springs, CA)
Nov. 29 - St. Mary's or USC (Acrisure Classic; Palm Springs, CA)
Dec. 3 - vs. San Diego (Desert Financial Arena)
Dec. 14 - Florida (Holiday Hoopsgiving; Atlanta, GA)
Dec. 21 - UMass (Basketball Hall of Fame Classic; Springfield, MA)
*Exhibition contest

Arizona State makes the transition to the Big 12 Conference and have six conference games scheduled against Top-25 competition. A pair of the Top-10 teams (Iowa State & Houston) will all come to Desert Financial Arena. Of their 20 league games, 15 will come against opponents that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

2024-25 Sun Devil Men's Basketball Big 12 Schedule
Dec. 31 (Tues.) - at BYU
Jan. 4 (Sat.) - vs. Colorado
Jan. 8 (Wed.) - at Kansas
Jan. 11 (Sat.) - vs. Baylor
Jan. 14 (Tues.) - vs. UCF
Jan. 18 (Sat.) - at Cincinnati
Jan. 21 (Tues.) - at West Virginia
Jan. 25 (Sat.) - vs. Iowa State
Jan. 28 (Tues.) - at Colorado
Feb. 1 (Sat.) - vs. Arizona
Feb. 4 (Tues.) - vs. Kansas State
Feb. 9 (Sun.) - at Oklahoma State
Feb. 12 (Wed.) - at Texas Tech
Feb. 15 (Sat.) - vs. TCU
Feb. 18 (Tues.) - vs. Houston
Feb. 23 (Sat.) - at Kansas State
Feb. 26 (Wed.) - vs. BYU
March 1 (Sat.) - at Utah
March 4 (Tues.) - at Arizona
March 8 (Sat.) - vs. Texas Tech

Big 12 teams in AP Top 25
1. Kansas (Jan. 8 road game)
5. Iowa State (Jan. 25 home game)
6. Houston (Feb. 18 home game)
16. Cincinnati (Jan. 18 road game)
17. Baylor (Jan. 11 home game)
23. Arizona (Feb. 2 home game; March 4 road game)

Big 12 Matchups
Arizona (1 road; 1 home game)
Baylor (1 home game)
BYU (1 road; 1 home game)
Cincinnati (1 road game)
Colorado (1 road; 1 home game)
Houston (1 home game)
Iowa State (1 home game)
Kansas (1 road game)
Kansas State (1 road; 1 home game)
Oklahoma State (1 road game)
TCU (1 home game)
Texas Tech (1 road; 1 home game)
UCF (1 home game)
Utah (1 road game)
West Virginia (1 road game)

Season Tickets
Season tickets are available starting at just $180. Season tickets include all regular season home games in Desert Financial Arena.
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Mini Plans
6-game mini plans are available starting at just $150. Fans can choose any 6 home games to include in their plan.
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Single-game Tickets
Single-game tickets are on sale now. Visit Sun Devil Tickets for more information on how to purchase. If you are interested in learning more about any of our tickets and experience options, please call or text 480-727-0000 or email grouptickets@asu.edu to contact a Sun Devil ticket sales representative.

Here to Stay
The Arizona State Board of Regents announced in March of 2023 that Sun Devil Men's Basketball Head Coach Bobby Hurley has agreed to an extension that will keep him with the program through the 2026 season.

Sun Devils on Social
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program, follow our X/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilHoops), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilHoops/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com). Follow Coach Hurley on X (@BobbyHurley11).