The Arizona State Sun Devil men's basketball team (10-6; 0-3) returns home after two close Los Angeles losses to host the Washington State Cougars (Thur., Jan. 14/6 p.m.) and Washington Huskies (Saturday, Jan. 16/5 p.m.) with both games broadcast by Pac-12 Network. Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd have the Sun Devil radio call on the Sun Devil Sports Radio Network (620 AM), presented by MidFirst. Daron Sutton and Matt Muehlebach have the Pac-12 call Thursday, with Spero Dedes joining Muehlebach on Saturday. ASU is 54-10 (.844) at home in the past four seasons.
TWEETABLES ABOUT @SUNDEVILHOOPS...
√ Tra Holder is averaging 21.1 points in past seven games
√ Willie Atwood: 12.1 ppg. and 32-of-36 (.889) FTs in past 7 games
√ Obi Oleka is averaging 10.2 points in the past six games
√ 246-of-342 (.719) from the free throw line in the past 15 games
√ Averaging 41.4 points in second half (33.4 in the first half)
√ ASU has won the past five vs. WSU in Tempe
QUICK NOTES FROM LAST WEEKEND: ASU fell at USC 75-65 on Thursday (Jan. 7) and 81-74 at UCLA on Saturday (Jan. 9), but had good chances down the stretch in both...ASU was down 54-37 at the 10:37 mark at USC but came back and was down 65-63 with the ball with a minute left before three missed shots resulted in run-out baskets for the Trojans...at UCLA, ASU led 74-72 with 2:01 left but gave up a three-pointer with just over a minute left after a UCLA offensive rebound...on the weekend Tra Holder was 17-of-30 (.567) from the field, 7-of-12 (.583) from three and had 21 at USC and career-best 26 at UCLA...ASU was uncharacteristic 6-of-15 from the free throw line at USC.
ONE CALENDAR YEAR LATER...WOW: Last year after the Jan. 15 Utah game Tra Holder was shooting below 30 percent, had just 15 buckets, made just two three-pointers and was averaging just over four points per game. Times have changed. One calendar year later, in the first 16 games this year he is averaging a team-best 16.3 points and has made 24 three-pointers. Already he has led the team in scoring in 10 games and has five 20-point games. He is the first Sun Devil to post four straight 20-point games since Jahii Carson did it twice in 2012-13.
AT HOME: ASU is 54-10 (.844) at home in the past four seasons, the most home wins in a four-year period since the Lionel Hollins-led Sun Devils opened the building in 1974-75. Prior to this era, the most home wins in any four-year era was 51 (1991-95 and from 2007-11). The best winning percentage in a four-year span came from 1979-83, when the Sun Devils went 49-12 (.803). ASU is 21-7 (.750) in Pac-12 play at home in the past four years and is the only team to beat each of the past three Pac-12 champions in those seasons as it topped Arizona the past two seasons and beat UCLA in 2012-13.
RPI/SOS: As of Monday (Jan. 11), here is a list of the nine top-50 RPI teams who also have a top-15 SOS: Xavier (1 RPI/11 SOS), Villanova (2/1), Kansas (3/6), Kentucky (9/9), Oregon (10/8), Texas Tech (14/4), Florida (27/5), Texas (35/3), Arizona State (46/14), UCSB (50/2).
ROAD NOTE: As of Monday (Jan. 11), here is a list of the seven top-50 RPI teams who have played at least five road games: Valparaiso (22/9), Monmouth (24/9), Texas-Arlington (39/7), Georgia State (42/6), Wichita State (43/5), Arizona State (46/5), UCSB (50/9).
52,961: In early December ASU had a four-game stretch that included three road games and home game vs. a SEC ranked team. ASU won at Creighton (Dec. 2) and UNLV and lost at #5 Kentucky (Dec. 12), playing in front 52,961 in those three games, while last year in its nine Pac-12 road games, ASU played in front of 69,519. The home game in that stretch? A 67-54 win over No. 18 Texas A&M (in which ASU led by 25) on Dec. 5, which itself was coming off wins over Gonzaga and Texas.
EIGHT OF 75: There are 75 teams in the the "power five" hoops conferences and ASU was one of just eight to play at least three out-of-conference "true" road games (true being on the opponent home floor). Others to do it were Alabama, Auburn, Creighton, DePaul (4), Florida, Ole Miss (4) and Penn State.
WOW ON THE OOC: ASU played five games away from Tempe in non-conference action, and went 3-2 with wins at UNLV, at Creighton and vs. NC State in Brooklyn. It lost an overtime game to Marquette in Brooklyn and at #5 Kentucky. ASU went 3-10 on the road last year and 3-13 away from home, and was 15-42 on the road (.263) and 21-56 (.272) away from home in the previous five seasons.
CLOSE STATS: In the final 10 minutes of the three close wins (NC State, UCSB and at Creighton), Andre Spight is 4-of-7 from the field (including 3-of-6 from the three), Eric Jacobsen is perfect in eight FTA and the Sun Devils grabbed 14 offensive boards (opponents had four). In the second half of those games, Savon Goodman was 12-of-15 from the field, ASU was 28-of-37 (.757) from the free throw line (opponents 20-of-31/.645) and grabbed 25 offensive boards (opponents have just nine).
QUICK HITTERS: ASU has played four games decided by three points or less (3-1)...ASU is averaging just 9.8 turnovers per game in the past four contests after averaging 13.2 in first 12 games...want a halftime adjustment stat? The Sun Devils are averaging 41.4 points in the second half this year (33.4 in the first half)...ASU had five players in double figures in the Texas A&M and the Houston Baptist wins. That happened once last year.
FOUR STRAIGHT: Tra Holder is the first Sun Devil to score 20 points in four straight games since Jahii Carson did it twice in his freshman season of 2012-13.
WILLIE THEN AND NOW: Last season Willie Atwood averaged 11.6 minutes, scored 92 total points (3.0 per game) and was 11-of-31 (.355) from the three-point stripe. With a slimmed-down frame, he is a new player this year. He is averaging 28.4 minutes and is averaging 10.3 points and has three double-doubles. He has 39 offensive rebounds (after grabbing 20 last year), 10 double-digit scoring games (he had two last year also had 15 games where he did not score).
QUICK COACH NOTE: Buffalo was 285-369 (.436) in its first 22 seasons after going Division I (1991-2013). Under Coach Hurley the Bulls were 42-20 (.678) in his two seasons.
NOV. 23-DEC. 16: From the end of November until mid-December, ASU had a seven-game stretch (which included just two home games) that was solid. The Sun Devils won 79-77 at Creighton on Dec. 2 (who was 89-0 when scoring 75 points in its home arena), topped #18 Texas A&M 67-54 (who beat Gonzaga and Texas) on Dec. 5 and lost at No. 5 Kentucky (Dec. 12). Prior to Creighton, the Sun Devils beat 2015 NCAA Tournament team NC State and dropped an overtime game to surging Marquette in Brooklyn. It also beat 19-game winner from year ago UCSB. ASU is 3-2 against 2015 NCAA Tournament teams with wins over Stephen F. Austin, Belmont and NC State (loss at Kentucky and Arizona), and got a quality road win over Creighton Dec. 2 in front of 16,282 people screaming in blue shirts. ASU then had No. 18 Texas A&M down 25 in the second half before notching the 13-point win on Dec. 5, and finished it up with the comeback win at UNLV on Dec. 16.
NOT LETTING GO OF THE ROPE: After going 2-6 in games decided by three points or less last year (losing first four), the Sun Devils have won three straight in this category. Creighton led for 28:27 on Dec. 2, while UCSB led for 29:50 on Nov. 29. ASU made its final 14 free throws to get the 70-68 UCSB win on Eric Jacobsen's putback with one second left, while the Sun Devils shot 18-of-28 (.643) from the field in the second half against the Blue Jays. ASU trailed 77-76 with 18 seconds left at CU and trailed 68-65 with under a minute left vs. UCSB.
WSU SERIES NOTES: Thursday marks the 77th all-time meeting between ASU and WSU, with the Sun Devils holding a 39-36 advantage...since joining the Pac-10, ASU leads 37-36...ASU has won three of past four and seven of the past 10 overall...ASU beat WSU 66-47 in the last Tempe meeting on Jan. 5, 2014....the teams met just once last year, a 74-71 Cougar win in Pullman on Feb. 13...ASU has won five straight vs. the Cougars in Tempe.
SUN DEVIL VS. COUGARS FIVE-GAME TEMPE WIN STREAK
ASU 66, WSU 47/Jan. 5, 2014
ASU 69, WSU 57/Feb. 20, 2013
ASU 71, WSU 67/Jan. 28, 2012
ASU 71, WSU 69/Feb. 19, 2011
ASU 71, WSU 46/Jan. 10, 2010
FTS: ASU went 23-of-26 (.885) from the FT line in its 70-68 UCSB win on Nov. 29 (made final 14). The .885 mark is the second-best in school history for at least 25 attempts, behind only the 24-of-26 mark set on Dec. 19, 1981, vs. Cal State-Los Angeles. ASU is 246-of-342 (.719) from the free throw line in the past 15 games (includes 8-of-15 at Kentucky and 6-15 at USC). Coach Hurley made .776 of his free throws while in college (441-of-568).
THREE NON-CONFERENCE ROADIES? When you toss out neutral site tournaments and talk only true road games, the 2015-16 season is just the second time since 1989-90 (also in 2010-11) that ASU played three non-conference road games, and they did it in a two-week span. ASU won at Creighton 79-77 on Dec. 2, lost at #5 Kentucky 72-58 on Dec. 12 and won at UNLV 66-56 on Dec. 16.
SEASONS OF THREE NON-CONFERENCE ROAD GAMES (1978-79 TO PRESENT)
2015-16 (at Creighton, #5 Kentucky and UNLV)
2010-11 (at New Mexico, Baylor and Nevada)
1989-90 (at San Francisco, Northern Arizona and Kansas)
1982-83 (at DePaul, Ohio State and Kansas State)
1981-82 (at Kansas, Utah and Marquette)
1978-79 (at Purdue, Hawaii and San Diego State)
YOU CAN CALL IT A COMEBACK: The Dec. 16 win at UNLV was the fifth-biggest halftime comeback (down 12, 37-25) in 27 years of Sun Devil hoops (1989-90 to present). It marked the largest ASU halftime comeback since Dec. 14, 2008, when ASU came back from 16 down to beat IUPUI at America West Arena. It also is the largest ASU halftime comeback in a road game since Feb. 12, 1994, when ASU came back from 17 down at the half tot win at Stanford. ASU trailed 45-31 at the 17:12 mark but it was all Sun Devils after that, as ASU outscored UNLV 35-11 from that point to pull away 66-56. ASU held UNLV to 5-of-26 (.192) from the floor in the second half and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds which led to 16-1 advantage in second-chance points. ASU outrebounded UNLV 43-30, which included starting guards Gerry Blakes (11 and all on the defensive end) and Tra Holder (career-high nine) grabbing 20. Holder had 19, Willie Atwood 14 and Blakes 11 to lead the scoring.
LARGEST HALFTIME COMEBACK DEFICITS (1989-1990 TO PRESENT)
(17) @Stanford 46, ASU 29--Feb. 12, 1994/ASU 71, @Stanford 69
(16) IUPUI 34, ASU 18 (@Phoenix)--Dec. 14, 2008/ASU 59, vs. IUPUI 58 (OT)
(16) New Mexico St. 45, ASU 29--Mar. 15, 2000/ASU 83, NMSU 77 (NIT)
(16) Georgia 39, ASU 23--Dec. 29, 1989/ASU 62, Georgia 61
(12) @UNLV 37, ASU 25--Dec. 16, 2015/ASU 66, @UNLV 56
ASU 79, @CREIGHTON 77 (DEC. 2, 2015): ASU became the first team to beat CU in its building when it scores 75 (89-1) with the 79-77 win, as Savon Goodman led the way 23 points and seven boards. ASU, the second Pac-12 team to visit Creighton in the regular-season since 1978, fell behind by nine and was down eight at that half (41-33). ASU opened the half with a 14-4 run in the first 3:16 and shot 18-of-28 (.643) from the field in the scond half.
8+ POINTS HALFTIME DEFICIT WINS PAST 10 YEARS (2006-PRESENT)
(16) IUPUI 34, ASU 18 (@Phoenix/Dec. 14, 2008)/ASU 59, vs. IUPUI 58 (OT)
(12) @UNLV 37, ASU 25--Dec. 16, 2015/ASU 66, @UNLV 56
(8) @Creighton 41, ASU 33--Dec. 2, 2015)/ASU 79, @Creighton 77
ASU 67, #18 TEXAS A&M 54 (DEC. 5, 2015): ASU jumped out to a 33-19 halftime lead and then led by as much as 25 before notching a 67-54 win over #18 Texas A&M. Willie Atwood had 15 points, Tra Holder added 13, Gerry Blakes had 13/6 and Savon Goodman posted 10 points and 12 rebounds. ASU shot .364 from the floor, but held Texas A&M to 19-of-61 (.311), including just 6-of-27 (.222) in the first half. Kodi Justice added 10 points off the bench.
FALL SIGNING PERIOD: ESPN tabbed Arizona State's November signing period two-man class as 19th in the nation. Sam Cunliffe, a 6-6 wing from Seattle who averaged nearly 20 points per game in his junior season, is rated as the top 2016 player in Washington, while shot blocker Jethro Tshisumpa at 6-10 and 260 is ranked as the 12th-best center prospect
EJ MAKES SHOTS: He doesn't take a lot of them, but when he does, he makes them. Eric Jacobsen shot .626 from the field (102-of-163) last season, the fourth-best season mark in Sun Devil history. Jacobsen averaged 28.6 minutes, 8.3 points and 5.9 rebounds last year in 34 games after averaging 8.8 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in his first two seasons. He is a career .579 shooter (190-of-328) in 112 career games.