The 2016-17 Sun Devil men's basketball team (4-2) hits the road for another Eastern Time Zone game as it travels to the Bahamas to face top-ranked Kentucky on Monday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. ASU went 1-2 in the Tire Pros Invitational Nov. 17-20, topping Tulane and losing to Northern Iowa and Davidson, and topped Citadel 127-110 on Wednesday, tied for the second-most points in Sun Devil history. The Sun Devils return two starters (Tra Holder and Obi Oleka) and four total lettermen from last year's squad that posted eight wins against top-100 RPI teams in Bobby Hurley's first season. Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd have the call on the Sun Devil Sports Radio Network, presented by MidFirst.
THROUGH SIX GAMES: Junior Tra Holder leads ASU in scoring (18.0 ppg.) and is 34-of-44 (.773) from the free throw line on the year. He is 256-of-353 (.725) from the charity stripe in his 70-game career...senior Torian Graham is 19-of-42 (.452) from the three-point stripe and has two 20-point games...Shannon Evans II is 26-of-30 (.867) from the free throw line on the year. He made his first 20 to start the season. He is 210-of-261 (.805) from the free throw line in his career...Obi Oleka is 18-of-25 (.720) from the free throw line and is averaging 12.2 points and 10.3 rebounds...Kodi Justice has made 85 three-pointers in 56 career games...ASU is 112-of-152 (.737) from the free throw line...seven players are averaging more than 15 minutes per game and four players are averaging double digits.
WHOA: Starting with its Nov. 28 game vs. top-ranked Kentucky, ASU will play six games in 23 days that are...well...challenging. Check out the six games and the basketball history of each opponent.
SUPER TOUGH SIX IN A ROW (RANKINGS AS OF NOV. 21)
Monday, Nov. 28 vs. #1 Kentucky at Bahamas (8-time NCAA champion)
Saturday, Dec. 3 vs. UNLV (6 NCAA Tournaments in past 10 seasons)
Tuesday, Dec. 6 vs. #17 Purdue at New York City (8 NCAA Tournaments past 10 seasons)
Saturday, Dec. 10 at San Diego State (7 NCAA Tournaments past 11 seasons)
Saturday, Dec. 17 vs. New Mexico State (4 NCAA Tournaments past 5 seasons)
Tuesday, Dec. 20 vs. #12 Creighton (10 NCAA Tournaments past 18 seasons)
LET'S ADD UP THE MILES: The Sun Devils last year had a very tough out-of-conference schedule, playing three OOC road games for just the fifth time in 38 seasons. This year, it has one true "road" game but its travel schedule is even tougher. ASU between Nov. 16 (travel day) and Dec. 10 (game at San Diego State) will travel 12,900 miles and sleep in a hotel in 11 of 25 nights.
ROAD TRIP(S)!!! ... ROUND TRIP MILES FROM PHOENIX
Orlando/Tire Pros Invitational (Nov. 17-20)=3,680
Bahamas vs. #2 Kentucky (Nov. 28)=4,320
Jimmy V Classic @NYC vs. #15 Purdue (Dec. 6)=4,300
San Diego @SDSU (Dec. 10)=600
FINAL FOUR IN 2017: ASU and Glendale/Phoenix host the 2017 Final Four, the first Final Four held west of Texas since Seattle in 1995. It will be held at University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The 2017 Final Four will also marks the 25th anniversary of Bobby Hurley earning 1992 MOP.
HISTORY LESSON: ASU's lone win vs. No. 1 was in Corvallis, OR, on March 7, 1981. ASU, coached by 2003 Pac-10 Hall of Honor inductee Ned Wulk, travelled to Corvallis and led 40-20 at the half against top-ranked and undefeated Oregon State and won 87-67 on the final day of the regular season. All five ASU starters (Sam Williams, Paul Williams, Alton Lister, Byron Scott and Fat Lever) in that game were future NBA first- or second-round draft picks. A look at ASU vs. No. 1, and note that all the games were on the road but one.
@SUNDEVILHOOPS VS. NO. 1
#1 Arizona 91, ASU 68 in Tucson (Jan. 16, 2014)
#1 Arizona 92, ASU 72 in Tempe (Feb. 22 2003)
#1 Arizona 71, ASU 63 in Tucson (Jan. 22, 2003)
#1 Stanford 99, ASU 75 in Palo Alto, Calif. (Mar. 8, 2001)
#1 Stanford 86, ASU 67 in Palo Alto, Calif. (Jan. 6, 2000)
#1 Arizona 99, ASU 59 in Tucson (Jan. 28, 1988)
#5 ASU 87, #1 Oregon State 67 in Corvallis (Mar. 7, 1981)
#1 UCLA 89, #7 ASU 75 in Portland (Mar. 22, 1975)
#1 UCLA 98, #16 ASU 81 at Los Angeles/NCAA (Mar. 15, 1973)
ASU 96, CAL POLY 74 (11/13/16): ASU led just 39-38 at the half as Cal Poly hit seven threes in the first half, but ASU's guards became hard to guard as the Sun Devils scored 57 in the second half and raced to a 96-74 win. Tra Holder posted 24 points, while Shannon Evans II added 20 and Torian Graham had 18 off the bench. Evans II became the first Sun Devil since Ike Diogu (Jan. 17, 2004 vs. USC) to go perfect in at least 12 free throw attempts, while ASU's 57 second-half points was the most in a half since it scored 58 vs. San Francisco on Nov. 20, 2009.
ASU 88, PORTLAND STATE 70 (11/11/16): Tra Holder (9-of-11 free throws) and Torian Graham (9-of-11 FGs off the bench) led ASU with 23 points, while Shannon Evans added 19 in the 88-70 win over Portland State to open the season. ASU hit nine threes, and Obi Oleka added 13 rebounds. PSU led for most of the first six minutes, but ASU pulled away to lead 44-30 at the half. ASU beat the Vikings 47-32 on the boards and got 30 points from its bench. Graham's 23 points marked the most by a Sun Devil in a career debut since Jerren Shipp had 23 on Nov. 13, 2006.
MOST POINTS IN ASU DEBUT (1987-88 TO PRESENT
28-Isaac Burton, Jr.,/ASU 106, BYU 95 (Nov. 27, 1993)
26-Steve Moore, Jr./ASU 80, Arkanas-Little Rock 72 (Nov. 22, 2003)
23-Torian Graham, Sr./ASU 88, Portland State 70 (Nov. 11, 2016)
23-Jerren Shipp, Fr./NAU 75, ASU 71 (Nov. 13, 2006
23-Gee Gervin, Fr. /ASU 111, Jacksonville 69 (Nov. 22, 1996)
MOST ASU POINTS OFF BENCH (1997-98 TO PRESENT)
31-Steve Moore, 2/10/05 at UCLA
29-Shawn Redhage, 2/8/03 at Washington
24-Savon Goodman, 12/20/14 vs Lehigh
24-Tommy Smith, 2/10/01 vs. Washington
24-Tanner Shell, 1/20/00 at USC
23-Torian Graham, 11/11/16 vs Portland State
THREE-POINT NOTE: Entering 2016-17 ASU had made a three-pointer in 522 straight games. The last time ASU did not make a three-pointer was in an 89-57 win over Washington in Tempe on Feb. 10, 2001. That streak is now up to 528 games.
OBI ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: It was the Jan. 14 WSU game where forward Obinna Oleka (Oh-BEE-nah Oh-LEH-ka) began to emerge last season. Obi was in double figures in 13 of the final 16 games and averaged 11.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and was 41-of-49 (.837) from the free throw line in that time. He also had three of his four double-doubles in that span. Oleka had no points and one rebound in the first two games, but because he only played five games for State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota the previous two seasons and didn't play in 2014-15, a slow start was expected. Consider this: Before he took the court in the opener Nov. 13, his previous official game was Dec. 7, 2013...a 705-day break between games.
OBI OLEKA FIRST 10 CAREER GAMES/PAST 28
MPG: 19.0/28.6
3PT: 3-16 (.188)/29-90 (.322)
FT: 17-27 (.630)/74-92 (.804)
RPG: 4.9/7.6 --- PPG: 6.4/11.1
TOP SCORING GAMES FOR OBINNA OLEKA
20 vs. Citadel (11/23/16)
19 vs. Kennesaw State (11/18/15)
17 vs. Cal Poly (11/13/16)
17 vs. #23 Oregon (1/31/16)
17 vs. Oregon State (1/28/16)
17 vs. #8 Arizona (1/3/16)
OOC SCHEDULE: Last year's Sun Devil OOC schedule was 13th-best in the nation, and this year expect the same. ASU will face AP preseason top-25 teams #2 Kentucky in Bahamas on Nov. 28, Purdue (#15) in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 6 and host #22 Creighton at 7 p.m. MT on ESPN2 on Dec. 20. ASU is one of four Pac-12 teams hosting a preseason AP Top-25 team.
PAC-12 SCHOOLS HOSTING AP PRESEASON TOP-25 TEAMS
#17 Saint Mary's at Stanford, Nov. 30
#7 Xavier at Colorado, Dec. 7
#22 Creighton at Arizona State, Dec. 20
#8 Virginia at Cal, Dec. 21
WHOA: Buffalo was 285-369 (.436) in 22 seasons after going Division I (1991-2013). Under Bobby Hurley the Bulls were 42-20 (.678) in his two seasons.
BEST THING ABOUT FRESHMAN IS THEY BECOME SOPHOMORES: Tra Holder averaged 14.2 points in 2015-16 after averaging 7.0 in his freshman season. The +7.2 increase is the best from first year to second year Sun Devil since Jeremy Veal went from 7.4 in 1994-95 to 18.9 in 1995-96 (+11.5).
BIGGEST SUN DEVIL SCORING IMPROVEMENTS (FIRST SEASON TO SECOND)
Jeremy Veal, +11.5 (7.4 in 1994-95 to 18.9 in 1995-96)
Dennis Hamilton, +11.1 (6.2 in 1963-64 to 17.3 in 1964-65)
Art Becker, +10.1 (9.0 in 1961-62 to 19.1 in 1962-63)
Arthur Thomas, +9.4 (4.3 in 1984-85 to 13.7 in 1985-86)
Tra Holder, +7.2 (7.0 in 2014-15 to 14.2 in 2015-16)
HE CAN PLAY: Transfer Shannon Evans II arrived at ASU after having spent two seasons under Coach Hurley at Buffalo. As a sophomore in 2014-15 he averaged 15.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists and led the Bulls to the NCAA Tournament as he earned second-team All-MAC honors. As a freshman, he averaged 8.5 points and 3.3 assists per game and was named to the All-MAC Freshman Team. He sat the 2015-16 season but has two years to play starting in 2016-17.
SHANNON EVANS II 20-POINT SCORING GAMES (11)
33 vs. Cornell (1/3/15)
25 at Ball State (2/4/15)
24 at UT-Arlington (11/18/14)
23 at Western Michigan (1/10/15)
23 at Grand Canyon (11/25/14)
21 vs. Tulane (11/18/16)
21 at Kent State (2/28/15)
21 at St. Bonaventure (12/3/14)
20 vs. Niagara (12/19/14)
20 vs. Manhattan (12/21/13)
20 vs. Cal Poly (11/13/16)