The 2016-17 Sun Devil men's basketball team (5-4) has zig-zagged across North America three times (Orlando, Bahamas and New York City) and makes its final road trip of non-conference play with a visit to Viejas Arena to take on San Diego State on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 4 p.m. PT/5 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network. Dave Ryan, Steve Lappas and John Schriffen (sidelines) have the call, as ASU is in the middle of a six-game stretch that has them playing No. 1 Kentucky, No. 18 Purdue and current No. 10 Creighton along with UNLV, at San Diego State (2016 Mountain West regular season champion) and New Mexico State (2016 WAC regular season champion). The Sun Devils returned 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, on ESPN 620 AM in Phoenix. ASU hopes to cash in on .739 free throw percentage (150-of-203) to start the year, its best since it shot the same in 2007-08. ASU won two non-conference road games last year in Coach Hurley's first season (UNLV and Creighton) after going 8-22 in the previous 30 out of conference road tilts.
A 25-YEAR ANNIVERSARY: In the 1992 Final Four, No. 1 Duke topped No. 15 Michigan 71-51 as Sun Devil head coach Bobby Hurley earned Most Outstanding Player Honors. That Duke team defeated the Michigan Fab Five, coached by San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher. Duke and Coach Hurley went 4-0 vs. Coach Fisher-led Wolverine teams, as Coach Hurley averaged 16 points and 6.5 assists, including a 26-point, seven assist effort in a Dec. 14, 1991 88-85 overtime win in Crisler arena.
ASU VS. SDSU: ASU leads the series 16-10, with the last meeting a 55-52 Sun Devil win in Tempe on Dec. 19, 2009. No. 15 ASU topped SDSU 59-52 on Nov. 18, 2008 in its last trip to Viejas, as SDSU entered the game 38-7 at home and had topped its two previous ranked teams. ASU shot .571 (20-of-35), including 9-of-13 (.692) in the second half, but trailed 15-2 at the 12:46 mark of the first half before coming back as James Harden led the way with 18 points.
LAST WIN: ASU 97, UNLV 73 (12/3/16): ASU started fast and never looked back in a 97-73 win over UNLV, as ASU made 13-of-22 (.591) three-pointers in the first half en route to matching a school record with 18. Shannon Evans II led ASU with 28 points while Torian Graham had 22 and Tra Holder 20. ASU led 51-32 at the half and had just eight turnovers. The 28 points by Evans II is the most by a Sun Devil since Jahii Carson had 29 at Oregon on March 4, 2014 (107 games).
SUN DEVIL MOST THREE POINT FIELD GOALS
18 vs. UNLV, Dec. 3, 2016
18 vs. San Francisco, Nov. 20, 2009
17 vs. Oregon State, Mar. 5, 2011
17 vs. Idaho State, Dec. 23, 2008
16 vs. Miami (Ohio), Nov. 12, 2013
15 vs. Citadel, Nov. 23, 2016
SHANNON EVANS II TOP CAREER SCORING GAMES
33 vs. Cornell (1/3/15)
28 vs. UNLV (12/3/16)
25 at Ball State (2/4/15)
THREE-DOT SUN DEVIL DATA: Junior Tra Holder is 261-of-362 (.721) from the charity stripe in his 73-game career...senior Torian Graham has three 20-point games...Shannon Evans made his first 20 free throws to start the season. He is 221-of-274 (.807) from the free throw line in his career...Obi Oleka is 21-of-29 (.724) from the free throw line and is averaging 11.4 points and 9.4 rebounds...Kodi Justice has made 90 three-pointers in 59 career games.
JETHRO NOTE: Freshman Jethro Tshisumpa has nine blocks in 53 minutes on the year. Sun Devil Jordan Bachynsnki, the Pac-12 career leader, had 20 his freshman season when he played 240 minutes.
GOT IT DONE FAST: 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.
MILES: The Sun Devils last year had a 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. #1 Kentucky (Nov. 28)=4,320
Jimmy V Classic @NYC vs. #18 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.
ASU 96, CAL POLY 74 (11/13/16): ASU 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.
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 531 games.
OOC SCHEDULE: Last year's Sun Devil OOC schedule was 13th-best in the nation, and this year ASU faces AP preseason top-25 teams #2 Kentucky in Bahamas, Purdue (#15) in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 6 and hosts #22 Creighton at 7 p.m. MT on ESPN2 on Dec. 20.
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: 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
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. #18 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)
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 31
MPG: 19.0/28.4
3PT MADE: 3/30
FT: 17-27 (.630)/77-96 (.802)
RPG: 4.9/7.7
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)
ASU 88, PORTLAND STATE 70 (11/11/16): Tra Holder 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. Obi Oleka added 13 rebounds. 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
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)
28 vs. UNLV (12/3/16)
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)
FIVE QUESTIONS WITH SHANNON EVANS
Most upset you have ever been on the court: Losing the NCAA tournament
Happiest you have ever been on the court: Winning the MAC championship
You can go watch a past sporting event live...which one? 1991 Duke vs UNLV
Past Sun Devil (any sport) you wish you could have watched compete: Pat Tillman
Who has been the biggest influence on your career? Mom, dad, and Coach Hurley
JUSTICE SERVED: Kodi Justice has made 91 three pointers in 59 career games. He suffered a fractured navicular bone in his left foot on Jan. 25, 2015 (freshman year) and missed the remainder of that season, but bounced back with a solid sophomore season. His injury happened the game following a season-high 16 points at California, so he was just starting to get in the groove, and then adapted to a new coaching staff in the summer of 2015 while getting healthy. He posted 10 double-digit scoring games last year (three in 18 games in 2014-15). He tied for second on the team in assists with 76 and third in steals with 30.
KODI JUSTICE TOP SCORING GAMES
20 vs. Citadel (11/23/16)
20 vs. Houston Baptist (12/19/15)
17 vs. Washington (1/16/16)
16 vs. Washington State (1/14/16)
16 at California (1/22/15)
FIVE QUESTIONS WITH KODI JUSTICE
You can pick the brain of any coach, who is it?: John Wooden.
Happiest you have ever been on the court: My first game at ASU.
You can go watch a past sporting event live...which one? Rumble in the Jungle
Past Sun Devil (any sport) you wish you could have watched compete: Pat Tillman
Biggest challenge in my life: Being dyslexic.