The 2016-17 Sun Devil men's basketball team (9-7; 2-1) plays host to the Utah Utes Saturday at 3 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network after Tra Holder nailed two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining to give ASU a 78-77 win over Colorado Thursday night.
SEASON RESET: ASU zig-zagged across North America three times (Orlando, Bahamas and New York City), got a solid road win at San Diego State on Dec. 10 and had that translate into a solid 98-93 Pac-12 opening win at Stanford on Dec. 30 and the 78-77 CU win on Jan. 5. 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 (98.7 FM on Saturday), while J.B. Long and Don MacLean have the Pac-12 Network call.
ASU has four players averaging more than 13 points per game, while Obi Oleka is one of three players in the league averaging a double-double (13.4 ppg./10.2 rpg.).
QUICK HITTERS: The 82.0 points per game posted by ASU is its best since the 1997-98 squad averaged 84.5, as ASU ranks third in the Pac-12 in scoring and free throw shooting (.756)...ASU is averaging just 11.1 turnovers (first in the league) and 9.9 three-pointers made, second in the Pac-12.
TORIAN-ING IT UP: Torian Graham posted a career-high in each tilt of a three-game span with 24 vs. Creighton, 26 vs. Central Arkansas and then 30 off the bench at Stanford. In his past five games he is 45-of-83 (.542) from the field, 18-of-41 (.439) from three and averaging 22.2 points and 4.6 boards. He is shooting .532 (58-of-109) from the field in the eight games he has come off the bench.
MOST SUN DEVIL POINTS OFF BENCH (1989-90 TO PRESENT)
31-Steve Moore, 2/10/05 at UCLA
30-Torian Graham, 12/30/16 at Stanford
29-Shawn Redhage, 2/8/03 at Washington
27-Lester Neal, 12/28/92 vs. Duquesne
PAC-12 20-POINT GAME LEADERS
10- Markelle Fultz, Washington
7-Tra Holder, Arizona State
6-Bryce Alford, UCLA
6-Torian Graham, Arizona State
6-T.J. Leaf, UCLA
6-Reid Travis, Stanford
ASU 78, COLORADO 77 (1/5/17): ASU has now won the past four against CU in Tempe after the Jan. 5 78-77 win as Tra Holder hit two free throws with 1.06 seconds left for the win...five Sun Devils were in double digits...ASU made 10-of-11 (.909) from the free throw line...there were 14 lead changes in the final 10:47 (no lead of more than four points in that span) and Colorado led 64-62, 66-64, 68-67, 73-71, 75-74 and 77-76 before Holder's free throws...Shannon Evans had 18 as did Torian Graham off the bench...Obinna Oleka notched his ninth double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
VS. COLORADO IN PAC-12 ERA IN TEMPE (4-1)
ASU 78, CU 77/Jan. 5, 2017
ASU 78, CU 72/Jan. 17, 2015
ASU 72, CU 51/Jan. 25, 2014
ASU 65, CU 56/Jan. 6, 2012
CU 63, ASU 49/Feb. 11, 2012
ASU 98, @STANFORD 93 (12/30/16): Lots of three-dot data from the Pac-12 opening win over on Dec. 30...ASU made 33-of-43 free throws (second-most made in a Pac-12 game in school history)...52 first-half points were ASU's most in Pac-12 game since Feb. 2, 2010 (54 vs. Stanford)...98 points most by ASU in a Pac-12 road game since 99-90 2OT win at Cal on Jan. 17, 2008, and the most in regulation game since Jan. 17, 2004 (100-85 at USC) ...Torian Graham's 30 points most by a Sun Devil in Pac-12 opener since Jeff Pendergraph had 31 at Stanford on Jan. 2, 2009...Torian's 30 points off bench most by a Sun Devil since Steve Moore had 31 at UCLA on Feb. 10, 2005...Stanford had won past the five in Palo Alto and the home team had won the previous six as ASU's last win in Palo Alto was Feb. 25, 2010.
ASU'S HIGHEST SCORING PAC-10/12 ROAD GAMES
ASU 111, @California 108, 2OT (Jan. 8, 2000)
ASU 103, @Arizona 98, 2OT (Mar. 11, 1995)
ASU 100, @USC 85 (Jan. 17, 2004)
ASU 99, @California 90, 2OT (Jan. 17, 2008)
@Arizona 127, ASU 99 (Jan. 15, 1998)
ASU 99, @Oregon 84 (Jan. 30, 1993)
ASU 98, @Stanford 93 (Dec. 30, 2016)
OBI PUTTING UP NUMBERS: Senior 6-8 forward Obi Oleka has to do much of the big man work this year, as he has led or tied for team lead in rebounding in all but two games. He has nine double-doubles and in the past seven games he is averaging 15.9 points and 11.1 rebounds. He had a career-best 17 rebounds vs. Central Arkanas on Dec. 22.
FREE THROW THREE-DOT DATA: The Sun Devils are making free throws at a rate that is tied for best school history, as ASU is shooting 263-of-348 (.756) from the charity stripe. ASU also shot .756 in 1977-78 and .754 in 1954-55 for its best seasons...ASU went 12-of-12 in the second half of a tight win at San Diego State on Dec. 10 and was 16-of-18 for the game to seal that road tilt...junior Tra Holder is 301-of-412 (.731) from the charity stripe in his 80 games...Shannon Evans II made his first 20 free throws to start the season. He 245-of-300 (.817) from the free throw line in his career...Obi Oleka is 130-of-173 (.751) from the free throw line.
OBI PUTTING UP NUMBERS: Senior 6-8 forward Obi Oleka has to do much of the big man work this year, as he has led or tied for team lead in rebounding in all but two games. He has nine double-doubles and in the past seven games he is averaging 15.9 points and 11.1 rebounds. He had a career-best 17 rebounds vs. Central Arkanas on Dec. 22.
JETHRO NOTE: Freshman Jethro Tshisumpa -- with a 7-5 1/2 wingspan and 6% body fat -- has 22 blocks in 135 minutes on the year. Sun Devil Jordan Bachynsnki, the Pac-12 career leader, had 20 his freshman season when he played 240 minutes. Mario Bennett has the Sun Devil freshman record with 55 in 1991-92.
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 also marks the 25th anniversary of Bobby Hurley earning 1992 MOP.
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 38
MPG: 19.0/29.2
FT: 17-27 (.630)/113-146 (.773)
RPG: 4.9/8.1
PPG: 6.4/12.1
TOP SCORING GAMES FOR OBINNA OLEKA
20 vs. Citadel (11/23/16)
19 vs. #9 Creighton (12/20/16)
19 vs. Kennesaw State (11/18/15)
18 at California (1/1/17)
18 vs. Central Arkansas (12/22/16)
OBI OLEKA 2016-17 DOUBLE-DOUBLES (9)
15/10 vs. Colorado (1/5/17
18/17 vs. Central Arkansas (12/22/16)
19/16 vs. #9 Creighton (12/20/16)
15/11 vs. New Mexico State (12/17/16)
15/12 at San Diego State (12/10/16)
14/11 vs. #1 Kentucky (11/28/16)
20/15 vs. Citadel (11/23/16)
11/10 vs. Nothern Iowa (11/17/16)
17/13 vs. Cal Poly (11/13/16)
ASU 74, @SDSU 63 (12/10/16): ASU fell behind 14-4 and was down 32-25 at the half but came back behind 10 three-pointers and 16-of-18 free throws to post a solid road win at always tough Viejas Arena, where SDSU was 49-5 in its past 54. ASU, which had won two OOC road games in Coach Hurley's first season (UNLV and Creighton), earned another and is now 3-1 in road OOC games after going 8-22 in the previous 30. Tra Holder had 17 points (perfect in six free throw attempts) while Obi Oleka had 15 points and 12 boards off the bench. SDSU was 65-1 at home and 48-2 in past 50 games overall when leading at the half.
VS. UTAH: ASU records have the Utes on top of the series 29-22 in an old Border Conference and Western Athletic Conference rivalry that dates to the early 1960s. Since Utah joined the Pac-12, ASU's three wins vs. the Utes in Tempe have been by a total of 10 points.
VS. UTES IN TEMPE IN PAC-12 ERA (3-1)
Utah 76, ASU 59/Jan. 15, 2015
ASU 79, Utah 75/Jan. 23, 2014
ASU 55, Utah 54 OT/Jan. 2, 2013
ASU 57, Utah 52/Feb. 9, 2012