ABOUT THE 6-0 START: ASU is 6-0 for just the second time in the past 32 seasons (also in 2013-14) and will try and go 7-0 for the first time since 1980-81, when Fat Lever, Byron Scott and Alton Lister led ASU to a 24-4 mark and 16-2 mark in the Pac-10.
MORE THAN A DOUBLE NICKEL: There have been 908 halves of Sun Devil basketball played in the past 15 seasons, and three of the top eight scoring halves have taken place already this year. ASU dropped 58 on Xavier and 56 against San Diego State in the second half and had 56 vs. UC Irvine.
MOST POINTS IN A HALF PAST 15 SEASONS (2003-04 TO PRESENT)
72 vs. Citadel (Nov. 23, 2016)*
58 vs. #15 Xavier (Nov. 24, 2017)*
58 vs. San Francisco (Nov. 20, 2009)
58 vs. Oregon (Feb. 11, 2006)*
57 vs. Cal Poly (Nov. 13, 2016)*
56 vs. San Diego State (Nov. 14, 2017)*
56 vs. UC Irvine (Nov. 19, 2017)
56 vs. Kennesaw State (Nov. 18, 2015)
*notes second-half points
SATURDAY, DEC. 2 VS. USF: ASU topped San Francisco 104-65 in Tempe in the last meeting on Nov. 20, 2009, as the series is tied with each team winning four. One of the best wins in school history took place in the series as ASU beat No. 5 San Francisco 89-70 in Tempe on Dec. 3, 1977. USF had RPI of 94 in 2016-17 and finished 20-13 which included a win over Utah.
ASU VS. SAN FRANCISCO (4-4)
ASU 104, San Francisco 65 (Nov. 20, 2009)
ASU 70, at San Francisco 67, 2 OT (Dec. 5, 1989)
ASU 82, San Francisco 76 (Dec. 28, 1988)
#19 San Francisco 102, ASU 90 (Dec. 30, 1977 at Oklahoma City)
ASU 89, #5 San Francisco 70 (Dec. 3, 1977)
#3 San Francisco 114, ASU 96 (Dec. 28, 1976 at Honolulu)
at San Francisco 93, ASU 74 (Jan. 27, 1968)
at #8 San Francisco 91, ASU 75 (Jan. 30, 1965)
GIVE CREDIT TO FOLKS AT STATS INC. FOR THIS ONE: Since Stats Inc. started tracking this stuff in 1996-97, ASU is the first Pac-12 team to score 90 points in six straight games.
Wait, what? Yup Not Lonzo's crew last year, not Luke and Luke and Freddie in Duck Land, not Arenas and Gardner and Walton, not Collison, Westbrook and Love?
Nope. Tra, Kodi, Shannon and friends.
More research has resulted in only two similar streaks, as UCLA in 1971-72 did it in six straight from Dec. 3-29 in 1971 and in 10 straight games from Dec. 8-Jan. 12 in the 1967-68 season.
TRA NOTES: Tra's 40 points on Nov. 24 vs. Nov. 15 Xavier was just the fourth 40-point effort in the NCAA this season and it was the first 40-point performance by a Pac-12 player against a non-conference opponent since Sun Devil Jahii Carson dropped 40 on UNLV on Nov. 19, 2013. It is the most points scored by a Sun Devil against a ranked team.
NICE TO HAVE A NUMBER IN FRONT: ASU is back in the Associated Press rankings for the first time since the 2008-09 season, when it was ranked from the beginning to the end. ASU entered the poll at No. 20 this week.
LAST TIME SPARKY WON AN EXEMPT TOURNAMENT WAS...: ASU's 2017 Continental Tire Invitational win was its first exempt tournament title since Bill Frieder's gang won the 1994 Maui Invitational title, which started the run to the Sweet Sixteen and a 24-9 record. ASU jumped into the polls at No. 12 after beating Texas A&M, No. 13 Michigan and No. 7 Maryland at No. 12, never fell lower than No. 18 and finished No. 16 as it beat Ball State and Manhattan in Memphis in the 1995 NCAA Tournament before falling to second-ranked Kentucky in Birmingham.
ABOUT THAT XAVIER WIN: No joke, ASU scored 73 points in the final 23 minutes --- yup, 73 in 23 -- to drop No. 15 Xavier 102-86 on Nov. 24 in Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 24 to win the Continental Tire Invitational. Tra Holder was a man and dropped 40 as the Sun Devils shot .559 from the field (33-of-59), 13-of-27 (.481) from three and .920 (23-of-25) from the free throw line. ASU was down 44-29 with under three minutes to play in the first half but closed half on 15-2 run. ASU's four-headed guard machine had 91 points as Shannon Evans II added 22, Kodi Justice 16 and Remy Martin 13.
ASU BEST FT% (MINIMUM 25 ATTEMPTS)
24-26/.923 vs. Cal State-Los Angeles--Dec. 19, 1981
23-25/.909 vs. No. 15 Xavier--Nov. 24, 2017
23-26/.885 vs. UCSB--Nov. 29, 2015
DOWN GOES RANKED TEAM: ASU has now defeated three ranked teams in Bobby Hurley's Sun Devil tenure, as besides No. 15 Xavier ASU beat No. 23 USC 74-57 on Feb. 12, 2016 and No. 18 Texas A&M 67-54 on Dec. 5, 2015. The Nov. 24 Xavier win is the highest ranked non-conference team ASU has topped since it beat No. 7 Maryland in the 1994 Maui Invitational.
@SUNDEVILHOOPS NON-CONFERENCE WINS VS. RANKED TEAMS PAC-10/12 ERA
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 (Nov. 24, 2017 at Las Vegas)
ASU 67, #18 Texas A&M 54 (Dec. 5, 2015)
ASU 79, #25 Marquette 77 (Nov. 25, 2013)
ASU 77, #17 Xavier 55 (Dec. 15, 2007)
ASU 97, #7 Maryland 90 (Nov. 23, 1994 at Maui Invitational)
ASU 79, #13Michigan 62 (Nov. 22, 1994 at Maui Invitational)
#14 ASU 71, #7 Ohio State 58 (Dec. 20, 1980)
ASU 96, #12 Iowa 88 (Dec. 6, 1980)
MORE THAN A DOUBLE NICKEL: There have been 908 halves of Sun Devil basketball played in the past 15 seasons, and three of the top eight scoring halves have taken place already this year. ASU dropped 58 on Xavier and 56 against San Diego State in the second half and had 56 vs. UC Irvine.
MOST POINTS IN A HALF PAST 15 SEASONS (2003-04 TO PRESENT)
72 vs. Citadel (Nov. 23, 2016)*
58 vs. #15 Xavier (Nov. 24, 2017)*
58 vs. San Francisco (Nov. 20, 2009)
58 vs. Oregon (Feb. 11, 2006)*
57 vs. Cal Poly (Nov. 13, 2016)*
56 vs. San Diego State (Nov. 14, 2017)*
56 vs. UC Irvine (Nov. 19, 2017)
56 vs. Kennesaw State (Nov. 18, 2015)
*notes second-half points
Here's a quick look at the most efficient offensive and defensive teams in Division I college hoops so far this season. pic.twitter.com/ekl9Nky75I
— Synergy Sports Tech (@SynergySST) November 29, 2017
SATURDAY, DEC. 2 VS. USF: ASU topped San Francisco 104-65 in Tempe in the last meeting on Nov. 20, 2009, as the series is tied with each team winning four. One of the best wins in school history took place in the series as ASU beat No. 5 San Francisco 89-70 in Tempe on Dec. 3, 1977. USF had RPI of 94 in 2016-17 and finished 20-13 which included a win over Utah.
ASU VS. SAN FRANCISCO (4-4)
ASU 104, San Francisco 65 (Nov. 20, 2009)
ASU 70, at San Francisco 67, 2 OT (Dec. 5, 1989)
ASU 82, San Francisco 76 (Dec. 28, 1988)
#19 San Francisco 102, ASU 90 (Dec. 30, 1977 at Oklahoma City)
ASU 89, #5 San Francisco 70 (Dec. 3, 1977)
#3 San Francisco 114, ASU 96 (Dec. 28, 1976 at Honolulu)
at San Francisco 93, ASU 74 (Jan. 27, 1968)
at #8 San Francisco 91, ASU 75 (Jan. 30, 1965)
GIVE CREDIT TO FOLKS AT STATS INC. FOR THIS ONE: Since Stats Inc. started tracking this stuff in 1996-97, ASU is the first Pac-12 team to score 90 points in six straight games.
Wait, what? Yup Not Lonzo's crew last year, not Luke and Luke and Freddie in Duck Land, not Arenas and Gardner and Walton, not Collison, Westbrook and Love?
Nope. Tra, Kodi, Shannon and friends.
More research has resulted in only two similar streaks, as UCLA in 1971-72 did it in six straight from Dec. 3-29 in 1971 and in 10 straight games from Dec. 8-Jan. 12 in the 1967-68 season.
TRA NOTES: Tra's 40 points on Nov. 24 vs. Nov. 15 Xavier was just the fourth 40-point effort in the NCAA this season and it was the first 40-point performance by a Pac-12 player against a non-conference opponent since Sun Devil Jahii Carson dropped 40 on UNLV on Nov. 19, 2013. It is the most points scored by a Sun Devil against a ranked team.
NICE TO HAVE A NUMBER IN FRONT: ASU is back in the Associated Press rankings for the first time since the 2008-09 season, when it was ranked from the beginning to the end. ASU entered the poll at No. 20 this week.
LAST TIME SPARKY WON AN EXEMPT TOURNAMENT WAS...: ASU's 2017 Continental Tire Invitational win was its first exempt tournament title since Bill Frieder's gang won the 1994 Maui Invitational title, which started the run to the Sweet Sixteen and a 24-9 record. ASU jumped into the polls at No. 12 after beating Texas A&M, No. 13 Michigan and No. 7 Maryland at No. 12, never fell lower than No. 18 and finished No. 16 as it beat Ball State and Manhattan in Memphis in the 1995 NCAA Tournament before falling to second-ranked Kentucky in Birmingham.
ABOUT THAT XAVIER WIN: No joke, ASU scored 73 points in the final 23 minutes --- yup, 73 in 23 -- to drop No. 15 Xavier 102-86 on Nov. 24 in Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 24 to win the Continental Tire Invitational. Tra Holder was a man and dropped 40 as the Sun Devils shot .559 from the field (33-of-59), 13-of-27 (.481) from three and .920 (23-of-25) from the free throw line. ASU was down 44-29 with under three minutes to play in the first half but closed half on 15-2 run. ASU's four-headed guard machine had 91 points as Shannon Evans II added 22, Kodi Justice 16 and Remy Martin 13.
ASU BEST FT% (MINIMUM 25 ATTEMPTS)
24-26/.923 vs. Cal State-Los Angeles--Dec. 19, 1981
23-25/.909 vs. No. 15 Xavier--Nov. 24, 2017
23-26/.885 vs. UCSB--Nov. 29, 2015
DOWN GOES RANKED TEAM: ASU has now defeated three ranked teams in Bobby Hurley's Sun Devil tenure, as besides No. 15 Xavier ASU beat No. 23 USC 74-57 on Feb. 12, 2016 and No. 18 Texas A&M 67-54 on Dec. 5, 2015. The Nov. 24 Xavier win is the highest ranked non-conference team ASU has topped since it beat No. 7 Maryland in the 1994 Maui Invitational.
@SUNDEVILHOOPS NON-CONFERENCE WINS VS. RANKED TEAMS PAC-10/12 ERA
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 (Nov. 24, 2017 at Las Vegas)
ASU 67, #18 Texas A&M 54 (Dec. 5, 2015)
ASU 79, #25 Marquette 77 (Nov. 25, 2013)
ASU 77, #17 Xavier 55 (Dec. 15, 2007)
ASU 97, #7 Maryland 90 (Nov. 23, 1994 at Maui Invitational)
ASU 79, #13Michigan 62 (Nov. 22, 1994 at Maui Invitational)
#14 ASU 71, #7 Ohio State 58 (Dec. 20, 1980)
ASU 96, #12 Iowa 88 (Dec. 6, 1980)