TEMPE, Ariz. -- Bobby Hurley isn't about to start celebrating. The college basketball season is long and the Sun Devils are just beginning to tackle the many challenges they will face.
Heading into a game with St. Johns (8-1) at Staples Center on Friday, however, it is hard to ignore the buzz surrounding Arizona State's men's basketball coach and his high-scoring team.
ASU is 7-0 for the first time since the 1980-81 season, when Fat Lever, Byron Scott and Alton Lister led the Sun Devils to a 24-4 record and 16-2 mark in the old Pac-10. Heading into Friday's game, ASU is one of eight undefeated teams left in the nation.
The Sun Devils are ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press poll, their highest ranking since January of 2009, and last week's No. 20 ranking was the first time they had been ranked since the 2008-09 season in which they were ranked from beginning to end.
They have climbed seven spots to No. 9 in the latest RPI rankings.
Before Thursday's games, the Devils were No. 4 in the nation in scoring offense at 92.7 points per game, third in field goal percentage (53.1), 16th in three-point percentage at 42, 17th in scoring margin at 19.1, and despite all those points, they are tied for 32nd in fewest turnovers per game at 11.4, making them 25th in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.44.
Like that 1980-81, the Sun Devils are being led a by trio of players -- all seniors this time in Tra Holder, Shannon Evans and Kodi Justice -- who made the Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament Team after a 102-86 win over then No. 16 Xavier on Nov. 24.
"We're definitely appreciating how well they're playing," Hurley said. "Tra, Shannon, Kodi and myself, we've been through a lot together over the last three years."
The Sun Devils' best start came in 1974-75 when they began 9-0. To tie that mark, ASU would need to beat the Red Storm and then take down No. 2 Kansas at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas on Sunday.
"The degree of difficulty is high for both of these games,'' Hurley told reporters Wednesday. "But based on what I'm seeing, I don't think anything that happens this weekend will change my opinion on how this season will go."
To gain an historical perspective on what the Sun Devils have accomplished so far this season, we compared them to some of the program's best teams, starting with that 1974-75 squad.
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Heading into a game with St. Johns (8-1) at Staples Center on Friday, however, it is hard to ignore the buzz surrounding Arizona State's men's basketball coach and his high-scoring team.
ASU is 7-0 for the first time since the 1980-81 season, when Fat Lever, Byron Scott and Alton Lister led the Sun Devils to a 24-4 record and 16-2 mark in the old Pac-10. Heading into Friday's game, ASU is one of eight undefeated teams left in the nation.
The Sun Devils are ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press poll, their highest ranking since January of 2009, and last week's No. 20 ranking was the first time they had been ranked since the 2008-09 season in which they were ranked from beginning to end.
They have climbed seven spots to No. 9 in the latest RPI rankings.
Before Thursday's games, the Devils were No. 4 in the nation in scoring offense at 92.7 points per game, third in field goal percentage (53.1), 16th in three-point percentage at 42, 17th in scoring margin at 19.1, and despite all those points, they are tied for 32nd in fewest turnovers per game at 11.4, making them 25th in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.44.
Like that 1980-81, the Sun Devils are being led a by trio of players -- all seniors this time in Tra Holder, Shannon Evans and Kodi Justice -- who made the Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament Team after a 102-86 win over then No. 16 Xavier on Nov. 24.
"We're definitely appreciating how well they're playing," Hurley said. "Tra, Shannon, Kodi and myself, we've been through a lot together over the last three years."
The Sun Devils' best start came in 1974-75 when they began 9-0. To tie that mark, ASU would need to beat the Red Storm and then take down No. 2 Kansas at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas on Sunday.
"The degree of difficulty is high for both of these games,'' Hurley told reporters Wednesday. "But based on what I'm seeing, I don't think anything that happens this weekend will change my opinion on how this season will go."
To gain an historical perspective on what the Sun Devils have accomplished so far this season, we compared them to some of the program's best teams, starting with that 1974-75 squad.
| Year | 1974-75 | 1980-81 | 1994-95 | 2008-09 | 2017-18 |
| Coach | Ned Wulk | Ned Wulk | Bill Frieder | Herb Sendek | Bobby Hurley |
| Record | 25-4 | 24-4 | 24-9 | 25-10 | 7-0 (so far) |
| Conference | 12-2 | 16-2 | 12-6 | 11-7 | TBD |
| Conf. finish | T-1st | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | TBD |
| Started | 9-0, 15-1 | 7-0, 19-2 | 4-0, 11-2 | 4-0, 12-1 | 7-0 |
| Ranked teams beaten | Four | Four | Eight | Three | One |
| Highest ranked win | No. 10 Alabama | No. 1 Oregon St. | No. 7 Maryland | No. 9 UCLA |
No. 16 Xavier |
| Scoring | 86.9 PPG | 79.2 PPG | 78.3 PPG | 69.4 PPG | 92.7 PPG |
| Defense | 76.6 PPG | 68.0 PPG | 70.6 PPG | 60.5 PPG | 73.6 PPG |
| Scoring margin | 10.3 PPG | 11.2 PPG | 7.7 PPG | 8.9 PPG | 19.1 PPG |
| Leading scorer | Lionel Hollins 16.7 PPG | Byron Scott 16.6 PPG | Mario Bennett 18.7 PPG | James Harden 20.1 PPG |
Tra Holder 22.1 PPG |
| Postseason finish | NCAA Elite 8 | NCAA 1st round |
NCAA Sweet 16 | NCAA 2nd round |
TBD |
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