Thank you Sun Devil nation for your incredible support all season long. pic.twitter.com/QRDXdXxgLb
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) March 3, 2018
THE QUICK RECAP: ASU finished 20-12 overall and 8-10 in the Pac-12 (tied for eighth) and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014 and fourth time in past 23 seasons…averaged 10,603 fans, topping the previous school record of 9,514 set in 1995-96…was the last undefeated team in nation as it reached 12-0 before falling to Arizona 84-78 on Dec. 30…beat No. 1 seeds Xavier and Kansas along with Kansas State in its non-conference action and went 5-2 against NCAA Tournament teams, also topping UCLA and San Diego State…had 15 single-digit Pac-12 regular season games, most in past 22 seasons (1996-97 to present)…came from behind at the half to win seven times…NCAA Tournament appearance was No. 15 in school history…Tra Holder's 40 points on Nov. 24 vs. Nov. 15 Xavier is the most points scored by a Sun Devil against a ranked team…had just one single-digit loss (97-85 to Colorado in the Pac-12 Tournament)…Shannon Evans II notched 1,023 points in his two-year Sun Devil career, fourth on the Sun Devil two-year career list, and made .844 (222-of-263) of his free throws, the best mark in school history…Tra Holder earned Pac-12 first team honors and ended first on ASU career charts for minutes (4,180) and matched record for starts (120)…Holder also ended fifth on the Sun Devil career points chart with 1,797 and third with 448 assists…ASU was 8-22 in its previous 30 non-conference road games, but is now 4-1 under Coach Hurley with wins at San Diego State, UNLV, Creighton and No. 2 Kansas…Dec. 10 win at No. 2 Kansas marked the highest out of conference ranked opponent the Sun Devils have defeated. Only the win over top-ranked and undefeated Oregon State on March 7, 1981, is higher. Kansas also marked ASU's first road win over a ranked team since James Harden led ASU to a win at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 17, 2009…ASU has 15 wins when trailing at the half under Bobby Hurley, after going 12-64 (.157) the previous five seasons…12-game win streak is second-best in school history...Shannon Evans II was the Dec. 10 USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.
TOP HONORS
AVERAGE ATTENDANCE: 10,603 (best in school history)
ALL-PAC-12: Tra Holder (first), Shannon Evans II (hm)
PAC-12 SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR: Remy Martin (co-winner with Colorado's Dominique Collier)
PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tra Holder (Nov. 20 and Nov. 27), Shannon Evans II (Dec. 11)
USBWA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Shannon Evans II (Dec. 12)
TOP 5 @SUNDEVILHOOPS AVERAGE ATTENDANCE
2017-18: 10,603
1995-96: 9,514
2008-09: 9,354
1994-95: 9,333
2003-04: 9,003
ABOUT THAT NO. 3 RANKING: ASU entered the polls after beating Kansas State and #15 Xavier in the Continental Tire Invitational on Thanksgiving weekend. It moved up to No. 5 after winning at second-ranked Kansas 95-85 on Dec. 10. It then reached No. 3 and was the last undefeated team in the nation when it took to the floor on Saturday, Dec. 30, in the Pac-12 opener at Arizona. The No. 3 ranking is the best in school history, matched only on March 9, 1981 when ASU was 22-3 and on Jan. 7, 1963, when ASU was 10-1.
BRING YOUR LUNCHBOX: Villanova was the only team to have zero double-digit defeats in 2017-18, but ASU came close as it was one of just eight teams with one double-digit loss. The others were Cincinnati, Clemson, Duke, Nevada, Purdue, Virginia and Wichita State.
7 WINS WHEN TRAILING AT THE HALF: ASU posted seven wins when trailing at the half in 2017-18, tied for eighth-most in the nation. In the Pac-12 only Arizona (six) had more than five.
AFTER THE HALF: ASU averaged 43.9 points in the second half in 2017-18, tied for fifth in the nation with Buffalo. Niagara (45.0), Villanova (44.9), Portland State (44.1) and Marshall (44.0) were the top four teams.
WITH SOME HEAVY HITTERS: ASU's 43.9 points average in the second half in 2017-18 is tied for sixth-best by a Pac-12 team in the past 22 seasons.
Pac-12 Second-Half Points (1996-97-present/Past 22 Seasons)
Arizona, 1997-98, 48.5
UCLA, 2016-17, 46.6
Arizona, 2003-04, 45.2
Arizona, 1996-97, 44.4
Washington, 2004-05, 44.3
Arizona State, 2017-18, 43.9
USC, 1996-97, 43.9
ASU IN NCAAS: ASU made its 15th NCAA appearance and first since 2014 in 2018. ASU is 13-15 and has reached the Final Eight on three occasions (1961, 1963 and 1975) under Ned Wulk. Utah, Oregon State and UCLA eliminated ASU in those years. ASU fell to Texas in Milwaukee in 2014. In 2009, sixth-seeded ASU beat #11 Temple 66-57 in Miami before falling to #3-seeded Syracuse 78-68. In 2003, ASU was a 10-seed and beat seventh-seeded Memphis 84-71 before eventual national runner-up Kansas beat ASU 108-76 in Oklahoma City under Rob Evans. In 1995 under Bill Frieder, ASU (fifth seed in the Southeast) beat Ball State 81-66 and topped Manhattan 64-54 in Memphis to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where it fell to second-ranked Kentucky 97-67 in Birmingham.
REMY MARTIN: The Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year officially returned for the first time in 30+ seasons in 2017-18 and freshman Remy Martin shared the award with CU's Devon Collier. Players must not have exceeded more than 1/3 starts in league games. The previous Pac-10 Sixth Man of the Year was awarded from 1984-87. Martin – with zero starts -- averaged 9.6 points, had 94 assists and was 71-of-94 (.755) from the free throw line in 23.8 minutes per game. He had 20 double-figure scoring games including 15 of the final 21 tilts. He had a season-best 21 at No. 2 Kansas on Dec. 10. Against Utah on Jan. 25, he had a personal second-half 10-0 run in 2:18 that gave ASU a three-point lead after being down seven. At WSU on Feb. 4, he had all 10 points in the final 6:20 and added two steals as ASU outscored WSU 19-9 in final seven minutes. He also had 20 in the Pac-12 Tournament loss to Colorado.
ASU IN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL IN 2017-18
2/12: 25 (19-6)
1/29: 25 (16-5)
1/22: 21 (15-4)
1/15: 16 (14-3)
1/8: 11 (13-2)
1/1: 4 (12-1)
12/25: 3 (12-0)
12/18: 3 (10-0) (matched highest ranking in school history).
12/11: 5 (9-0)
12/4: 16 (7-0)
11/27: 20 (6-0)
DROPPING 80: ASU has averaged 80.6 points per game the past two seasons, as it averaged 78.6 in 2016-17 and 82.7 this past season, the best scoring seasons since the 1997-98 team averaged 84.5. It marks the first time ASU has averaged more than 78 points per game in back-to-back seasons since 1980-81 (79.2) and 1979-80 (78.2). Coach Hurley's last two squads rank third and eighth among ASU teams in scoring in its 41 years of Pac-10/12 play. This past year marked just the fourth time ASU has led the Pac-12 in scoring. Eddie House's 1999-2000 squad did it in 1999-2000 (79.3), in addition to 1992-93 (84.5) and 1980-81 (79.2).
MOST SUN DEVIL POINTS PER GAME SINCE JOINING PAC-10 (1978-79)
84.5/1997-1998 (Don Newman)
84.5/1992-1993 (Bill Frieder/Pac-10 leader)
82.7/2017-2018 (Bobby Hurley/Pac-12 leader)
79.6/1988-1989 (Steve Patterson)
79.3/1999-2000 (Rob Evans/Pac-10 leader)
79.3/1990-1991 (Bill Frieder)
79.2/1980-1981 (Ned Wulk/Pac-10 leader)
78.6/2016-2017 (Bobby Hurley)
SEASON NUMBERS: ASU scored 2,645 points in 2017-18, second-most in school history behind only the 1997-98 team that scored 2,703…ASU made 581 free throws, fifth-most in school history…the 703 free throw attempts is fourth-best in school history…ASU's .733 free throw percentage is ninth-best in school history…ASU's 288 three-pointers is tied for second-most in school history, while its 793 three-point attempts is second-most.
FREE THROWS: Bobby Hurley's past two teams have been among the best in Sun Devil history at the free throw line. His squad in 2016-17 shot .749 percent, the best since the 1977-78 team set the school record at .756, while last year's NCAA Tournament team shot .733 led by Shannon Evans II (122-of-143/.853) and Tra Holder (159-of-190/.837).
BEST SUN DEVIL FREE THROW PERCENTAGE
75.6, 1978
75.4, 1955
74.9, 2017
74.6, 1998
74.6, 1987
73.9, 2008
73.7, 2009
73.5, 2004
73.3, 2018
73.0, 1957
Well earned... https://t.co/kc1EhKH81r
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) March 6, 2018
SHOOTING THE THREE: The past two seasons the three pointers have been shot at a record pace for ASU. ASU made 288 three-pointers in 2017-18, tied for second in Sun Devil history behind only last year's 328. ASU attempted 793 in 2017-18, second only to the 896 shot the previous season.
QUICKLY ON EACH SENIOR: Below are some quick notes on each of the seniors from the 2017-18 season.
SHANNON EVANS, B.S., Communication (2017)
v Top free throw shooter in Sun Devil history, making 222-of-263 (.844) in his two-year career.
v 1,023 Sun Devil points is fourth-most by any ASU two-year player.
v Earned B.S. in Communication in May of 2017
v The Dec. 10 USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week
v 2018 All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention Selection
v 95 three-pointers made in 2017-18 is fourth best in ASU history.
TRA HOLDER B.S., Sociology (2018)
v 40 points on Nov. 24, 2017, vs. No. 15 Xavier is tied for fifth-best in ASU history and most points vs. a ranked team in Sun Devil history.
v Fifth on the Sun Devil career chart with 1,797 career points, third in assists with 448.
v Set school record with 4,180 minutes and tied school record with 120 starts.
v 2018 First-Team All-Pac-12
v 2015 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team
KODI JUSTICE B.S., Sociology (2017)
v Became the 37th member of the Sun Devil 1,000-Point Club and ended No. 33 with 1,043 career points.
v Averaged 13.0 points per game in final 37 games of career (7.2 in first 78).
v 217 three-pointers made is seventh-best in school history.
v .402 career three-point percentage is tied for fifth-best in school history
AUSTIN WITHERILL B.A., Business, Communication (2017)
v Team was 13-3 in games he played in 2017-18.
v Played in 48 games in four-year career.
SHANNON'S CAREER IN NUMBERS: Shannon Evans II closed his Sun Devil career as one of the best two-year players in Sun Devil history. He joined James Harden, Jahii Carson and Bobby Lazor as 1,000-point (1,023) Sun Devil two-year scorers, and is the top free throw shooter in Sun Devil history, making 222-of-263 (.844). Among two-year Sun Devils also finished in top-10 in scoring average (15.7/eighth), field goals (317/ninth), free throws made (222/sixth), and assists (256/sixth). His 95 three-pointers made and 256 three-pointers attempted in 2017-18 both ended fourth on the ASU single-season three-point charts.
SUN DEVIL MOST POINTS IN TWO-YEAR CAREER
1,309 , James Harden, '07-09
1,261 , Jahii Carson, '12-13
1,077 , Bobby Lazor, '97-99
1,023 , Shannon Evans II, '16-18
SUN DEVIL THREE-POINTERS MADE (SEASON)
113, Stevin Smith, 1992-93
108, Torian Graham, 2016-17
96, Stevin Smith, 1993-94
95, Shannon Evans II, 2017-18
SUN DEVIL THREE-POINTERS ATTEMPTED (SEASON)
300, Stevin Smith, 1992-93
279, Torian Graham, 2016-17
260, Stevin Smith, 1993-94
256, Shannon Evans II, 2017-18
KODI: Kodi Justice finished with 1,043 career points after scoring 83 (4.6 pg) as a freshman, when his season was cut short due to a foot injury after 16 games. Kurt Nimphius (1976-80 with 27 points) is the only 1000-point Sun Devil who scored fewer points in his freshman year. He is the 37th member of ASU's 1,000 point-club. In his final 37 games, he is averaged 13.0 points, in the first 78 games of his career he averaged 7.2.
SUN DEVIL 1,000-POINT CHART
32. Bobby Lazor (1997-99)/1,077
33. Kodi Justice (2014-18)/1,043
34. Royce Youree (1955-58)/1,036
35. Derek Glasser (2006-10)/1,028
You the (Sixth) Man!!!! Remy Martin named @pac12 co-Sixth Man of Year https://t.co/4QkxgEk9n3
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) March 6, 2018
SUN DEVIL CAREER POINTS
2,044 – Eddie House, 1996-2000
1,984 – Jeremy Veal, 1994-98
1,946 – Ike Diogu, 2002-05
1,834 – Ron Riley, 1992-96
1,797 – Tra Holder, 2014-18
SUN DEVIL CAREER STARTS
120, Jeff Pendergraph, 2005-09
120, Tra Holder, 2014-18
119, Ty Abbott, 2007-11
SUN DEVIL CAREER ASSISTS
551, Derek Glasser, 2007-10
454, Bobby Thompson, 1983-87
448, Tra Holder, 2014-18
PAC-12 PLAYERS WITH 1,700 POINTS/400 ASSISTS
Sean Elliott, Arizona (1986-1989) 2,555/451
Gary Payton, Oregon State (1987-1990) 2,172/938
Eddie House, ASU (1996-2000) 2,044/405
Jason Gardner, Arizona (2000-2003) 1,984/622
Jeremy Veal, ASU (1995-1998) 1,984/413
Luke Jackson, Oregon (2001-2004) 1,970/424
Bryce Alford, UCLA (2014-2017) 1,922/537
Damon Stoudamire, Arizona (1992-1995) 1,849/663
Jerome Randle, California (2007-2010) 1,835/524
Toby Bailey, UCLA (1995-1998) 1,846/458
Tra Holder, ASU (2014-2018) 1,797/448
Brevin Knight, Stanford (1994-1997) 1,714/780
Isaiah Thomas, Washington (2009-2011) 1,721/415
PAC-12 CAREER MADE FREE THROWS
711, Don MacLean/UCLA (1988-92)
671, Ike Diogu/Arizona State (2002-05)
652, Adam Keefe/Stanford (1989-92)
625, Sean Elliott/Arizona (1985-89)
591, Brevin Knight/Stanford (1993-97)
584, Todd Lichti/Stanford (1985-89)
578, Andrew Andrews/Washington (2011-16)
551, Chasson Randle/Stanford (2012-15)
543, Mel Counts/Oregon State (1961-64)
533, Tra Holder/Arizona State (2014-18)
PAC-12 CAREER FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED
886, Adam Keefe/Stanford (1989-92)
854, Ike Diogu/Arizona State (2002-05)
827, Don MacLean/UCLA (1988-92)
786, Sean Elliott/Arizona (1985-89)
741, Brevin Knight/Stanford (1993-97)
726, John Revelli/Stanford (1980-84)
709, Andrew Andrews/Washington (2011-16)
702, J.R. Henderson/UCLA (1994-98)
699, Lew Alcindor/UCLA (1966-69)
696, Tra Holder/Arizna State (2014-18)
MOST FIRST HALF POINTS SINCE 1996-97
61 vs. La Salle (Dec. 27, 1997)
58 vs. San Francisco (Nov. 20, 2009)
58 vs. USC (Feb. 13, 2003)
58 vs. Prairie View A&M (Dec. 1, 2001)
57 vs. Houston Baptist (Dec. 10, 1996)
56 vs. UC Irvine (Nov. 19, 2017)
56 vs. Chaminade (Nov. 26, 2002)
56 at American-Puerto Rico (Nov. 26, 1999)
56 vs. Delaware State (Dec. 1, 1997)
MAKE THE SHOTS YOU TAKE (ALSO DUNKS): De'Quon Lake and Romello White both made their shots count in 2017-18. Lake's .711 percentage is the best in school history, while White .652 mark is fourth-best. Yes, they were aided by a lot of dunks. Lake led the team with 45, including five against both NAU and Idaho State. White had 20 including a season high five at Washington State. Other dunk totals included Mickey Mitchell (15), Kodi Justice, Remy Martin and Vitaliy Shibel (two each) and Shannon Evans II and Kimani Lawrence with one each.
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
1. 71.1 – De'Quon Lake, 2018 (71-of-111)
2. 66.5 – Eric Boateng, 2010 (117-of-176)
3. 66.0 – Jeff Pendergraph, 2009 (198-of-300)
4. 65.2 – Romello White, 2018 (120-of-184)
5. 63.0 – Trent Edwards, 1989 (208-of-330)
6. 62.6 – Eric Jacobsen, 2015 (102-of-163)
7. 60.9 – Kurt Nimphius, 1980 (185-of-304)
8. 60.8 – Ike Diogu, 2003 (209-of-344)
9. 59.3 – Jeff Pendergraph, 2008 (153-of-258)
10. 59.3 – Mario Bennett, 1994 (134-of-226)