The Arizona State Sun Devils (20-12 in 2017-18 and 7-0 in 2018-19) -- who advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014 last year -- meet No. 6 Nevada (8-0) at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 7, for a 9 p.m. PT ESPN2 tip with Dave Feldman and Jay Bilas on the call. ASU has defeated five ranked teams in Bobby Hurley's tenure (including four out of conference and three of them away from home). The Nov. 24, 2017, Xavier win was the highest ranked OOC team ASU had topped since it beat No. 7 Maryland in the 1994 Maui Invitational...until it won at #2 Kansas on Dec. 10. ASU followed that up with a win over No. 15 Mississippi State this year on Nov. 19. Nevada (Dec. 7) and Kansas (Dec. 22) will be the fifth and sixth out of conference top-10 teams Coach Hurley's squad will play in his fourth season. In ASU's 37 previous Pac-12 seasons, it played eight.
ASU WINS VS. RANKED TEAMS UNDER BOBBY HURLEY
ASU 72, #15 Mississippi State 67 (Nov. 19, 2018/Las Vegas)
ASU 95, at #2 Kansas 85 (Dec. 10, 2017)
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 (Nov. 24, 2017/Las Vegas)
ASU 74, #23 USC 67 (Feb. 12, 2016)
ASU 67, #18 Texas A&M 54 (Dec. 5, 2015)
#20 in the Nation. ????#HumbleandHungry pic.twitter.com/ULFsFI6HWg
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 3, 2018
STREAK AT 20: The Sun Devils have won 20 straight regular season out of conference games, the sixth-best such streak in the Pac-12 in the past 23 seasons. ASU and Nevada enters this week as one of 11 undefeated teams remaining.
LONGEST REGULAR SEASON PAC-12 OUT OF CONFERENCE WIN STREAKS (1996-PRESENT)
39, Arizona, 12/20/11-12/19/14
26, Stanford, 11/11/99-11/24/01
24, Washington, 12/5/04-12/4/06
23, USC, 12/3/15-11/22/17
21, Washington State, 12/5/06-11/29/08
20, Arizona State, 12/17/16-present
Proud of @1KingZ4 who joins a big time list of @pac12 players who have notched a triple double. Pac-12 Player of the Week and some big games on the way soon. https://t.co/Sk1JvoqdY3
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 4, 2018
WILD STAT: ASU is 7-0 for just the second time in the past 38 seasons...but the for second year in a row. Yup, you read that right. ASU had not been 7-0 since the 1980-81 team that was led by Byron Scott, Fat Lever and and Alton Lister, but last year ASU started 12-0.
BEST STARTS IN ASU HISTORY
12-0/2017-18 (Bobby Hurley)
9-0/1974-75 (Ned Wulk)
7-0/2018-19 (Bobby Hurley)
7-0/1980-81 (Ned Wulk)
.@1KingZ4 is on ??.
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) December 3, 2018
? Posted the second triple-double in @SunDevilHoops history
? Led the Sun Devils to a 7-0 start for the second time in 38 season
He is your #Pac12Hoops Player of the Week: https://t.co/KRIcnjoQYO pic.twitter.com/5Lg8Jf8duv
GAME #7: ASU 83, TEXAS SOUTHERN 71/DEC. 1, 2018: Texas Southern went the distance as ASU led for 39:02 but could never put the Tigers away until the final four minutes. Zylan Cheatham posted the second triple double in school history with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. ASU placed five players in double digits as Romello White led the way with 19 points and 14 rebounds on 9-of-10 shooting. Luguentz Dort had 18 points, Taeshon Cherry 14 and Kimani Lawrence 13. ASU never trailed, but TSU cut it to 63-57 with under 10 minutes remaining and to 69-61 with 6:35 left but ASU went on a 7-0 run to put it away.
Small Setback for a Big Comeback.
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 5, 2018
Kimani Lawrence's work has been paying off in 2018.
ft. @BallForever_ pic.twitter.com/sDq6UqnsMY
KIMANI IS BACK: Kimani Lawrence's freshman season stats gets an asterisk. Last year he started in all three exhibition games and had 15 points and nine boards vs. Northern State and 18 points and five boards vs. Arizona Christian. The night before the season opener he suffered a stress fracture in left foot that kept him out until Pac-12 play. In the opener vs. Cal State Fullerton he matched his three-point total from last season (three) and posted 16 points (previous best was nine) and minutes (36 previous best was 25). He has been in double figures every game and had 22 points including the game-winning three pointer in the Nov. 19 win over No. 15 Mississippi State.
KIMANI LAWRENCE QUICK NOTES
v Double-figures all seven games this year
v 14-34 (.412) from 3 this year/3-15 last year
v 33-38 (.868) from FT line in career
v 6-11 1/2 wingspan
SWEET LU: One of the most impressive newcomers in all of college basketball is Luguentz Dort, who earned Nov. 26 Pac-12 Player of the Week and Andy Katz's National Player of the Week after averaging 25 points and eight rebounds as ASU won the MGM Resorts Main Event in Las Vegas (Nov. 19-21). Dort is the first sun freshman to garner the league's weekly award since James Harden in January of 2008.
TOP SCORING GAMES FOR LUGUENTZ DORT
33 vs. Utah State @Las Vegas, Nov. 21, 2018
28 vs. Cal State Fullerton, Nov. 6, 2018
25 vs. McNeese State, Nov. 9, 2018
WINGSPAN: ASU has six players with wingspan of at least 6-11: Uros Pavsic (7-2.5), De'Quon Lake (7-2), Zylan Cheatham (7-0.5), Romello White (7-0.25), Vitaliy Shibel (6-11.75) and Kimani Lawrence (6-11.5).
SAME CITY/TIME/RESULT AS LAST YEAR: Thanksgiving week in Las Vegas has been really good to ASU. ASU won the 2017 Continental Tire Invitational at Orleans Arena on Nov. 23-24 with wins over 2018 Elite Eight member Kansas State (92-90) and then dropped 102 on No. 15 Xavier for a 16-point win. Those wins vaulted ASU into the rankings for the first time since James Harden was in uniform (2008-09), gave it a 6-0 start for just the second time in 32 seasons and was its first exempt tournament title since Bill Frieder's gang won the 1994 Maui Invitational. ASU then beat No. 15 Mississippi State on Nov. 19 and Utah State on Nov. 21 this season to win the MGM Resorts Main Event.
RUN AND JUMP: Best approach vertical on the team is Zylan Cheatham at 41.5 inches, with Remy Martin not far behind at 40 inches.
REFRESH: ASU's top three scorers are gone and took with them many games, points and fun times, but the Sun Devil have six lettermen, a pair of high-level transfers and a top-20 recruiting class. Last year then third-year head coach Bobby Hurley (two-time NCAA champion, 1992 Final Four MOP and NCAA career assist leader) and the Sun Devils were the final undefeated team (12-0), beat No. 1 seeds Xavier and Kansas and went 5-2 against NCAA Tournament teams (Kansas State, UCLA and San Diego State). ASU averaged 10,603 fans, topping the 9,514 school record set in 1995-96.
REMY!!!: The Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year officially returned in 30+ seasons in 2017-18 and freshman Remy Martin shared the award with CU's Devon Collier. 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 (15 of final 21). 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 as ASU outscored WSU 19-9 in final seven minutes. He had 20 in the Pac-12 Tournament loss to Colorado.
JUMP: Best standing verticals on the team: De'Quon Lake and Luguentz Dort both did 34 inches, while Zylan Cheatham is at 33.5 inches.
TALENT UPGRADE: From 2002-16, ASU signed six top-85 players according to 247Sports/Scout.com. It is very possible ASU could have a five-man lineup on the floor this year alone with top-85 recruits in Remy Martin (77) at the point, Lugentz Dort (33) and Kimani Lawrence (58) on the wings and Taeshon Cherry (29) and Romello White (81) underneath.
TOP-85 247SPORTS/SCOUT.COM ASU SIGNEES (2002-2018)
23. James Harden, 2007
29. Taeshon Cherry, 2018
33. Luguentz Dort, 2018
34. Jahii Carson, 2011
41, Sam Cunliffe, 2016
55. Ike Diogu, 2002
58. Kimani Lawrence, 2017
77. Remy Martin, 2017
79. Keala King, 2010
81. Romello White, 2016
WHAT HAS CHANGED: The 2017-18 season saw a lot of upgrades for Sun Devil basketball beyond the NCAA Tournament appearance as attendance records were busted and it won a dozen straight for just the second time in school history. Below is a list of what was truth last year at this time and what ASU can flash the fork about now.
LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME / #FORKSUP NOW
5,807 attendance in BH first year/10,603 in third year (school record)
11-game win streak in 1980-81 was awesome/12-0 start
8-22 in road OOC games prior to CBH/4-1 under Bobby Hurley
12 wins trail at half previous 5 seasons/15 under BH in 3 seasons
Averaged 80+ points twice in Pac-12 history/82.7 last year led Pac-12
#DUNK-KWON: De'Quon Lake is 110-of-153 (.719) from the field with 50 dunks in his 39-game career. He has 74 offensive rebounds and posted five dunks against both Idaho State and San Diego State in December of 2017. He also had seven blocks vs. Pacific. ASU is 10-2 when he scores in double digits and 8-2 when he gets at least seven boards.
DORTING: Luguentz Dort's 53 points in first two games (28 vs. CSF and 25 vs. McNeese State) were the third-most by a Pac-12 freshman in his first two career games since 1996-97. Only Washington's Markelle Fulz (65 in 2016-17) and Oregon's Tajuan Porter (55 in 2006-07) had better point production in their first two games than Dort in the past 23 seasons.
FWIW LUGUENTZ DORT PHYSICAL STUFF
HT: 6-4
WT: 215
WINGSPAN: 6-8.75
BORN: April of 1999
STANDING VERTICAL: 34" (tied for best on team with De'Quon Lake)
APPROACH VERTICAL: 39" (third on team behind Zylan at 41.5 and Remy at 40)
GAME #6: ASU 89, OMAHA 71/NOV. 28, 2018: Omaha led 25-17 with under 10 minutes remaining in the first half but ASU closed the half on a 33-15 run and then hit three three-pointers in the first three minutes to put the Mavericks away. Luguentz Dort and Taeshon Cherry each had 19 while Kimani Lawrence added 18, including four three-pointers. Zylan Cheatham posted 13 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists as ASU shot .516 (.33-of-64) from the floor and outrebounded Omaha 41-27. ASU posted nine steals.
GAME #5: ASU 87, UTAH STATE 82/NOV. 21, 2018 (LAS VEGAS): ASU held off Utah State behind Tournament MVP Luguentz Dort's 33 points. Freshman Taeshon Cherry added 15 points off the bench, while Remy Martin added 13 and Kimani Lawrence 10. Zylan Cheatham added a career-best six assists. ASU put 50 on USU in the second half, forced 20 turnovers and was 7-of-14 from the three-point stripe to move to 5-0 for just the third time in 33 seasons. Utah State (5-1) took a 47-44 lead with 15:53 left, but ASU went on a 10-3 run.
MOST POINTS BY A SUN DEVIL FRESHMAN
35, Mario Bennett vs. #5 Arizona, Feb. 20, 1992
34, Jahii Carson vs. Stanford @Pac-12 Tournament (Las Vegas), Mar. 13, 2013
33, Luguentz Dort vs. Utah State @Las Vegas, Nov. 21, 2018
GAME #4: ASU 72, #15 MISSISSIPPI STATE 67/NOV. 19, 2018 (LAS VEGAS): ASU got after it early as it led by 15 at the half behind 27-12 advantage on the boards and held MSU to just 10-of-33 from the floor, but MSU -- who won 25 games in 2017-18 -- fought back to tie it with 1:01 left. Kimani Lawrence (career-high 22 points and 9-of-14 shooting) buried a three with 29 seconds left and shot clock winding down, ASU got a stop and Remy Martin hit two free throws to seal it. ASU got 16 points from Martin (6-7 FTs, seven assists and no turnovers in 35 minutes), 12 points and nine boards from Zylan Cheatham and 17 points and nine boards from Luguentz Dort.
GAME #3: ASU 90, LONG BEACH 58/NOV. 12, 2018: ASU took control early and in a game that had one lead change as six Sun Devils scored in double digits. ASU led 38-16 at the half and collected 63 rebounds, most since it had 63 vs. Utah on Nov. 27, 2002. It held LBSU to just .274 from the field, ASU's best defensive effort since Feb. 11, 2010, when it held Oregon State to 14-of-47 (.246). Remy Martin had 15 points while Luguentz Dort had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
GAME #2: ASU 80, McNEESE STATE 52/NOV. 9, 2018: McNeese State jumped out to an 8-3 lead but Luguentz Dort (25 points), Zylan Cheatham (16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists) and Kimani Lawrence (16 points and six rebounds) led ASU as the Sun Devils outscored the Cowboys 47-29 in the second half. ASU held McNeese State to .319 from the field (15-of-47) and the 52 points allowed is the fewest in the Coach Hurley era at Arizona State.
FEWEST POINTS BY ASU OPPONENT UNDER BOBBY HURLEY
52 by McNeese State, 11/9/18
53 by California, 3/1/18
53 by Kennesaw State, 11/18/15
GAME #1: ASU 102, CAL STATE FULLERTON 94 (2 OT)/NOV. 6, 2018: ASU topped topped 2018 Big West Champion Cal State Fullerton – and its four returning starters – 102-94 in double overtime in a Nov. 6 opener that was as good as it looks on the box score. ASU's 102 points was the most in an opener since it scored 111 vs. Jacksonville in 1996, as it placed five in double figures. Luguentz Dort's 28 points is the most by a Sun Devil freshman in a debut, and the most by any Sun Devil in an opener since Jeremy Veal had 32 on Nov. 16, 1997. ASU had 20 offensive rebounds and placed all five starters in double digits.
MOST OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS BY ASU PAST 13 SEASONS (2006-19)
23 vs. Oregon State (Jan. 13, 2007)
22 vs. Northern Colorado (Nov. 28, 2006)
21 vs. Houston Baptist (Nov. 25, 2010 @Alaska)
20 vs. Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 6, 2018)
20 vs. USC (Mar. 11, 2015 @Pac-12 Tournament)
CLOSE: ASU played 15 Pac-12 regular season games decided by single digits, the most by any Pac-12 team in past 22 seasons. In its perfect (12-0) non-conference action, ASU played one single digit game (92-90 over Kansas State in Las Vegas). ASU's only three league margins in double digits were wins over California (84-53), Colorado (80-66) and at Washington State (88-78).
HALF: ASU has 15 wins when trailing at the half under Bobby Hurley, after going 12-64 (.157) the previous five seasons.
GONNA' PLAY SOME FOLKS: Bobby Hurley is going to make an attempt to play some folks. In his first year after looking at a schedule he inherited that included tilts against NC State/Marquette in Brooklyn, at Creighton, at UNLV and against eventual No. 18 Texas A&M, he put the wheels in motion to make it even better by agreeing to play at Kentucky and filled a holiday break hole that could have been a yawner with Stephen F. Austin. In 2016-17, the squad played No. 1 Kentucky in the Bahamas, Purdue in New York City, at San Diego State, in Orlando for three games, and finished a series with No. 9 Creighton. Kansas returns the trip to Wells Fargo this year after ASU's win on Dec. 10, 2017, and ASU played No. 15 Xavier and hosted 2017 NCAA Tournament product Vanderbilt last season. Coach Hurley has already played four top-10 non-conference opponents in his three years, after ASU faced one in the previous 17 seasons.
ASU REGULAR SEASON OOC GAMES VS. TOP-10 TEAMS (SINCE JOINING PAC-10)
ASU 95 @#2 Kansas 85 (Dec. 10, 2017)
#9 Creighton 96, ASU 85 (Dec. 20, 2016)
#1 Kentucky 115, ASU 69 (Nov. 28, 2016 at Bahamas)
@#5 Kentucky 72, ASU 58 (Dec. 12, 2015)
#7 Duke 64, ASU 53 (Nov. 25, 2009 at MSG)
#2 Kansas 90, ASU 88, OT (Nov. 26, 1997 at MSG)
ASU 97, #7 Maryland 90 (November 23, 1994 at Maui)
@#8 Oklahoma St. 87, ASU 69 (December 2, 1993)
@#9 Kentucky 94, ASU 68 (December 14, 1991)
@#2 Kansas 90, ASU 67 (December 22, 1989)
#10 North Carolina 85, ASU 66 (December 23, 1984 at Tokyo)
#6 Missouri 48, ASU 47 (December 27, 1982 at Honolulu)
SUN DEVIL LEADERS (INCLUDES SHARED AND THEN CAREER)
SCORING: Dort (4), Martin (1/2), Lawrence (1), Cherry (1), White (1)
REBOUNDING: Dort (4), White (1/13), Lake (1/8), Mitchell (6), Cheatham (4)
ASSISTS: Mitchell (0/5), Martin (3/9), White (0/2), Cheatham (5)
DE'QUON LAKE DOUBLE FIGURE SCORING GAMES (10-2)
24 vs. Idaho State (11/10/17)
17 vs. Northern Arizona (11/17/17)
16 vs. Longwood (12/17/17)
15 vs. San Diego State (11/14/17)
12 vs. Colorado/P12 Tournament (3/7/18)
12 vs. Pacific (12/22/17)
11 vs. Oregon State (1/13/18)
11 vs. Kansas State (11/23/17)
10 vs. Long Beach State (11/12/18)
10 vs. California (3/1/18)
10 vs. Colorado (1/27/18)
10 vs. Utah (1/25/18)