Sun Devil Men's Hoops Gets Creative With 2019-20 Non-Conference Schedule

A nine-day trip to China to start the season means you have to get creative the rest of November and December.

A couple of weeks removed from announcing it will play in New England in late November -- just two weeks removed from returning from China -- ASU has announced its remaining non-conference schedule and it includes two other road games and an eight-day stretch prior to Christmas against three potential NCAA Tournament teams. 
 

?? Non-Conference is Out ??

Schedule: https://t.co/tU72zMVYxh pic.twitter.com/FVwLTF2Isq

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) June 24, 2019

"We take great pride in making every effort to play one of the most demanding and toughest non-conference schedules in the nation," says Coach Bobby Hurley, entering his fifth season at Arizona State in 2019-20 with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1980-81. "With the early part of season dedicated to the China trip and then a trip across country two weeks later, we wanted to have our main travel done by December yet still have great games. We feel we have done that with road games in New Jersey and California, games at Wells Fargo Arena against the SEC and Big East teams and then a great neutral site game in downtown Phoenix against a 2019 NCAA Tournament team."
 

We have been really good in November. Like 12-0 good past two years. So let's try that act in Connecticut at the @Hoophall Tip-Off Tournament Nov. 23-24 at @MoheganSun https://t.co/BfVznmLiTs St. John's on Nov. 23 then UMASS or Virginia on Nov. 24! pic.twitter.com/2lhnUwvLaz

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) June 3, 2019

ASU will visit Princeton while on the east coast after its Mohegan Sun matchups and also play at San Francisco in early December, a game that was cancelled due to air quality issues last year. The Sun Devils will host Georgia (Dec. 14) and Creighton (Dec. 21), which sandwich a game in downtown Phoenix against 2019 NCAA Tournament participant St. Mary's. The Basketball Showcase game held at Talking Stick against St. Mary's will be included in the Sun Devil season ticket package.

The schedule is listed below, with notes and links on the games below the schedule.

@SUNDEVILHOOPS 2019-20 SCHEDULE
Saturday, Nov. 9 vs. Colorado (non-conference game in China)
Thursday, Nov. 14 vs. Central Connecticut State (Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off in Tempe)
Sunday, Nov. 17 vs. Rider (Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off in Tempe)
Saturday, Nov. 23 vs. St. John's (Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun)/ESPN3/2:30 ET/12:30 MT
Sunday, Nov. 24 vs. Virginia/UMASS (Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun)
Tuesday, Nov. 26 at Princeton
Tuesday, Dec. 3 at San Francisco
Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. Louisiana
Wednesday, Dec. 11 vs. Prairie View A&M
Saturday, Dec. 14 vs. Georgia
Wednesday, Dec. 18 vs. St. Mary's at Talking Stick Arena in Phoenix (to be included in ASU season ticket package).
Saturday, Dec. 21 vs. Creighton
Saturday, Dec. 28 vs. Texas Southern
 
IMPRESSIVE NOTE: ASU was 8-22 in its previous 30 non-conference road games, but is now 5-2 under Coach Hurley with wins at San Diego State, UNLV, Creighton, No. 2 Kansas and Georgia. It will visit San Francisco (Dec. 3) and Princeton (Nov. 26) this season.

STATES PLAYED NOTE: Bobby Hurley in non-conference action has played outside Arizona in nine states and the Bahamas in his first four seasons. It has played multiple games in Nevada (five), New York (three), Florida (three) and California (three) and has played single games in Kentucky, Nebraska, Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas and the Bahamas. His ASU teams have played 28 non-conference games in Tempe and 20 outside the Arizona state lines. Connecticut (Mohegan Sun) and New Jersey (at Princeton) will mark 11 states where the Sun Devils have played non-conference games in Coach Hurley's five seasons.

NOVEMBER HAS BEEN AWESOME: There has been no one better early than the Sun Devils in the past two seasons, as they are 20-5 in November under Coach Hurley in his four years including 12-0 the past two seasons.

ASU 12-GAME NOVEMBER WIN STREAK
ASU 89, Omaha 71 (Nov. 28, 2018)
ASU 87, Utah State 82 at Las Vegas (Nov. 21, 2018)
ASU 72, #16 Mississippi State 67 at Las Vegas (Nov. 19, 2018)
ASU 90, Long Beach State 58 (Nov. 12, 2018)
ASU 80, McNeese State 52 (Nov. 9, 2018)
ASU 102, Cal State Fullerton 94, 2 OT (Nov. 6, 2018)
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 at Las Vegas (Nov. 24, 2017)
ASU 92, Kansas State 90 at Las Vegas (Nov. 23, 2017)
ASU 99, UC Irvine 78 (Nov. 19, 2017)
ASU 97, NAU 62 (Nov. 17, 2017)
ASU 90, San Diego State 68 (Nov. 14, 2017)
ASU 94, Idaho State 74 (Nov. 10, 2017)
 
TOP RETURNING SCORERS IN PAC-12 2019-20
Tres Tinkle, Oregon State/20.8
Nick Rakocevic, USC/14.7
CJ Elleby, Washington State/14.7
Ethan Thompson, Oregon State/13.7
Tyler Bey, Colorado/13.6
McKinley Wright, Colorado/13.0
Peyton Pritchard, Oregon/12.9
Remy Martin, Arizona State/12.9

CHINA GAME: The Pac-12 announced last November that Arizona State and Colorado will meet in November in the fifth edition of the Pac-12 China Game presented by Alibaba Group. The matchup is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9 for the national broadcast in both the U.S. and China, but it will not count as a conference contest. The teams are slated to meet only once during the 2019-20 Pac-12 regular season as part of the league's annual 18-game rotation model, as ASU will not make the Utah/Colorado trip this season.

TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT: ASU will travel to Connecticut to play St. John's -- for the third time in three seasons (716 days at time of game) -- next year (Nov. 23) and could meet defending NCAA champion Virginia or UMASS the next day as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the field of teams and brackets for the 2018 Tip-Off Tournament presented by Citi. The annual NCAA men's exempt tournament sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will take place Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. ASU is one of eight schools who will compete in two four-team brackets with campus round games leading up to the Mohegan Sun Arena contests. ASU will host Central Connecticut State on Friday, Nov. 14 and then host Rider on Sunday, Nov. 17, as part of the tournament. ASU will play St. John's at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3 on Saturday, with Sunday (Nov. 24) game times set for 1 p.m. ET (championship on ESPN) and 3:30 p.m. ET (consolation on ESPN2).

PLAYING FOLKS: Bobby Hurley promised to upgrade the Sun Devil schedule when he got the job in April of 2015. He has played road games at Creighton, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, San Diego State, UNLV and Vanderbilt.

SUN DEVIL NOTEWORTHY OUT OF CONFERENCE TEAMS PLAYED OR TO BE PLAYED SINCE HIRING OF BOBBY HURLEY
Creighton (Big East) -- won at Creighton in 2015-16, lost to top-10 Creighton in 2016-17 in Tempe
Georgia (SEC) -- won at Georgia last season, Bulldogs return trip this season
Kansas (Big 12) -- two fun wins on the road at No. 2 and at home over No. 1
Kansas State (Big 12) -- won at Orleans Arena in November of 2017, Kansas State ended up in 2018 Elite Eight
Kentucky (SEC) -- lost to Wildcats in Lexington and in the Bahamas
Marquette (Big East) -- lost at Barclays Center in Coach Hurley's first year
Mississippi State (SEC) -- beat  a ranked and eventual NCAA Tournament Bulldog squad in Las Vegas in November of 2018
NC State (ACC) -- Beat NC State at Barclays Center in November of 2015
Nevada (MWC) -- Lost to undefeated Nevada in December of 2018 at STAPLES Center
Purdue (Big 10) -- Lost at MSG in Jimmy V. Classic in December of 2016
San Diego State (MWC) -- swept SDSU, winning at SDSU (2016-17) and in Tempe (2017-18)
St. John's (Big East) -- beat SJU in Los Angeles in December of 2017 will play them November 23
Texas A&M (SEC) -- beat ranked Aggies soundly in Tempe in December of 2015
UMASS (A10) -- potential A-10 opponent this November in Connecticut
UNLV (MWC) -- won at UNLV and in Tempe in Coach Hurley's first two seasons
Vanderbilt (SEC) -- teams split games with each winning at home past two seasons after Vanderbilt was 2017 NCAA Tournament team
Virginia (ACC) -- defending NCAA champion is potential opponent November of 2019 in Connecticut
Xavier (Big East) -- beat Musketeers 102-86 in November of 2017

ASU IN NEUTRAL SITE NON-CONFERENCE GAMES UNDER BOBBY HURLEY
#6 Nevada 72, #20 ASU 66 (Dec. 7, 2018 at STAPLES Center, Los Angeles)
ASU 87, Utah State 82 (Nov. 21, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas)
ASU 72, #15 Mississippi State 67 (Nov. 20, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas)
ASU 82, St. John's 70 (Dec. 8, 2017 at STAPLES Center, Los Angeles)
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 (Nov. 24, 2017 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas)
ASU 92, Kansas State 90 (Nov. 23, 2017 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas)
#18 Purdue 97, ASU 64 (Dec. 6, 2016, at New York City/Jimmy V Classic)
#1 Kentucky 115, ASU 69 (Nov. 28, 2016 at Bahamas)
Davidson 68, ASU 60 (Nov. 19, 2016 at Orlando)
ASU 80, Tulane 71 (Nov. 18, 2016 at Orlando)
Northern Iowa 82, ASU 63 (Nov. 17, 2016 at Orlando)
Marquette 78, ASU 73, OT (Nov. 24, 2015 at Barclays Center)
ASU 79, NC State 76 (Nov. 23, 2015 at Barclays Center)