The Arizona State Sun Devil men's hoops team (6-2) -- coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since 1980-81 and the only Pac-12 team to make the NCAAs the past two seasons -- hosts 2019 SWAC Tournament champion Prairie View A&M in just its fourth home game on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. and then plays host to SEC member Georgia on Saturday, Dec. 14.
THREE-DOT SUN DEVIL DATA: ASU has held five opponents under 40 percent shooting and is holding opponents to just .268 (44-of-164) from the three-point stripe (15th-best in nation)...ASU has 76 steals, while its opponents have just 41...quietly, Elias Valtonen is 9-of-16 (.563) from the three-point stripe in his career...ASU is 7-0 in the past two years when Taeshon Cherry scores double-digits...freshman Jalen Graham is 17-of-25 (.680) from the field...freshman Jaelen House is 18-of-19 (.947) from the free throw line...through eight games ASU is giving up just 62.1 points per game, which is third in the Pac-12. It is early, but that would be the its lowest since the 2009-10 team gave up just 58.7 ppg., the third-best mark in Sun Devil history…ASU is holding opponents to just .394 from the field.
GAME #8 -- ASU 77, LOUISIANA 65 (DEC. 7): ASU never trailed and led by as many as 19 before settling on a 12-point win over Louisiana in its first home game in 20 days. Romello White posted his second straight double-double (19 points/14 rebounds). ASU did not allow a second-chance point and forced 20 turnovers. Rob Edwards added 17 and Remy Martin 15 while Jaelen House and Taeshon Cherry added nine each off the bench.
ONLY OTHER MEETING: ASU topped Prairie View A&M 100-62 in the only meeting between the teams on Dec. 1, 2001. Kenny Crandall scored a career-high 22 points as ASU forced 31 turnovers. Current radio analyst Kyle Dodd dropped bucket (singular) and finished with two more points than everyone on the planet who didn't play in this game.
LOTS OF HOTEL PENS: ASU played five of its first seven games in Shanghai, Connecticut, New Jersey and San Francisco as it spent 17 of its first 32 nights of the season in a hotel, and flew 20,134 miles on nine flights. When Coach Hurley took the ASU job in April of 2015 he said ASU was going to play some folks and not be afraid to go on the road. ASU's tally of non-conference states in his five years is at 11 with other trips to the Bahamas (vs. Kentucky) and China. ASU has played non-conference games in New York (MSG and Barclays), Nebraska (Creighon), at Kentucky, Nevada (at UNLV), Florida (Old Spice Classic), California (San Francisco and San Diego State), at Kansas, at Georgia, Tennessee (Vanderbilt) and New Jersey (at Princeton).
REMY OFF TO GREAT START:Junior Remy Martin is off to a solid start for the Sun Devils as he posted a career-high 33 points at Princeton on Nov. 26 and already has four 20-point games (11 in career). He is averaging 19.9 points per game this year after averaging 11.3 in his first two years.
REMY MARTIN: FIRST TWO YEARS/2019-20
FG (PCT): 246-582 (.422)/56-121 (.463)
3PT (PCT): 66-200 (.330)/13-38 (.342)
PPG: 11.3/19.9
ON THE ROAD: ASU won at Princeton on Nov. 26 (67-65) and San Francisco on Dec. 3 (71-67), as it is 7-2 (.778) in out-of-conference road games under Bobby Hurley, after going 8-22 (.267) in its previous 30 efforts.
SUN DEVIL OUT OF CONFERENCE ROAD GAMES UNDER BOBBY HURLEY (7-2)
ASU 71, San Francisco 67 (Dec. 3, 2019)
ASU 67, Princeton 65 (Nov. 26, 2019)
Vanderbilt 81, ASU 65 (Dec. 17, 2018)
#20 ASU 76, Georgia 74 (Dec. 15, 2018)
#16 ASU 95, #2 Kansas 85 (Dec. 10, 2017)
ASU 74, San Diego State 63 (Dec. 10, 2016)
ASU 66, UNLV 56 (Dec. 16, 2015)
#5 Kentucky 72, ASU 58 (Dec. 5, 2015)
ASU 79, Creighton 77 (Dec. 2, 2015)
PHYSICAL NOTES: The top wingspans on the team are Jalen Graham (7-2), Romello White (7-0) and Kimani Lawrence (6-11 1/2). The best standing vertical on the team is Graham (32.5"), while Remy Martin is next (31.5") while best approach verticals are Remy (40.5"), Jaelen House (39.5") and Graham (39").
COOL IF PAC-12 TEAMS DO THIS: Since Bobby Hurley took over, ASU leads the league in wins over ranked out-of-conference teams during the regular season with a 5-5 mark with wins over Kansas (twice), Xavier, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Four of the wins have been away from Tempe. UCLA is 4-6 and Arizona 3-4. Take out ASU's 5-5 mark and the rest of the league is 15-42 in those four seasons and seven of the teams have one or zero wins.
PRETTY COOL NOTE: ASU had been to four NCAA Tournaments (1995, 2003, 2009 and 2014) in 26 seasons (1992-2017) and not been to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years since 1980-81. Remy Martin, Kimani Lawrence and Romello White have now gone to the Dance in each of their first two seasons.
2018-19 QUICK REVIEW: ASU was 23-11 and 12-6 in the Pac-12 in 2018-19, good enough for second in the league after being picked sixth in the preseason media poll...defeated No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 22, first win over No. 1 at home in program history and second all-time (won at Oregon State in March of 1981)...notched first NCAA Tournament win since 2009 with a 74-65 victory over St. John's on March 20 in Dayton...prior to its past two NCAA appearances under Bobby Hurley, ASU had made the NCAA Tournament three times in previous 22 seasons (1996-2017).
WHO WE LOST:Three regular rotation players are gone from last year, including All-Pac-12 performers Zylan Cheatham and Lu Dort (Pac-12 Freshman of the Year), as well as De'Quon Lake.
SOLID: ASU finished second in the Pac-12 for just the fourth time in its 41-year Pac-10/12 history last year (2009-10, 1980-81 and 1979-80). ASU won 12 loop games for just the sixth time.
BEST PAC-12 RECORDS
16-2 (1): 1980-81
15-3 (2): 1979-80
12-6 (4): 2018-19, 2009-10, 1994-95, 1982-83
THAT HALFTIME STAT: ASU has 23 wins (11 on the road) when trailing at the half under Bobby Hurley in five seasons, after going 12-64 (.157) the previous five seasons. It did it seven times in 2017-18 and did it in 2018-19 at Georgia, vs. No. 1 Kansas, at California, at UCLA, vs. Cal and at Oregon State. This year it has comeback wins over St. John's and at Princeton.
ROB EDWARDS: Dropped buckets in some big wins in 2018-19, with 15 off the bench vs. #1 Kansas, 19 vs. Arizona, 28 at Utah and 13 at Oregon State...when he scored 15, ASU was 6-1 in 2018-19...entered ASU with 909 points in 63 games (14.4 ppg.)...71-of-85 (.835) from the free throw line in 2018-19...missed six games early and only scored 14 points in the first nine games (14 in opener, six DNPs due to a back injury and zero points vs. Nevada and Georgia)...stats last year look a lot better when you remember he went from Nov. 7-Dec. 16 without scoring a point. In those three games he did play, he was 4-of-26 (.154) from field and 2-of-9 (.222) from three and had 14 points (all against CSF in the opener).
THREE-DOT SUN DEVIL DATA: ASU has held five opponents under 40 percent shooting and is holding opponents to just .268 (44-of-164) from the three-point stripe (15th-best in nation)...ASU has 76 steals, while its opponents have just 41...quietly, Elias Valtonen is 9-of-16 (.563) from the three-point stripe in his career...ASU is 7-0 in the past two years when Taeshon Cherry scores double-digits...freshman Jalen Graham is 17-of-25 (.680) from the field...freshman Jaelen House is 18-of-19 (.947) from the free throw line...through eight games ASU is giving up just 62.1 points per game, which is third in the Pac-12. It is early, but that would be the its lowest since the 2009-10 team gave up just 58.7 ppg., the third-best mark in Sun Devil history…ASU is holding opponents to just .394 from the field.
GAME #8 -- ASU 77, LOUISIANA 65 (DEC. 7): ASU never trailed and led by as many as 19 before settling on a 12-point win over Louisiana in its first home game in 20 days. Romello White posted his second straight double-double (19 points/14 rebounds). ASU did not allow a second-chance point and forced 20 turnovers. Rob Edwards added 17 and Remy Martin 15 while Jaelen House and Taeshon Cherry added nine each off the bench.
ONLY OTHER MEETING: ASU topped Prairie View A&M 100-62 in the only meeting between the teams on Dec. 1, 2001. Kenny Crandall scored a career-high 22 points as ASU forced 31 turnovers. Current radio analyst Kyle Dodd dropped bucket (singular) and finished with two more points than everyone on the planet who didn't play in this game.
LOTS OF HOTEL PENS: ASU played five of its first seven games in Shanghai, Connecticut, New Jersey and San Francisco as it spent 17 of its first 32 nights of the season in a hotel, and flew 20,134 miles on nine flights. When Coach Hurley took the ASU job in April of 2015 he said ASU was going to play some folks and not be afraid to go on the road. ASU's tally of non-conference states in his five years is at 11 with other trips to the Bahamas (vs. Kentucky) and China. ASU has played non-conference games in New York (MSG and Barclays), Nebraska (Creighon), at Kentucky, Nevada (at UNLV), Florida (Old Spice Classic), California (San Francisco and San Diego State), at Kansas, at Georgia, Tennessee (Vanderbilt) and New Jersey (at Princeton).
REMY OFF TO GREAT START:Junior Remy Martin is off to a solid start for the Sun Devils as he posted a career-high 33 points at Princeton on Nov. 26 and already has four 20-point games (11 in career). He is averaging 19.9 points per game this year after averaging 11.3 in his first two years.
REMY MARTIN: FIRST TWO YEARS/2019-20
FG (PCT): 246-582 (.422)/56-121 (.463)
3PT (PCT): 66-200 (.330)/13-38 (.342)
PPG: 11.3/19.9
ON THE ROAD: ASU won at Princeton on Nov. 26 (67-65) and San Francisco on Dec. 3 (71-67), as it is 7-2 (.778) in out-of-conference road games under Bobby Hurley, after going 8-22 (.267) in its previous 30 efforts.
SUN DEVIL OUT OF CONFERENCE ROAD GAMES UNDER BOBBY HURLEY (7-2)
ASU 71, San Francisco 67 (Dec. 3, 2019)
ASU 67, Princeton 65 (Nov. 26, 2019)
Vanderbilt 81, ASU 65 (Dec. 17, 2018)
#20 ASU 76, Georgia 74 (Dec. 15, 2018)
#16 ASU 95, #2 Kansas 85 (Dec. 10, 2017)
ASU 74, San Diego State 63 (Dec. 10, 2016)
ASU 66, UNLV 56 (Dec. 16, 2015)
#5 Kentucky 72, ASU 58 (Dec. 5, 2015)
ASU 79, Creighton 77 (Dec. 2, 2015)
PHYSICAL NOTES: The top wingspans on the team are Jalen Graham (7-2), Romello White (7-0) and Kimani Lawrence (6-11 1/2). The best standing vertical on the team is Graham (32.5"), while Remy Martin is next (31.5") while best approach verticals are Remy (40.5"), Jaelen House (39.5") and Graham (39").
COOL IF PAC-12 TEAMS DO THIS: Since Bobby Hurley took over, ASU leads the league in wins over ranked out-of-conference teams during the regular season with a 5-5 mark with wins over Kansas (twice), Xavier, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Four of the wins have been away from Tempe. UCLA is 4-6 and Arizona 3-4. Take out ASU's 5-5 mark and the rest of the league is 15-42 in those four seasons and seven of the teams have one or zero wins.
PRETTY COOL NOTE: ASU had been to four NCAA Tournaments (1995, 2003, 2009 and 2014) in 26 seasons (1992-2017) and not been to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years since 1980-81. Remy Martin, Kimani Lawrence and Romello White have now gone to the Dance in each of their first two seasons.
2018-19 QUICK REVIEW: ASU was 23-11 and 12-6 in the Pac-12 in 2018-19, good enough for second in the league after being picked sixth in the preseason media poll...defeated No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 22, first win over No. 1 at home in program history and second all-time (won at Oregon State in March of 1981)...notched first NCAA Tournament win since 2009 with a 74-65 victory over St. John's on March 20 in Dayton...prior to its past two NCAA appearances under Bobby Hurley, ASU had made the NCAA Tournament three times in previous 22 seasons (1996-2017).
WHO WE LOST:Three regular rotation players are gone from last year, including All-Pac-12 performers Zylan Cheatham and Lu Dort (Pac-12 Freshman of the Year), as well as De'Quon Lake.
SOLID: ASU finished second in the Pac-12 for just the fourth time in its 41-year Pac-10/12 history last year (2009-10, 1980-81 and 1979-80). ASU won 12 loop games for just the sixth time.
BEST PAC-12 RECORDS
16-2 (1): 1980-81
15-3 (2): 1979-80
12-6 (4): 2018-19, 2009-10, 1994-95, 1982-83
THAT HALFTIME STAT: ASU has 23 wins (11 on the road) when trailing at the half under Bobby Hurley in five seasons, after going 12-64 (.157) the previous five seasons. It did it seven times in 2017-18 and did it in 2018-19 at Georgia, vs. No. 1 Kansas, at California, at UCLA, vs. Cal and at Oregon State. This year it has comeback wins over St. John's and at Princeton.
ROB EDWARDS: Dropped buckets in some big wins in 2018-19, with 15 off the bench vs. #1 Kansas, 19 vs. Arizona, 28 at Utah and 13 at Oregon State...when he scored 15, ASU was 6-1 in 2018-19...entered ASU with 909 points in 63 games (14.4 ppg.)...71-of-85 (.835) from the free throw line in 2018-19...missed six games early and only scored 14 points in the first nine games (14 in opener, six DNPs due to a back injury and zero points vs. Nevada and Georgia)...stats last year look a lot better when you remember he went from Nov. 7-Dec. 16 without scoring a point. In those three games he did play, he was 4-of-26 (.154) from field and 2-of-9 (.222) from three and had 14 points (all against CSF in the opener).