The Arizona State Sun Devil men's hoops team (7-2) -- 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 -- plays host to SEC member Georgia on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 6 p.m. on Pac-12 Network. ASU has won four straight as it hosts an SEC team at Desert Financial Arena in the regular season for just the third time in the past 25 seasons. No. 5 ASU beat Vanderbilt 76-64 on Dec. 17, 2017, and beat No. 18 Texas A&M 67-54 on Dec. 5, 2015 -- both under Coach Hurley -- but prior to those tilts the previous SEC program to visit Tempe was Vanderbilt on Dec. 29, 1994. ASU is 28-5 in regular season non-conference games in the past three seasons, including an 18-1 mark at home.
LAST MEETING: #20 ASU 76, @GEORGIA 74 (DEC. 15, 2018): ASU fell behind 47-29 in the first half and trailed 47-33 at recess but led by Remy Martin's 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists stormed back for its biggest halftime comeback deficit win in a decade. Atlanta native Romello White was solid with 16 points while Zylan Cheatham had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Luguentz Dort (12 points) hit the game winner on a strong drive wih 11 seconds left as ASU held the Bulldogs to 9-of-25 (.360) from the field in the second half and forced 19 turnovers while notching 15 offensive rebounds. It marked the 16th time ASU had come back after being down at the half to win in Coach Bobby Hurley's four seasons.
LARGEST HALFTIME COMEBACK DEFICITS (1989-1990 TO PRESENT)
17, @Stanford 46, ASU 29--Feb. 12, 1994/ASU 71, @Stanford 69
16, IUPUI 34, ASU 18 (@Phoenix)--Dec. 14, 2008/ASU 59, vs. IUPUI 58 (OT)
16, New Mexico St. 45, ASU 29--Mar. 15, 2000/ASU 83, NMSU 77 (NIT)
16, Georgia 39, ASU 23--Dec. 29, 1989/ASU 62, Georgia 61
14, @Georgia 47, ASU 33--Dec. 15, 2018/ASU 76, Georgia 74
You Can Call It A Comeback! @SunDevilHoops Comes Back From 18 Down To Win At Georgia - https://t.co/mj825iW9DT | Arizona State University Athletics https://t.co/1jXnWDfMMb
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 16, 2018
ROMELLO PLAYING WELL: Atlanta's own Romello White is off to a great start in his junior season. In the past three games he is averaging 15.7 points and 13.7 rebounds and is 15-of-18 (.833) from the field and 17-of-24 (.708) from the free throw line. Entering this season in 65 career games he was 155-of-275 (.563) but this year he is 30-of-45 (.667). He is shooting .633 (266-of-420) from the field in his 73-game career.
SUN DEVIL DATA: ASU has held five opponents under 40 percent shooting and is holding opponents to just .289 (52-of-180) from the three-point stripe...has 84 steals, while opponents have just 47...quietly, Elias Valtonen is 10-of-19 (.526) 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 23-of-25 (.920) from the free throw line...ASU is giving up just 64.0 points per gamey…ASU is holding opponents to just .398 from the field.
LOTS OF HOTEL PENS: ASU played five of its first seven 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).
GAME #9 -- ASU 88, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 79 (DEC. 11): ASU led by as many as 18 in the second half after going on a 14-0 run with just under 10 miinutes to play as Romello White had 14 points and 16 rebounds, including 10-of-14 from the free throw line. Remy Martin had 21 while Alonzo Verge Jr. posted 20 off the bench. Prairie View A&M fouled ASU a lot, resulting in the Sun Devils going 37-of-51 (.725) from the foul line.
REMY'S 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 five 20-point games (12 in career). He is averaging 20.0 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)/61-130 (.469)
3PT (PCT): 66-200 (.330)/15-40 (.375)
PPG: 11.3/20.0
BACK HURTS FROM CARRYING LEAGUE HERE: In Bobby Hurley's first four seasons, 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 were away from Tempe. UCLA was 4-6 and Arizona 3-4. Take out ASU's 5-5 mark and the rest of the league was 15-42 in those four seasons and seven of the teams have one or zero wins.
PHYSICAL: Top wingspans on the team are Jalen Graham (7-2), Romello White (7-0) and Kimani Lawrence (6-11 1/2). Best standing vertical 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").
ROAD: ASU won at Princeton (67-65/Nov. 26) and San Francisco (71-67/Dec. 3), 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.
ASU OUT OF CONFERENCE ROADIES 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)
PRETTY COOL: 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 REVIEW: ASU was 23-11 and 12-6 (second) in the Pac-12 after being picked sixth in the preseason media poll...beat No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 22, ASU's first win over No. 1 at home 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...prior to its past two NCAA appearances under Bobby Hurley, ASU had made the NCAA Tournament three times in previous 22 seasons (1996-2017).
NOVEMBER TOUGH: Not many have been better early than the Sun Devils in the past three seasons, as they are 16-2 the past three seasons in November. Also worth a darn: the win list includes five teams that would eventually make NCAA Tournament that same season.
ASU 16-2 NOVEMBER RECORD PAST THREE SEASONS
ASU 67, @Princeton 65 (Nov. 26, 2019)
#7 Virginia 48, ASU 45 (Nov. 24, 2019)
ASU 80, St. John's 67 (Nov. 23, 2019)
ASU 92, Rider 55 (Nov. 17, 2019)
ASU 90, Central Connecticut State 49 (Nov. 14, 2019)
Colorado 81, ASU 71 at Shanghai (Nov. 9, 2019)
ASU 89, Omaha 71 (Nov. 28, 2018)
ASU 87, Utah State 82 at Las Vegas (Nov. 21, 2018)/2019 MWC Champ and NCAA Team
ASU 72, #16 Mississippi State 67 at Las Vegas (Nov. 19, 2018)/2019 NCAA Team
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)/eventual No. 1 seed in 2018
ASU 92, Kansas State 90 at Las Vegas (Nov. 23, 2017)/Elite Eight in 2018
ASU 99, UC Irvine 78 (Nov. 19, 2017)
ASU 97, NAU 62 (Nov. 17, 2017)
ASU 90, San Diego State 68 (Nov. 14, 2017)/2018 NCAA team and MWC Tourney champ
ASU 94, Idaho State 74 (Nov. 10, 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
ROMELLO WHITE TOP REBOUNDING GAMES
16 vs. Prairie View A&M (Dec. 11, 2019)
15 vs. San Diego State (Nov. 14, 2017)
14 vs. Louisiana (Dec. 7, 2019)
14 vs. Texas Southern (Dec. 1, 2018)
14 at Washington (Feb. 1, 2018)
13 vs. San Francisco (Dec. 2, 2018)
11 (6 times)
REGULAR SEASON NON-CONFERENCE RECORD UNDER BOBBY HURLEY
2019-20: 7-2
2018-19: 9-3
2017-18: 12-0
2016-17: 7-6