The Arizona State Sun Devil men's hoops team (8-4) -- 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 -- will try and bounce back from a loss -- something it has done very well the past two seasons -- when it closes its non-conference slate with a home game vs. Texas Southern on Saturday, Dec. 28, at 1 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network. ASU is 29-7 in regular season non-conference games in the past three seasons, including an 18-2 mark at home. Junior Romello White leads the Pac-12 in rebounding (11.0 per game).
BOUNCE BACKS: ASU fell to Creighton last Saturday 67-60, so the Sun Devils will have a chance to improve on an impressive stat over the past two seasons, as ASU is 11-2 following a loss. ASU only had one two-losing streak last season, and it responded by winning five of its next six.
ROMELLO NUMBERS: Junior Romello White -- who had 18 points and 17 rebounds vs. Georgia on Dec. 14 -- is averaging 14.7 points and 13.7 rebounds and is 32-of-44 (.727) from the field in his past six games. He is shooting .635 (283-of-446) from the field in his 76-game career.
ROMELLO WHITE TOP SCORING TILTS
25 vs. Northern Arizona (11/17/17)
22 vs. St. John's at STAPLES (12/8/17)
21 at Washington State (2/4/18)
19 vs. Louisiana (12/7/19)
19 vs. UCLA (3/13/19)
19 vs. Colorado (1/5/19)
19 vs. Texas Southern (12/1/18)
19 at Stanford (1/17/18)
19 vs. Kansas State in LV (11/23/17)
ROMELLO WHITE DOUBLE-DOUBLES (13/5 in 2019-20)
18/12 vs. Creighton (12/21/19)
18/17 vs. Georgia (12/14/19)
14/16 vs. Prairie View A&M (12/11/19)
19/14 vs. Louisiana (12/7/19)
14/11 at San Francisco (12/3/19)
18/11 vs. Princeton (12/29/18)
19/14 vs. Texas Southern (12/1/18)
13/11 vs. California (3/1/18)
10/14 at Washington (2/1/18)
10/11 at Colorado (1/4/18)
14/11 vs. UC Irvine (11/9/17)
16/15 vs. San Diego State (11/14/17)
16/13 vs. San Francisco (2/2/17)
REGULAR SEASON NON-CONFERENCE RECORDS UNDER BOBBY HURLEY (46-16)
2019-20: 8-4
2018-19: 9-3
2017-18: 12-0
2016-17: 7-6
2015-16: 10-3
SOME SOLID DUBS: Bobby Hurley has led ASU to a 46-16 regular season non-conference record in his five years, with notable wins over NC State, at Creighton, Texas A&M, UNLV (twice), Stephen F. Austin, Kansas State, Xavier, St. John's (twice plus a NCAA Tournament win), Kansas (twice), Vanderbilt and Georgia (twice).
CREIGHTON 67, ASU 60 (DEC. 21): ASU shot 9-of-31 (.290) from the field in the second half and 23-of-65 (.354) for the game in the Tempe loss to Creighton, as Romello White led the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Alonzo Verge Jr. added 19 as Creighton's bench outscored ASU's bench 20-6. ASU led 32-30 at the half in a game that had nine lead changes and eight ties.
ON THE ROAD (AGAIN) TO START PAC-12: ASU will open the Pac-12 season on the road for the eighth time in past dozen seasons when it travels to Arizona on Jan. 4 and ironically with the 20-game league slate coming and opening weekends announced, ASU will travel to Cal and make it nine times in past 13 years to open the Pac-12 season on the road. ASU is opening Pac-12 play with three straight on the road for the seventh time in the past 12 seasons, as it opened with three straight away from Tempe in 2017-18, 2016-17, 2014-15, 2011-12, 2010-11 and 2008-09.
RECENT AND TWO FUTURE PAC-12 OPENERS (HOME GAMES BOLD)
ASU @California (Dec. 3, 2020)
ASU @Arizona (Jan. 4, 2020)
Utah 96, ASU 86 (Jan. 3, 2019)
@#17 Arizona 84, #3 ASU 78 (Dec. 30, 2017)
ASU 98, @Stanford 93 (Dec. 30, 2016)
#4 Arizona 94, ASU 82 (Jan. 3, 2016)
@#8 Arizona 73, ASU 49 (Jan. 4, 2015)
Washington 76, ASU 65 (Jan. 2, 2014)
ASU 55, Utah 54 OT (Jan. 2, 2013)
@Arizona 68, ASU 51 (Dec. 31, 2011)
@Oregon State 80, ASU 58 (Dec. 30, 2010)
@UCLA 72, ASU 70 (Dec. 31, 2009)
ASU 90, @Stanford 60 (Jan. 2, 2009)
CLOSE OUT AND HAND UP: Sun Devil opponents are shooting 77-of-254 (.303) from the three-point stripe, easily the best mark in Sun Devil history 12 games into the season.
SUN DEVIL BEST THREE-POINT DEFENSE TEAMS
.303, 2019-20 (77-254)
.317, 2009-10 (181-571)
.319, 2008-09 (212-665)
.326, 2012-13 (175-536)
.333, 1994-95 (137-411)
.334, 2018-19 (292-874)
REMY NOTE: Junior Remy Martin posted a career-high 33 points at Princeton on Nov. 26 and has six 20-point games on the year (13 in career). He is averaging 18.5 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)/70-159 (.440)
3PT (PCT): 66-200 (.330)/18-54 (.333)
PPG: 11.3/18.5
REMY MARTIN 20+ SCORING TILTS (13)
33 at Princeton (11/26/19)
31 vs. Arizona (1/31/19)
27 at Arizona (3/9/19)
24 at California (1/9/19)
23 vs. Georgia (12/14/19)
23 vs. Colorado/China (11/9/19)
22 vs. Utah (1/3/19)
21 vs. Prairie View A&M (12/11/19)
21 vs. #7 Virginia (11/23/19)
21 at Georgia (12/15/18)
21 at #2 Kansas (12/10/17)
20 vs. Rider (11/17/19)
20 vs. Colorado/Las Vegas (3/7/18)
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).
CARRIED LEAGUE: In Bobby Hurley's first four seasons, ASU led the Pac-12 in wins over ranked out-of-conference teams in the regular season (five) with wins over Kansas (twice), Xavier, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Four of the wins were away from Tempe. 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 had one or zero wins.
COOL: ASU had been to four NCAA Tournaments (1995, 2003, 2009 and 2014) in 26 seasons (1992-2017) and not been back-to-back since 1980-81. Remy Martin, Kimani Lawrence and Romello White have now gone to the Dance in each of their first two seasons.
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)
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).
ROMELLO WHITE TOP REBOUNDING GAMES
17 vs. Georgia (Dec. 14, 2019)
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)
12 vs. Creighton (Dec. 21, 2019)
12 vs. Saint Mary's (Dec. 18, 2019)
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 halftime comeback wins over St. John's and at Princeton.
ROMELLO WHITE PAST NOTES: When he shoots it, he usually makes it. Romello made .625 of his shots in his first two seasons including 120-of-184 in his freshman year...coached by Jerry Stackhouse in the Atlanta AAU circuit...started 63 of 65 games his first two years and led team in offensive boards in each of the past two seasons with 77 last year and 79 in 2017-18...has two of the best field goal percentage mark's in Sun Devil history as he shot .652 in freshman year (fourth in Sun Devil record book) and .598 last year (ninth-best).)
BOUNCE BACKS: ASU fell to Creighton last Saturday 67-60, so the Sun Devils will have a chance to improve on an impressive stat over the past two seasons, as ASU is 11-2 following a loss. ASU only had one two-losing streak last season, and it responded by winning five of its next six.
ROMELLO NUMBERS: Junior Romello White -- who had 18 points and 17 rebounds vs. Georgia on Dec. 14 -- is averaging 14.7 points and 13.7 rebounds and is 32-of-44 (.727) from the field in his past six games. He is shooting .635 (283-of-446) from the field in his 76-game career.
ROMELLO WHITE TOP SCORING TILTS
25 vs. Northern Arizona (11/17/17)
22 vs. St. John's at STAPLES (12/8/17)
21 at Washington State (2/4/18)
19 vs. Louisiana (12/7/19)
19 vs. UCLA (3/13/19)
19 vs. Colorado (1/5/19)
19 vs. Texas Southern (12/1/18)
19 at Stanford (1/17/18)
19 vs. Kansas State in LV (11/23/17)
ROMELLO WHITE DOUBLE-DOUBLES (13/5 in 2019-20)
18/12 vs. Creighton (12/21/19)
18/17 vs. Georgia (12/14/19)
14/16 vs. Prairie View A&M (12/11/19)
19/14 vs. Louisiana (12/7/19)
14/11 at San Francisco (12/3/19)
18/11 vs. Princeton (12/29/18)
19/14 vs. Texas Southern (12/1/18)
13/11 vs. California (3/1/18)
10/14 at Washington (2/1/18)
10/11 at Colorado (1/4/18)
14/11 vs. UC Irvine (11/9/17)
16/15 vs. San Diego State (11/14/17)
16/13 vs. San Francisco (2/2/17)
REGULAR SEASON NON-CONFERENCE RECORDS UNDER BOBBY HURLEY (46-16)
2019-20: 8-4
2018-19: 9-3
2017-18: 12-0
2016-17: 7-6
2015-16: 10-3
SOME SOLID DUBS: Bobby Hurley has led ASU to a 46-16 regular season non-conference record in his five years, with notable wins over NC State, at Creighton, Texas A&M, UNLV (twice), Stephen F. Austin, Kansas State, Xavier, St. John's (twice plus a NCAA Tournament win), Kansas (twice), Vanderbilt and Georgia (twice).
CREIGHTON 67, ASU 60 (DEC. 21): ASU shot 9-of-31 (.290) from the field in the second half and 23-of-65 (.354) for the game in the Tempe loss to Creighton, as Romello White led the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Alonzo Verge Jr. added 19 as Creighton's bench outscored ASU's bench 20-6. ASU led 32-30 at the half in a game that had nine lead changes and eight ties.
ON THE ROAD (AGAIN) TO START PAC-12: ASU will open the Pac-12 season on the road for the eighth time in past dozen seasons when it travels to Arizona on Jan. 4 and ironically with the 20-game league slate coming and opening weekends announced, ASU will travel to Cal and make it nine times in past 13 years to open the Pac-12 season on the road. ASU is opening Pac-12 play with three straight on the road for the seventh time in the past 12 seasons, as it opened with three straight away from Tempe in 2017-18, 2016-17, 2014-15, 2011-12, 2010-11 and 2008-09.
RECENT AND TWO FUTURE PAC-12 OPENERS (HOME GAMES BOLD)
ASU @California (Dec. 3, 2020)
ASU @Arizona (Jan. 4, 2020)
Utah 96, ASU 86 (Jan. 3, 2019)
@#17 Arizona 84, #3 ASU 78 (Dec. 30, 2017)
ASU 98, @Stanford 93 (Dec. 30, 2016)
#4 Arizona 94, ASU 82 (Jan. 3, 2016)
@#8 Arizona 73, ASU 49 (Jan. 4, 2015)
Washington 76, ASU 65 (Jan. 2, 2014)
ASU 55, Utah 54 OT (Jan. 2, 2013)
@Arizona 68, ASU 51 (Dec. 31, 2011)
@Oregon State 80, ASU 58 (Dec. 30, 2010)
@UCLA 72, ASU 70 (Dec. 31, 2009)
ASU 90, @Stanford 60 (Jan. 2, 2009)
CLOSE OUT AND HAND UP: Sun Devil opponents are shooting 77-of-254 (.303) from the three-point stripe, easily the best mark in Sun Devil history 12 games into the season.
SUN DEVIL BEST THREE-POINT DEFENSE TEAMS
.303, 2019-20 (77-254)
.317, 2009-10 (181-571)
.319, 2008-09 (212-665)
.326, 2012-13 (175-536)
.333, 1994-95 (137-411)
.334, 2018-19 (292-874)
REMY NOTE: Junior Remy Martin posted a career-high 33 points at Princeton on Nov. 26 and has six 20-point games on the year (13 in career). He is averaging 18.5 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)/70-159 (.440)
3PT (PCT): 66-200 (.330)/18-54 (.333)
PPG: 11.3/18.5
REMY MARTIN 20+ SCORING TILTS (13)
33 at Princeton (11/26/19)
31 vs. Arizona (1/31/19)
27 at Arizona (3/9/19)
24 at California (1/9/19)
23 vs. Georgia (12/14/19)
23 vs. Colorado/China (11/9/19)
22 vs. Utah (1/3/19)
21 vs. Prairie View A&M (12/11/19)
21 vs. #7 Virginia (11/23/19)
21 at Georgia (12/15/18)
21 at #2 Kansas (12/10/17)
20 vs. Rider (11/17/19)
20 vs. Colorado/Las Vegas (3/7/18)
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).
CARRIED LEAGUE: In Bobby Hurley's first four seasons, ASU led the Pac-12 in wins over ranked out-of-conference teams in the regular season (five) with wins over Kansas (twice), Xavier, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Four of the wins were away from Tempe. 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 had one or zero wins.
COOL: ASU had been to four NCAA Tournaments (1995, 2003, 2009 and 2014) in 26 seasons (1992-2017) and not been back-to-back since 1980-81. Remy Martin, Kimani Lawrence and Romello White have now gone to the Dance in each of their first two seasons.
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)
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).
ROMELLO WHITE TOP REBOUNDING GAMES
17 vs. Georgia (Dec. 14, 2019)
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)
12 vs. Creighton (Dec. 21, 2019)
12 vs. Saint Mary's (Dec. 18, 2019)
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 halftime comeback wins over St. John's and at Princeton.
ROMELLO WHITE PAST NOTES: When he shoots it, he usually makes it. Romello made .625 of his shots in his first two seasons including 120-of-184 in his freshman year...coached by Jerry Stackhouse in the Atlanta AAU circuit...started 63 of 65 games his first two years and led team in offensive boards in each of the past two seasons with 77 last year and 79 in 2017-18...has two of the best field goal percentage mark's in Sun Devil history as he shot .652 in freshman year (fourth in Sun Devil record book) and .598 last year (ninth-best).)