The Arizona State Sun Devil men's hoops team (12-8; 3-4) -- 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 -- tries to bounce back after 67-65 final shot loss at Washington State on Wednesday when it plays at Washington in a Pac-12 Network game tipping at 7:30 p.m. PT with Aaron Goldsmith and Bill Walton on the call. Prior to its past two NCAA appearances under Bobby Hurley, ASU had made the NCAA Tournament three times in previous 22 seasons (1996-2017). Quick stats: Remy Martin is the only Pac-12 player since 1996-97 to open conference play with six straight games of 20+ points (streak ended Wednesday at WSU), while ASU is 17-5 when Rob Edwards scores 13 in his two seasons (11-2 when he scores 15). Also UW only had three Pac-12 losses last year, and ASU was one of them (game was in Tempe).
THIS IS US: ASU will try to do what it has done very well the past two seasons, and that is bounce back from a loss, as the Sun Devils are 14-3 (.824) in the past two seasons after a loss, including 5-2 this year.
THIS IS US, PART II: ASU has 24 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, at Princeton vs. No. 22 Arizona. ASU actually trailed Arizona 37-15 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half before closing the gabp to 43-30 at the half and then scored first 10 points of second half. The 22-point comeback matches what is believed to the biggest in Pac-12 history.
PAC-12 STAT STUFF: ASU leads the Pac-12 in steals at 7.95 per game (159 in 20 games) while its turnover margin (+3.53) is second behind only Washington State (+4.23)…Remy Martin is second in the league in scoring at 19.35 points per game and second in steals (1.80 per game with 36 on the year)…Romello White leads the Pac-12 in rebounding at 9.11 per game and field goal percentage at .645. His seven double-doubles is tied for third in the league while his nine double-digit rebounding games is tied for league lead…Remy leads the Pac-12 at 22.0 points per game in conference games and his 13 20-point games is tied for league lead.
LAST MEETING: Washington only lost three Pac-12 games last year, but one of them was to ASU as the Sun Devils topped Huskies 75-63 on Feb. 9, tagging UW with its first conference loss and ending its 12-game winning streak. ASU shot 61.7 from the field (29-of-47), its best shooting night in conference play since Feb. 2, 2013. Romello White scored 17 on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. ASU was the first opponent to score more than 70 points against Washington in 13 games and held UW to 36.8 percent shooting from the field.
60 PERCENT SHOOTING BY ASU IN PAC-10/12 GAME (PAST 13 SEASONS)
.651/28-43 vs. Oregon State (Jan. 8, 2009)
.638/37-58 at Washington (Feb. 2, 2013)
.617/29-47 vs. Washington (Feb. 9, 2019)
.611/22-36 at USC (Jan. 5, 2012)
.600/24-40 vs. UCLA (Feb.12, 2009)
GAME #20 -- WASHINGTON STATE 67, ASU 65 (JAN. 29 IN PULLMAN): ASU committed 15 first-half turnovers and a season-high 21 for the game but led with 18 seconds left before CJ Ellenby hit a three-pointer with under five seconds left to earn the win, as he posted 27 points and 12 rebounds. Romello White led ASU with 15 points and 11 rebounds but ASU shot just 26-of-63 (.413) but held WSU to 23-of-56 (.411). WSU was 10-of-25 (.400) from three while ASU was 5-of-19 (.263). WSU led by 15 with just over 15 minutes left but ASU went on an 18-3 run to tie it a 51 with 10:47. WSU then went on a 11-2 run to make it 62-53 but ASU went on a 11-0 run to take a lead with 1:14 remaining.
PAC-12 REFRESHER: 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: 1980-81
15-3: 1979-80
12-6: 2018-19, 2009-10, 1994-95, 1982-83
ROAD: ASU opened Pac-12 play with three straight on the road for the seventh time in the past 12 seasons and for the third time in Coach Hurley's five seasons (also in 2017-18, 2016-17, 2014-15, 2011-12, 2010-11 and 2008-09). Coach Hurley's squad navigated something similar as in the past three seasons six times teams have opened with five of first seven on the road (as USC did this year). ASU in 2017-18 is the only one of the six to make the NCAA Tournament in that time.
REMY HEATING UP: Remy Martin became the 38th member of the Sun Devil 1,000-point club on Jan. 11 as he now has 1,108 career points in 84 career games (13.2 pg). He has 13 20-point games on the year and posted seven straight -- averaging 24.3 points in those seven -- before posting 15 at Washington State on Jan. 29. The seven straight 20-point tilts matched the best by a Sun Devil since Eddie House posted eight in 1999-2000. Remy posted a career-high 33 points at Princeton on Nov. 26 and is averaging 19.4 ppg after averaging 11.3 in his first two years.
PAC-12 PLAYERS MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES 20+ POINTS SINCE 1996-97 (IN ONE SEASON)
11-Ed Gray, CAL (Jan. 9, 1997-Feb. 15, 1997)
9-Landry Fields, STAN (Nov. 24, 2009-Jan. 2, 2010)
9-Brandon Roy, UW (Jan. 26, 2006-Feb. 26, 2006)
8-Tyler Dorsey, UO (March 9, 2017-April 1, 2017)
8-Eddie House, ASU (Dec. 18, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000)
8-Jason Terry, UA (Jan. 28, 1999-Feb. 20, 1999)
7-Remy Martin, ASU (Dec. 28, 2019-Jan. 25, 2020)
7-Klay Thompson, WSU (Feb. 17, 2011-Mar. 21, 2011)
7-Luke Ridnour, UO (Feb. 2, 2003-Mar. 13, 2003)
7-Jeremy Veal, ASU (Jan. 24, 1998-Feb. 19, 1998)
7-O.J. Mayo, USC (Feb. 21, 2008-Mar. 13, 2008)
DARN IT, HE WAS PLAYING WELL: Junior Romello White sprained his right ankle on Dec. 28 vs. Texas Southern and only played the first eight minutes as his stats took a hit as he played limited minutes at Arizona on Jan. 4. He had 18 points and 17 rebounds in the Georgia win on Dec. 14 and was averaging 14.7 points and 13.7 rebounds and was 32-of-44 (.727) from the field in his previous six games to TSU (Dec. 28).
SOME SOLID DUBS: Bobby Hurley has led ASU to a 47-16 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).
ROAD WINS: ASU's 5-4 Pac-12 road mark last year was its best since the 2009-10 and 2008-09 teams went 5-4 and matched ASU's best Pac-12 road mark in 39 seasons. Last year was only ASU's sixth winning road record since it joined the Pac-10 in 1978-79 (41 seasons). Ned Wulk's 1980-81 (8-1) and 1979-80 (7-2) teams set the bar, while Bill Frieder's 1994-95 Sweet Sixteen team also went 5-4.
NCAA NOTE: 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.
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.
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. The rest of the league was 15-42 in those four seasons and seven of the teams had one or zero wins.
ON THE ROAD (AGAIN) TO START PAC-12: ASU opened Pac-12 on the road for the eighth time in past dozen seasons when it traveled to Arizona on Jan. 4. Ironically with the 20-game league slate 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 next year.
SUN DEVIL PAC-12 OPENERS PAST 12 SEASONS (AND ALSO NEXT YEAR -- HOME GAMES BOLD)
ASU @California (Dec. 3, 2020)
@#25 Arizona 75, ASU 47 (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 .325 from the three-point stripe, the third-best defensive mark in ASU history.
SUN DEVIL BEST THREE-POINT DEFENSE TEAMS
.317, 2009-10 (181-571)
.319, 2008-09 (212-665)
.325, 2019-20 (139-428)
.326, 2012-13 (175-536)
.333, 1994-95 (137-411)
.334, 2018-19 (292-874)
ROAD: ASU won at Princeton (67-65/Nov. 26) and San Francisco (71-67/Dec. 3), as it is 7-2 (.778) in OOC 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)
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).)
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)
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").
2018-19 QUICK REVIEW: ASU was 23-11 and 12-6 (second) in the Pac-12 after being picked sixth in the preseason media poll. It 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) and notched first NCAA Tournament win since 2009 with a 74-65 victory over St. John's on March 20.
REMY: Everyone loves Remy. Those in maroon and gold really love Remy because his two best scoring games last year were wins over Arizona -- 31 in 95-88 double OT win on Jan. 31 and 27 in final game of regular season on road on March 9)...led ASU to first sweep over Arizona since 2008-09 and first win in Tucson since 2010...40-inch vertical jump... second-team All-Pac-12 by the league's coaches in 2018-19...notched 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals to spark Sun Devils back from an 18-point deficit to a 76-74 victory at Georgia on Dec. 15, 2018, leading to his Dec. 17 Pac-12 Player of the Week Award. Had 12 points, five boards, two assists and two steals in the second half, including back-to-back baskets inside the final 3:11 which gave ASU its first lead of game at 71-70....led Pac-12 with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio and second in league at five apg..had his November and early December of 2018 ruined by a bum ankle.
SUN DEVIL TOP CAREER SCORING CHART
26. 1,137 – Fat Lever, '78-82
27. 1,123 – Tommy Smith, '99-03
28. 1,120 – Mike Batiste, '96-99
29. 1,113 – Dwayne Fontana, '90-94
30. 1,108 – Remy Martin, '17-present
GOOD NOTE: ASU has defeated seven ranked teams in Bobby Hurley's five seasons, but it trailed at the half in five of the wins, including both wins over Kansas.
ASU WINS VS. RANKED TEAMS UNDER BOBBY HURLEY (ASU DEFICIT AT HALF)
ASU 66, #22 Arizona 65 (Jan. 25, 2020)--Arizona 43, ASU 30
#18 ASU 80, #1 Kansas 76 (Dec. 22, 2018)--Kansas 39, #18 ASU 31
ASU 72, #15 Mississippi State 67 (Nov. 19, 2018/Las Vegas)
#16 ASU 95, at #2 Kansas 85 (Dec. 10, 2017)--Kansas 40, #16 ASU 37
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 (Nov. 24, 2017/Las Vegas)-- Xavier 46, ASU 44
ASU 74, #23 USC 67 (Feb. 12, 2016)-- USC 30, ASU 27
ASU 67, #18 Texas A&M 54 (Dec. 5, 2015)
ROB EDWARDS: Dropped buckets in 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 scores 13, ASU is 17-5 and 11-2 when he scores 15...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. 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).
ROB EDWARDS 15+ POINTS SUN DEVIL SCORING TILTS (11-2)
28 at Utah (2/16/19)
24 vs. Utah (1/18/20)
23 vs. CCSU (11/14/19)
20 vs. Colorado/China (11/9/19)
19 vs. Arizona (1/31/19)
18 at Oregon State (1/9/20)
17 vs. Louisiana (12/7/19)
16 vs. California (2/24/19)
16 vs. Stanford (2/20/19)
15 vs. Arizona (1/25/20)
15 vs. Oregon (3/15/19)
15 vs. UCLA (3/14/19)
15 vs. #1 Kansas (12/22/18)
GONNA' PLAY FOLKS: Bobby Hurley is going to play some folks. In his first year after looking at a schedule he inherited that included tilts against NC State in Brooklyn, at Creighton, at UNLV and against eventual No. 18 Texas A&M, he put the wheels in motion 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, and finished a series with No. 9 Creighton. Kansas returned a trip to Tempe last year after ASU's win on Dec. 10, 2017. Coach Hurley has played six top-10 non-conference opponent in his five years, after ASU faced one in the previous 17 seasons during the regular season.
ASU REGULAR SEASON OOC GAMES VS. TOP-10 TEAMS (SINCE JOINING PAC-10)
#7 Virginia 48, ASU 45 (Nov. 24, 2019 at Mohegan Sun Resort)
#18 ASU 80, #1 Kansas 76 (Dec. 22, 2018)
#16 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)
THIS IS US: ASU will try to do what it has done very well the past two seasons, and that is bounce back from a loss, as the Sun Devils are 14-3 (.824) in the past two seasons after a loss, including 5-2 this year.
THIS IS US, PART II: ASU has 24 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, at Princeton vs. No. 22 Arizona. ASU actually trailed Arizona 37-15 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half before closing the gabp to 43-30 at the half and then scored first 10 points of second half. The 22-point comeback matches what is believed to the biggest in Pac-12 history.
PAC-12 STAT STUFF: ASU leads the Pac-12 in steals at 7.95 per game (159 in 20 games) while its turnover margin (+3.53) is second behind only Washington State (+4.23)…Remy Martin is second in the league in scoring at 19.35 points per game and second in steals (1.80 per game with 36 on the year)…Romello White leads the Pac-12 in rebounding at 9.11 per game and field goal percentage at .645. His seven double-doubles is tied for third in the league while his nine double-digit rebounding games is tied for league lead…Remy leads the Pac-12 at 22.0 points per game in conference games and his 13 20-point games is tied for league lead.
LAST MEETING: Washington only lost three Pac-12 games last year, but one of them was to ASU as the Sun Devils topped Huskies 75-63 on Feb. 9, tagging UW with its first conference loss and ending its 12-game winning streak. ASU shot 61.7 from the field (29-of-47), its best shooting night in conference play since Feb. 2, 2013. Romello White scored 17 on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. ASU was the first opponent to score more than 70 points against Washington in 13 games and held UW to 36.8 percent shooting from the field.
60 PERCENT SHOOTING BY ASU IN PAC-10/12 GAME (PAST 13 SEASONS)
.651/28-43 vs. Oregon State (Jan. 8, 2009)
.638/37-58 at Washington (Feb. 2, 2013)
.617/29-47 vs. Washington (Feb. 9, 2019)
.611/22-36 at USC (Jan. 5, 2012)
.600/24-40 vs. UCLA (Feb.12, 2009)
GAME #20 -- WASHINGTON STATE 67, ASU 65 (JAN. 29 IN PULLMAN): ASU committed 15 first-half turnovers and a season-high 21 for the game but led with 18 seconds left before CJ Ellenby hit a three-pointer with under five seconds left to earn the win, as he posted 27 points and 12 rebounds. Romello White led ASU with 15 points and 11 rebounds but ASU shot just 26-of-63 (.413) but held WSU to 23-of-56 (.411). WSU was 10-of-25 (.400) from three while ASU was 5-of-19 (.263). WSU led by 15 with just over 15 minutes left but ASU went on an 18-3 run to tie it a 51 with 10:47. WSU then went on a 11-2 run to make it 62-53 but ASU went on a 11-0 run to take a lead with 1:14 remaining.
PAC-12 REFRESHER: 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: 1980-81
15-3: 1979-80
12-6: 2018-19, 2009-10, 1994-95, 1982-83
ROAD: ASU opened Pac-12 play with three straight on the road for the seventh time in the past 12 seasons and for the third time in Coach Hurley's five seasons (also in 2017-18, 2016-17, 2014-15, 2011-12, 2010-11 and 2008-09). Coach Hurley's squad navigated something similar as in the past three seasons six times teams have opened with five of first seven on the road (as USC did this year). ASU in 2017-18 is the only one of the six to make the NCAA Tournament in that time.
REMY HEATING UP: Remy Martin became the 38th member of the Sun Devil 1,000-point club on Jan. 11 as he now has 1,108 career points in 84 career games (13.2 pg). He has 13 20-point games on the year and posted seven straight -- averaging 24.3 points in those seven -- before posting 15 at Washington State on Jan. 29. The seven straight 20-point tilts matched the best by a Sun Devil since Eddie House posted eight in 1999-2000. Remy posted a career-high 33 points at Princeton on Nov. 26 and is averaging 19.4 ppg after averaging 11.3 in his first two years.
PAC-12 PLAYERS MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES 20+ POINTS SINCE 1996-97 (IN ONE SEASON)
11-Ed Gray, CAL (Jan. 9, 1997-Feb. 15, 1997)
9-Landry Fields, STAN (Nov. 24, 2009-Jan. 2, 2010)
9-Brandon Roy, UW (Jan. 26, 2006-Feb. 26, 2006)
8-Tyler Dorsey, UO (March 9, 2017-April 1, 2017)
8-Eddie House, ASU (Dec. 18, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000)
8-Jason Terry, UA (Jan. 28, 1999-Feb. 20, 1999)
7-Remy Martin, ASU (Dec. 28, 2019-Jan. 25, 2020)
7-Klay Thompson, WSU (Feb. 17, 2011-Mar. 21, 2011)
7-Luke Ridnour, UO (Feb. 2, 2003-Mar. 13, 2003)
7-Jeremy Veal, ASU (Jan. 24, 1998-Feb. 19, 1998)
7-O.J. Mayo, USC (Feb. 21, 2008-Mar. 13, 2008)
DARN IT, HE WAS PLAYING WELL: Junior Romello White sprained his right ankle on Dec. 28 vs. Texas Southern and only played the first eight minutes as his stats took a hit as he played limited minutes at Arizona on Jan. 4. He had 18 points and 17 rebounds in the Georgia win on Dec. 14 and was averaging 14.7 points and 13.7 rebounds and was 32-of-44 (.727) from the field in his previous six games to TSU (Dec. 28).
SOME SOLID DUBS: Bobby Hurley has led ASU to a 47-16 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).
ROAD WINS: ASU's 5-4 Pac-12 road mark last year was its best since the 2009-10 and 2008-09 teams went 5-4 and matched ASU's best Pac-12 road mark in 39 seasons. Last year was only ASU's sixth winning road record since it joined the Pac-10 in 1978-79 (41 seasons). Ned Wulk's 1980-81 (8-1) and 1979-80 (7-2) teams set the bar, while Bill Frieder's 1994-95 Sweet Sixteen team also went 5-4.
NCAA NOTE: 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.
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.
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. The rest of the league was 15-42 in those four seasons and seven of the teams had one or zero wins.
ON THE ROAD (AGAIN) TO START PAC-12: ASU opened Pac-12 on the road for the eighth time in past dozen seasons when it traveled to Arizona on Jan. 4. Ironically with the 20-game league slate 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 next year.
SUN DEVIL PAC-12 OPENERS PAST 12 SEASONS (AND ALSO NEXT YEAR -- HOME GAMES BOLD)
ASU @California (Dec. 3, 2020)
@#25 Arizona 75, ASU 47 (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 .325 from the three-point stripe, the third-best defensive mark in ASU history.
SUN DEVIL BEST THREE-POINT DEFENSE TEAMS
.317, 2009-10 (181-571)
.319, 2008-09 (212-665)
.325, 2019-20 (139-428)
.326, 2012-13 (175-536)
.333, 1994-95 (137-411)
.334, 2018-19 (292-874)
ROAD: ASU won at Princeton (67-65/Nov. 26) and San Francisco (71-67/Dec. 3), as it is 7-2 (.778) in OOC 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)
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).)
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)
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").
2018-19 QUICK REVIEW: ASU was 23-11 and 12-6 (second) in the Pac-12 after being picked sixth in the preseason media poll. It 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) and notched first NCAA Tournament win since 2009 with a 74-65 victory over St. John's on March 20.
REMY: Everyone loves Remy. Those in maroon and gold really love Remy because his two best scoring games last year were wins over Arizona -- 31 in 95-88 double OT win on Jan. 31 and 27 in final game of regular season on road on March 9)...led ASU to first sweep over Arizona since 2008-09 and first win in Tucson since 2010...40-inch vertical jump... second-team All-Pac-12 by the league's coaches in 2018-19...notched 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals to spark Sun Devils back from an 18-point deficit to a 76-74 victory at Georgia on Dec. 15, 2018, leading to his Dec. 17 Pac-12 Player of the Week Award. Had 12 points, five boards, two assists and two steals in the second half, including back-to-back baskets inside the final 3:11 which gave ASU its first lead of game at 71-70....led Pac-12 with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio and second in league at five apg..had his November and early December of 2018 ruined by a bum ankle.
SUN DEVIL TOP CAREER SCORING CHART
26. 1,137 – Fat Lever, '78-82
27. 1,123 – Tommy Smith, '99-03
28. 1,120 – Mike Batiste, '96-99
29. 1,113 – Dwayne Fontana, '90-94
30. 1,108 – Remy Martin, '17-present
GOOD NOTE: ASU has defeated seven ranked teams in Bobby Hurley's five seasons, but it trailed at the half in five of the wins, including both wins over Kansas.
ASU WINS VS. RANKED TEAMS UNDER BOBBY HURLEY (ASU DEFICIT AT HALF)
ASU 66, #22 Arizona 65 (Jan. 25, 2020)--Arizona 43, ASU 30
#18 ASU 80, #1 Kansas 76 (Dec. 22, 2018)--Kansas 39, #18 ASU 31
ASU 72, #15 Mississippi State 67 (Nov. 19, 2018/Las Vegas)
#16 ASU 95, at #2 Kansas 85 (Dec. 10, 2017)--Kansas 40, #16 ASU 37
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 (Nov. 24, 2017/Las Vegas)-- Xavier 46, ASU 44
ASU 74, #23 USC 67 (Feb. 12, 2016)-- USC 30, ASU 27
ASU 67, #18 Texas A&M 54 (Dec. 5, 2015)
ROB EDWARDS: Dropped buckets in 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 scores 13, ASU is 17-5 and 11-2 when he scores 15...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. 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).
ROB EDWARDS 15+ POINTS SUN DEVIL SCORING TILTS (11-2)
28 at Utah (2/16/19)
24 vs. Utah (1/18/20)
23 vs. CCSU (11/14/19)
20 vs. Colorado/China (11/9/19)
19 vs. Arizona (1/31/19)
18 at Oregon State (1/9/20)
17 vs. Louisiana (12/7/19)
16 vs. California (2/24/19)
16 vs. Stanford (2/20/19)
15 vs. Arizona (1/25/20)
15 vs. Oregon (3/15/19)
15 vs. UCLA (3/14/19)
15 vs. #1 Kansas (12/22/18)
GONNA' PLAY FOLKS: Bobby Hurley is going to play some folks. In his first year after looking at a schedule he inherited that included tilts against NC State in Brooklyn, at Creighton, at UNLV and against eventual No. 18 Texas A&M, he put the wheels in motion 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, and finished a series with No. 9 Creighton. Kansas returned a trip to Tempe last year after ASU's win on Dec. 10, 2017. Coach Hurley has played six top-10 non-conference opponent in his five years, after ASU faced one in the previous 17 seasons during the regular season.
ASU REGULAR SEASON OOC GAMES VS. TOP-10 TEAMS (SINCE JOINING PAC-10)
#7 Virginia 48, ASU 45 (Nov. 24, 2019 at Mohegan Sun Resort)
#18 ASU 80, #1 Kansas 76 (Dec. 22, 2018)
#16 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)