Since arriving at ASU in April of 2015, Bobby Hurley has not shied away from playing anyone and has reached out to play any and all.
Kentucky? Sure let's play them there and in the Bahamas. Kansas? Yup, let's play them less than 48 hours in Lawrence after playing St. John's in Los Angeles. Road games against proven mid-majors? Sign us up to play at San Francisco and Princeton. Want some SEC flavor? Let's go to Vanderbilt and Georgia in a three-day period.
So with a trip to Creighton on the schedule – who some folks have as a top-10 team – and a trip to a very good Diamond Head Invitational field over Christmas on the 2020-21 schedule, the staff needed a decent home game next year.
So maybe get a team that won its first 26 games last year and finished sixth in the final AP poll with a 30-2 record?
OK, let's get it done.
The Sun Devils will host 2020 Mountain West Conference champion San Diego State on Dec. 10 and then return the trip to San Diego in December of 2021. ASU last played the Aztecs on Nov. 14, 2017, as the Sun Devils notched a second-half comeback to win 90-68 in Tempe.
"This is a big part of what we do," says Sun Devil head coach Bobby Hurley, who is entering his sixth season in Tempe and has led ASU to three straight 20-win seasons. "We are thrilled to matchup with San Diego State the next two seasons and add them to an already challenging schedule that now includes 20 Pac-12 games. We take great pride in making every effort to play one of the most demanding and toughest non-conference schedules in the nation."
SDSU enters 2020-21 having won an average of 24.9 games the last 15 seasons (including eight NCAA Tournament appearances that would have been nine in 2019-20) and has won the Mountain West Championship regular season title four of the past seven years. It also is in the Diamond Head Invitational, so the teams could meet twice in just over two weeks. The brackets for that will be released at a later date.
SUN DEVIL NOTEWORTHY OOC TEAMS 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 and in 2019-20
Georgia (SEC) -- swept series with Georgia past two seasons with an Athens win in December of 2018
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 on November 23, 2019 in Connecticut
St. Mary's (WCC) -- lost to constant NCAA Tournament team Gaels in December of 2019
Texas A&M (SEC) -- beat ranked Aggies soundly in Tempe in December of 2015
UNLV (MWC) -- won at UNLV and in Tempe in Coach Hurley's first two seasons
Vanderbilt (SEC) -- teams split with each winning at home after Vanderbilt was 2017 NCAA Tournament team
Virginia (ACC) -- fell to defending NCAA champion in November of 2019 in Connecticut
Xavier (Big East) -- beat No. 15 Musketeers, an eventual No. 1 NCAA seed, 102-86 in November of 2017 in Las Vegas
Kentucky? Sure let's play them there and in the Bahamas. Kansas? Yup, let's play them less than 48 hours in Lawrence after playing St. John's in Los Angeles. Road games against proven mid-majors? Sign us up to play at San Francisco and Princeton. Want some SEC flavor? Let's go to Vanderbilt and Georgia in a three-day period.
So with a trip to Creighton on the schedule – who some folks have as a top-10 team – and a trip to a very good Diamond Head Invitational field over Christmas on the 2020-21 schedule, the staff needed a decent home game next year.
So maybe get a team that won its first 26 games last year and finished sixth in the final AP poll with a 30-2 record?
OK, let's get it done.
The Sun Devils will host 2020 Mountain West Conference champion San Diego State on Dec. 10 and then return the trip to San Diego in December of 2021. ASU last played the Aztecs on Nov. 14, 2017, as the Sun Devils notched a second-half comeback to win 90-68 in Tempe.
We look forward to being part of what helps bring our community back together in the safest way possible.https://t.co/ZxPV1d70RC
— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) April 22, 2020
"This is a big part of what we do," says Sun Devil head coach Bobby Hurley, who is entering his sixth season in Tempe and has led ASU to three straight 20-win seasons. "We are thrilled to matchup with San Diego State the next two seasons and add them to an already challenging schedule that now includes 20 Pac-12 games. We take great pride in making every effort to play one of the most demanding and toughest non-conference schedules in the nation."
SDSU enters 2020-21 having won an average of 24.9 games the last 15 seasons (including eight NCAA Tournament appearances that would have been nine in 2019-20) and has won the Mountain West Championship regular season title four of the past seven years. It also is in the Diamond Head Invitational, so the teams could meet twice in just over two weeks. The brackets for that will be released at a later date.
SUN DEVIL NOTEWORTHY OOC TEAMS 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 and in 2019-20
Georgia (SEC) -- swept series with Georgia past two seasons with an Athens win in December of 2018
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 on November 23, 2019 in Connecticut
St. Mary's (WCC) -- lost to constant NCAA Tournament team Gaels in December of 2019
Texas A&M (SEC) -- beat ranked Aggies soundly in Tempe in December of 2015
UNLV (MWC) -- won at UNLV and in Tempe in Coach Hurley's first two seasons
Vanderbilt (SEC) -- teams split with each winning at home after Vanderbilt was 2017 NCAA Tournament team
Virginia (ACC) -- fell to defending NCAA champion in November of 2019 in Connecticut
Xavier (Big East) -- beat No. 15 Musketeers, an eventual No. 1 NCAA seed, 102-86 in November of 2017 in Las Vegas