The Sun Devil men's basketball team -- the highest scoring squad in the Pac-12 over the past three seasons at 78.1 points per game -- will open its 2020-21 Pac-12 season at California in early December and close it at Arizona.
The Sun Devils will visit California on Thursday, Dec. 3, to open the season and host Utah on Tuesday, Dec. 22, for their two December league tilts. They will not host Colorado and not travel to Stanford. ASU will open Pac-12 season on the road for the ninth time in the past 13 seasons.
The Pac-12 Conference has announced weekly matchups and site designations for the league's inaugural 20-game men's basketball schedule in 2020-21. Additionally, several previously announced December game dates have been adjusted to allow for flexibility in non-conference scheduling.The announcement reflects the games being played and the home/away designations each week of the Pac-12 regular season. Specific dates and times for each game within a week will be announced after selections by the league's television partners are finalized. All 120 Conference games will be televised by either Pac-12 Network, ESPN/2/U, FOX/FS1 or CBS.
2020-21 @SUNDEVILHOOPS PAC-12 PAIRINGS
Dec. 3 at California
Dec. 22 vs. Utah
Dec. 30-Jan. 3: at Washington/Washington State
Jan. 6-10: UCLA/USC
Jan. 13-17: at Oregon/Oregon State
Jan. 20-24: Arizona
Jan. 27-31 California/Stanford
Feb. 3-7: at Utah/Colorado
Feb. 10-14: Oregon State/Oregon
Feb. 17-21: at USC/UCLA
Feb. 24-28: Washington/Washington State
Mar. 6-7: at Arizona
Mar. 10-13: Pac-12 Tournament at Las Vegas
The Conference received approval to move to a 20-game format in May 2019 , and announced original dates for the additional two games in December 2019 . However, due to the NCAA's shift in season start date to Nov. 25, programs were allowed to reach mutually agreeable dates for the previously scheduled league games. In total, five of the original 12 dates were moved to allow for flexibility in non-league scheduling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remainder of league play will resume the week of Dec. 30 and conclude March 6 or 7 ahead of the 2021 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas from March 10-13.
All basketball competitions will be conducted in accordance with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee health and safety recommendations and guidelines, as previously announced on September 24 when the Pac-12 CEO Group voted to resume football, basketball and winter sport seasons. The weekly matchups have been designed to allow for flexibility should a need arise for rescheduled contests.
PAST 13 PAC-12 OPENERS (HOME GAMES BOLD)
ASU at California (Dec. 3, 2020)
at #25 Arizona 75, ASU 47 (Jan. 4, 2020)
Utah 96, ASU 86 (Jan. 3, 2019)
at #17 Arizona 84, #3 ASU 78 (Dec. 30, 2017)
ASU 98, at Stanford 93 (Dec. 30, 2016)
#4 Arizona 94, ASU 82 (Jan. 3, 2016)
at #8 Arizona 73, ASU 49 (Jan. 4, 2015)
Washington 76, ASU 65 (Jan. 2, 2014)
ASU 55, Utah 54 OT (Jan. 2, 2013)
at Arizona 68, ASU 51 (Dec. 31, 2011)
at Oregon State 80, ASU 58 (Dec. 30, 2010)
at UCLA 72, ASU 70 (Dec. 31, 2009)
ASU 90, at Stanford 60 (Jan. 2, 2009)
QUICK REVIEW FROM LAST SEASON
Bobby Hurley's fifth squad in 2019-20 won 20 games for the third straight season for just the third time in school history and posted a seven-game Pac-12 win streak in February, the program's longest since it won 11 straight in 1980-81. The team's 11-7 record marked just the second time it posted back-to-back winning seasons in Pac-12 play in the past 25 years. Remy Martin earned Pac-12 first-team honors, while Alonzo Verge Jr. claimed the league's Sixth Man of the year Award. Verge led the nation in off-the-bench scoring at 16.8 points per game in 19 games, while the team led the league in steals (249/8.03 per game), turnover margin (+3.19) and turnovers forced (16.42). The Sun Devils averaged 9,251 fans on the, sixth on the all-time Sun Devil list. ASU defeated two ranked teams at home (No. 22 Arizona on Jan. 25 and No. 14 Oregon on Feb. 20), as the Sun Devils came back from 22 down (37-15) to beat the Wildcats.
RANDOM SERIES NOTES
OPEN AT CAL (DEC. 3): The Sun Devils have won five of the past seven at Haas Pavilion and is 10-4 vs. California in its past 14. Remy Martin, who earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors last season, averaged 22.6 ppg. and had eight 20-point games in ASU's 11 true road contests (6-5) last year. He led the team last year in road scoring at 15.0 ppg. Solid stat: He has posted 10 games of 24+ points in his career, seven of them have been on the road.
FIRST HOME PAC-12 GAME VS. UTAH (DEC. 22): ASU is 4-4 vs. the Utes in Tempe in Pac-12 play. ASU and Utah had split the season series the previous two seasons, with each team winning on the road, but only met in Tempe last year with ASU winning 83-64 behind 24 points from Rob Edwards.
OFF TO THE GREAT NORTHWEST (DEC. 30-JAN. 3): The Sun Devils missed the Seattle/Pullman swing in 2018-19, but have notched a split in each of Bobby Hurley's other four seasons, winning at Pullman in 2017-18 and 2015-16 and getting a win in Seattle in 2016-17 and 2019-20.
HOSTING USC AND UCLA (JAN 16-20): Last year the Sun Devils swept UCLA and USC in Tempe. ASU has won four of the past five over UCLA and has won 11 of past 12 vs. USC in Tempe.
PAST 12 ASU VS. USC GAMES IN TEMPE (ASU LEADS 11-1)
ASU 66, USC 64/Feb. 8, 2020
ASU 80, USC 77/Feb. 8, 2018
ASU 83, USC 82/Feb. 26, 2017
ASU 74, #23 USC 67/Feb. 12, 2016
ASU 64, USC 59/Feb. 22, 2015
ASU 98, USC 93 (OT)/Jan. 24, 2013
ASU 56, USC 52/Feb. 25, 2012
USC 63, ASU 61/Jan. 27, 2011
ASU 59, USC 54/Mar. 4, 2010
ASU 65, USC 53/Feb. 15, 2009
ASU 80, USC 66/Mar. 1, 2008
ASU 68, #22 USC 58/Feb. 18, 2007
TERRITORIAL CUP IN TEMPE (JAN. 20-24): The Territorial Cup in Tempe takes place the fourth full weekend of the Pac-12 Season. ASU has topped the Wildcats in five of the past nine in Tempe and has 12 wins vs. Arizona in the past 13 seasons. The 69-66 double-overtime Sun Devil win over No. 2 Arizona (23-1 entering game) on Feb. 14, 2014, was the highest-ranked team the Sun Devils had topped at home – until it beat No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 22, 2018. On Jan. 31, 2019, in Tempe, Remy Martin had 31 points and eight assists while Zylan Cheatham had 22 rebounds -- the most by any Pac-12 player in a league game in 19 seasons -- to lead ASU to a 95-88 overtime win over hot-shooting Arizona.
HOSTING UO AND OSU (FEB. 10-14): ASU has an 11-game win streak over Oregon State in Tempe and is 12-7 vs. Oregon in Tempe since 2001 and has won seven of the past 11 in Tempe in the series. In 2018 ASU came back from a 13-point deficit with 11 minutes left to go for a 77-75 victory over Oregon State in Tempe. Last year the Sun Devils swept the Oregon schools in Tempe, which included a 74-73 win over Oregon State and a 77-72 win over No. 14 Oregon as Alonzo Verge Jr. had 26 points off the bench.
ASU'S 11-GAME WIN STREAK IN TEMPE OVER OSU
ASU 74, Oregon State 73/Feb. 22, 2020
ASU 70, Oregon State 67/Jan. 17, 2019
ASU 77, Oregon State 75/Jan. 13, 2018
ASU 86, Oregon State 68/Jan. 28, 2016
ASU 73, Oregon State 55/Jan. 28, 2015
ASU 86, Oregon State 82 (OT)/Feb. 6, 2014
ASU 76, Oregon State 66/Jan. 14, 2012
ASU 80, Oregon State 66/Mar. 5, 2011
ASU 56, Oregon State 46/Feb. 11, 2010
ASU 69, Oregon State 38/Jan. 8, 2009
ASU 72, Oregon State 53/Jan. 5, 2008
AT ARIZONA (MARCH 6-7): Somewhere in the final weekend, the Sun Devils head to Tucson to close the regular season. ASU swept Arizona in 2018-19 for the first time since 2008-09 and won in Tucson for the first time since winter of 2010. Last year, the team's split with each winning at home.
PAC-12 ROAD WINS: ASU's 5-4 Pac-12 road mark in 2018-19 was its best since the 2009-10 and 2008-09 teams each went 5-4 as well and matched ASU's best Pac-12 road mark in 39 seasons. Bobby Hurley's fourth season was only ASU's sixth winning road record since it joined the Pac-10 in 1978-79. Ned Wulk's 1980-81 (8-1) and 1979-80 (7-2) set the bar, while Bill Frieder's 1994-95 Sweet Sixteen team also went 5-4.
SUN DEVIL WINNING ROAD RECORDS IN PAC-12
2018-19: 5-4 (12-6/2nd)
2009-10: 5-4 (12-6/2nd)
2008-09: 5-4 (11-7/T-3rd)
1994-95: 5-4 (12-6/3rd)
1980-81: 8-1 (16-2/2nd)
1979-80: 7-2 (15-3/2th)