Arizona State (6-1) returns to a venue in which they won 82-65 last February over the Buffaloes, earning the program's first victory in Boulder since 2012-13. The Sun Devils open up Pac-12 play on the road for the 10th time in the last 15 years.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Tune-in to FS1 at 6:30 PM MST to watch Sun Devil Men's Basketball take on Colorado, as ASU makes their debut on a FOX station. All 31 of Arizona State's games this season will be televised, with Coach Hurley's squad making appearances on ESPN, FOX, CBS, and Pac-12 Network in addition to several major network affiliates. Listen to Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. The action can also be tracked via live stats available here.
6-1 START
Arizona State picked up a dominant 76-54 victory over Alcorn State on Sunday afternoon. The Sun Devils moved to 6-1 thanks to electric ball movement, with Frankie Collins and DJ Horne each recording five assists, marking the first time this season the Sun Devils have had multiple individuals with at least five assists in a game. History could be in the midst of repeating itself for the Sun Devils. The 6-1 start is the best seven game start since 2018-19, where the Sun Devils also went 6-1. That span, like this one, included a win over a ranked foe (#15 Mississippi State) on a neutral floor. ASU went on to earn an automatic bid into March Madness that season.
LOCKING IT DOWN
For the first time since at least 1996-97, the ASU defense has held an opponent to less than 28% from the floor in consecutive games. Arizona State held Alcorn State to 19-70 (27.1%) after holding Grambling State to 17-64 (26.6%) last time out. With the exception of the first game of the season, Arizona State has held the opponents leading scorer to less than their season average in all five wins this season.
SHARING THE ROCK
The victory over Alcorn State marked the second consecutive game that ASU has at least 20 assists. They had two such games all of last season. It is the first time that ASU has had at least 20 assists in consecutive games since March 5 & 9, 2011 against Oregon State and Oregon.
THREE POINT DEFENSE
The Sun Devils three-point defense has been exceptional this season. Alcorn State shot just 5-22 (22.7%) including 2-12 (16.7%) in the opening half. Opponents are now shooting 31-137 (22.6%) overall from three point range against ASU including 12-68 (17.6%) in the first half.
BALANCED SCORING
A signature of the Arizona State offense has been the different individuals stepping up at the offensive end. The Maroon & Gold are averaging 74.0 points per game and three different Sun Devils are scoring 12.5 point or more (D.J. Horne, Frankie Collins, Marcus Bagley). Ten different individuals average at least 3.0 points per game and nine have scored in double figures in at least one game.
BLOCK PARTY
Arizona State continues to find themselves near the top of the national rankings in blocks per game, averaging 6.4. The Sun Devils had nine blocks against Alcorn State, the fifth game with six blocks or more. Ten players have recorded at least one block this season, led by Warren Washington's 2.0 per game. ASU's ranks 5th nationally in blocks per game.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Freshman Austin Nunez and Duke Brennan have made an immediate impact in Tempe and continue to come through with crucial contributions . The duo was not phased by the significance of the Legends Classic, teaming up to produce 34 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal in 72 minutes of combined action. Through seven games, Nunez and Brennan are averaging 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, in 25.8 minutes while adding five blocks and four steals.
The Maroon & Gold have proven to be one of the nation's most effective teams at getting to and converting at the free throw line. ASU averages 17.9 made free throws per game, which is good for 17th in the country. They attempt 25.1 per game, which is the 18th-best total in the nation. Six players have shot at least ten free throws so far this season, led by Frankie Collins' 40 attempts. Luther Muhammad has the best percentage on the team, making 16-of-17 (94%) from the stripe so far.
AT THE POLLS
Arizona State received votes in both the Coaches and AP Poll this past week. A new edition of each poll will be available on Monday.
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