Arizona State has enjoyed previous success in neutral site games in Las Vegas under Head Coach Bobby Hurley, previously winning the 2018 MGM Resorts Main Event and the 2017 Continental Tire Invitational.
The Sun Devils are riding a seven-game winning streak and have won 16 of the past 19 games dating back to Feb. 12 of last season.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Tune-in to FS1 at 7 PM MST to watch Sun Devil Men's Basketball take on Creighton, as ASU makes another appearance on the ESPN family of networks. Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and Nick Bahe (analyst) will be on the call. 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 ESPN 620 AM. The action can also be tracked via live stats available here.
9-1 START
DJ Horne scored 22 points as Arizona State Men's Basketball secured its best record (9-1) through 10 games since the 2017-18 season and the largest road victory in the Bobby Hurley era with a 75-57 win at SMU last Wednesday. ASU's defense was as stifling as usual; this marked the fifth time Arizona State has held an opponent under 35% from the floor this season. That elite defense held SMU scoreless over a nine minute stretch that circumvented halftime while ASU went on a 15-0 run to eliminate their deficit and soar to the lead for good. The Sun Devils have nine wins in their first 10 games for just the fifth in the last 48 seasons (1975-76 to present).
SUN DEVIL BEST STARTS (10+ GAMES)
2022-23: 9-1 (2-0)
2017-18: 12-1 (12-0)
2008-09: 12-1 (4-0)
2004-05: 11-1 (2-0)
1990-91: 9-1 (3-0)
1974-75: 15-1 (9-0)
1962-63: 15-1 (5-0)
WILL "GUARD U"
Through 10 games this season, guards are shooting 117-371 (31.5%) from the field against the ASU defense. Opposing guards are also averaging 7.6 turnovers per game, struggling with the length and athleticism of the Sun Devils.
NEUTRALIZING THE OPPONENT
Arizona State has had some big wins at neutral sites under Coach Hurley, including two victories over VCU and Michigan to claim the Legends Classic Championship in Brooklyn. He now has 11 neutral site victories in his tenure.
ASU 87, #20 Michigan 65 - Nov. 17, 2022 at Barclays Center, Brooklyn (Legends Classic)
ASU 63, VCU 59 - Nov. 16, 2022 at Barclays Center, Brooklyn (Legends Classic)
#18 ASU 94, Rhode Island 88 - Nov. 25, 2020 at Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut (2K Empire Classic)
ASU 80, St. John's 67 - Nov. 23, 2019 at Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut (Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Tournament)
ASU 87, Utah State 82 - Nov. 21, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas (MGM Resorts Main Event)
ASU 72, #15 Mississippi State 67 - Nov. 20, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas (MGM Resorts Main Event)
ASU 82, St. John's 70 - Dec. 8, 2017 at STAPLES Center, Los Angeles
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 - Nov. 24, 2017 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas (Continental Tire Invitational)
ASU 92, Kansas State 90 - Nov. 23, 2017 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas (Continental Tire Invitational)
ASU 80, Tulane 71 - Nov. 18, 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando (Tire Pros Invitational)
ASU 79, NC State 76 - Nov. 23, 2015 at Barclays Center, Brooklyn (BE Classic)
SEASON SNAPSHOT
On December 5, Arizona State opened the NET ranked 35th, its highest debut since at least the 2019-20 season in the NCAA's ranking metric. They have since risen to 29th, including a road win since the NET's debut. The Sun Devils are ranked higher than...
- Ohio State (31)
- Iowa State (32)
- Iowa (36)
- Wisconsin (44)
- Preseason No. 1 North Carolina (37)
- West Virginia (8)
- UCLA (14)
- Arkansas (24)
- Kentucky (28)
- Iowa (36)
*The above information is as of December 12
LOCKING IT DOWN
Arizona State has been one of the best defensive teams in the country through nine games, making it difficult on opponents to score. The Sun Devils rank fourth in the nation holding opponents to just 34.4% shooting from the field. A team has yet to score more than 70 points, including an overtime contest.
CLOSE GAMES
Coach Hurley's team has played in a two-possession game in five of its first ten contests, boasting a 4-1 record. The Sun Devils are 27-12 in two possession games over the last three seasons, the most wins in the Pac-12 during that span.
BEST OUT OF CONFERENCE ROAD RECORDS 2015-16 TO PRESENT (BOBBY HURLEY ERA AT ASU)
Miami (Fla.), 11-1 (.916)
Wichita State, 13-5 (.722)
USC, 8-3 (.727)
Arizona State, 10-4 (.714)
Villanova, 14-8 (.636)
Arizona State has six wins against ranked teams since 2015-16, tied for the most in the Pac-12 during that span.
THREE POINT DEFENSE
The Sun Devils three-point defense has been exceptional this season. After SMU started 7-of-14 in the first half from behind the arc, Arizona State held them to 2-of-10 in the second half. Opponents are now shooting 56-217 (25.8%) overall from three point range against ASU, the seventh best mark in the country.
SHARING THE ROCK
In its last five games, Arizona State has had a FGM/A ratio of better than 60%. This In its last five games, Arizona State has had a FGM/A ratio of better than 60% in each contest. This marks just the third time since the 2011-12 season and the second time in as many years that a Bobby Hurley squad has had a 60% FGM/A ratio in five consecutive games.
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 72.1 points per game and four different Sun Devils are averaging at least 10.0 points per game or more (D.J. Horne, Frankie Collins, Desmond Cambridge Jr., Devan Cambridge). ASU has had four players score in double-digits in six games this season including four consecutive contests (VCU, Michigan, Grambling State and Alcorn State). This is the longest such streak since the start of the 2018-19 season.
BLOCK PARTY
Arizona State continues to find themselves near the top of the national rankings in blocks per game, averaging 5.6. 11 players have recorded at least one block this season, led by Warren Washington's 18. ASU's ranks 16th nationally in blocks per game. The 56 blocks through 10 games is the fourth-most for an Arizona State team since the 1987-88 season.
HISTORY VS. CREIGHTON
Arizona State won the last meeting between the two programs, defeating Creighton on the road a season ago. The Sun Devils have won both meetings in Omaha under Bobby Hurley. This will be the third neutral site matchup with the Bluejays, as the Maroon & Gold previously faced them in Las Vegas in 2012 and Anaheim in 2013.
36 TOTAL HALFTIME DEFICIT WINS UNDER COACH HURLEY
(8 over the past two seasons)
- A characteristic of Head Coach Bobby Hurley's teams have been the ability to come from behind and make adjustments following the halftime break.
- Arizona State has a total of 36 wins when trailing at the half, 17 of which have come on the road.
- They have added to that total twice in the past two weeks, making up a 38-23 halftime deficit to beat Colorado 60-59 in Boulder followed by a 75-57 win at SMU after trailing 33-28 at the break.
2022-23 (3)
(-5) SMU 33, ASU 28/Dec. 7, 2022/ ASU 75, SMU 57
(-15) Colorado 38, ASU 23/Dec. 1, 2022/ASU 60, Colorado 59
(-7) VCU 35, ASU 28/Nov. 16, 2022/ASU 63, VCU 59
2021-22 (5)
(-2) Stanford 32, ASU 30/Mar. 3, 2022/ASU 65, Stanford 56
(-2) @Washington State 29, ASU 27/Feb. 12, 2022/ASU 58, @Washington State 55
(-2) Utah 28, ASU 26/Jan. 17, 2022/ASU 64, Utah 62
(-6) @Creighton 32, ASU 26/Dec. 14, 2021/ASU 58, @Creighton 57
(-1) @Oregon 31, ASU 30/Dec. 5, 2021/ASU 69, @Oregon 67 OT
GET TICKETS
Want to see one of the nation's best defensive teams in action? Have an itch to watch some high-flying dunks? How about a team building momentum? Well you are in luck! The remainder of tickets for Sun Devil Men's Basketball home games are now on sale. You can have an impact on our home-court advantage. Plenty of options are still available, but you must act soon.
MINI PLANS = MAJOR SAVINGS
Six-Game mini plans are still available, starting at only $90. Group ticket packages are a great option for parties of 15 or more. Get more information on all of our different packages by calling the Ticket Sales and Service team at 480-965-5812 or sundeviltickets@asu.edu.
SUN DEVILS ON SOCIAL
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program, follow our Twitter/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilHoops), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilHoops/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com).