Arizona State (11-2, 2-0) wrapped up one of the best non-conference campaigns in program history and will now re-start league play. The Maroon & Gold draw the Wildcats in the first of two showdowns this season, the first taking place at Desert Financial Arena and airing nationally on FOX.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The Sun Devil Men's Basketball game against Arizona will be broadcast nationally on FOX at 12 PM MST. Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play) and Casey Jacobsen (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 Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. The action can also be tracked via live stats available here.
MILESTONE WATCH
Desmond Cambridge Jr. currently ranks 8th in the NCAA with 1,975 career points in 124 games and is only 25 shy of the 2,000-point milestone. His 15.9 points/game rank 15th among active NCAA players. He has also made 323 three-point field goals, the sixth-most among active players. DJ Horne also has over 1,000 career points (1,160).
SEASON SNAPSHOT
The Arizona State men's basketball team is off to a 11-2 start and has put themselves in prime contention for a postseason berth and early season ranking. Head Coach Bobby Hurley has already taken Arizona State to the NCAA Tournament twice and has constructed a schedule that has already and will continue to test his team. Because of this, Arizona State already boasts one of the most impressive resumes through the two months of the 2022-23 season.
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 been as high as 22 this season.
The Sun Devils have a higher NET than...
Memphis (49)
Oklahoma (50)
Florida (64)
Providence (65)
Michigan State (70)
LSU (75)
Bracket experts nationwide have Arizona State firmly projected in the NCAA tournament. Take a look at where the most prominent national names have the Sun Devils ranked at their last projection.
Joe Lunardi (ESPN): 10 seed
Jerry Palm (CBS): 10 seed
Michel DeCoury (Fox Sports): 10 seed
Andy Katz (NCAA): 6 seed
11-2 START
Sun Devil Men's Basketball is off to an 11-2 start, the best record through 13 games since the 2017-18 season. ASU has won 11 of it's first 13 games for the third time in the Bobby Hurley era and only the seventh time since 2000.
2-0 PAC-12 START
The Maroon & Gold picked up a road victory over Colorado followed by a home win against Stanford earlier in the month, moving to 2-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 2012-13 and the fifth time in program history.
LOCKING IT DOWN
Arizona State has been one of the best defensive teams in the country through 13 games, making it difficult on opponents to score. The Sun Devils rank 11th in the nation holding opponents to just 36.7% shooting from the field. ASU has held opponents to under 60 points six times, the second most in the Pac-12 this season (UCLA, 8). They are also one of just three teams in the league to do so in a conference game (UCLA, USC).
CLOSE CALLS
Coach Hurley's team has played in a two-possession game in six of its first 13 contests, boasting a 5-1 record. The Sun Devils are 29-14 in two possession games over the last four seasons, the most wins in the Division I during that span.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
ASU enters the game having won 10 straight inside the friendly confines of Desert Financial Arena. It is the longest home winning streak since ASU won 14 straight, meshed between the last eight home games of the 2013-14 season and the first six of the 2014-15 season.
WILL-GUARD U
ASU has made life extremely difficult for opposing back courts. Through 13 games this season, opposing guards are shooting 172-505 (34%) from the field against the ASU defense. Opposing guards are also averaging (7.5) turnovers per game.
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 72.7 points per game and four different Sun Devils are averaging at least 10.4 points per game or more (D.J. Horne, Frankie Collins, Desmond Cambridge Jr., Devan Cambridge). No one on the team averages over 30 minutes. Arizona State has had three players - Desmond Cambridge Jr., Frankie Collins and DJ Horne - score at least 20 points twice. Arizona State is one of only three schools in the Pac-12 to have three guys score at least 20 points in a game this season (Arizona, Washington).
PROTECTING THE PAINT
Arizona State continues to find themselves near the top of the national rankings in blocks per game, averaging 5.2. 11 players have recorded at least one block this season, led by Warren Washington's 26. ASU ranks 28th nationally in blocks per game. Arizona State has won the rebounding battle in four of their last five contests and nine of their 13 games. Warren Washington is averaging 7.1 boards per game and has led or tied for the Sun Devil rebounding lead in nine straight games. The Sun Devils have scored 378 of their 945 points inside the painted area. That's exactly 40% of ASU's points coming from inside.
CAMBRIDGE-ING THE GAP
Brothers Desmond Cambridge Jr. and Devan Cambridge transferred to Arizona State to join forces for their final collegiate season. They are making the most of the opportunity, emerging as important pieces for the 11-2 Sun Devils. The brothers average a combined 21.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game in 50.2 minutes per game. Devan has been extremely effective shooting the rock as of late. In his last eight games, he is 38-58 (66%) from the floor. Desmond has led Arizona State in scoring in four of the last five games he's played.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Arizona State has...
- Scored more fast-break points than opponents in 10 out of 13 games, and the last four. The Sun Devils are outscoring opponents by a +36 margin on the fast break this season.
- Held the opposing team's leading scorer to under their season average in nine of a possible 10 games this season. This excludes the first game of the season (because there was no leading scorer) and two games where the leading scorer did not play (Creighton, San Diego).
BY THE NUMBERS
- Arizona State is 4-0 against teams coming off a win this season.
- ASU enters 7-0 in 2022 when scoring at least 70 points.
- Desmond Cambridge Jr. is averaging a league-best 4.5 steals per game in Pac-12 play.
- The Sun Devils rank 1st in the Pac-12 averaging 11.9 offensive rebounds per game.
TOP-10 UPSETS
Arizona enters the game ranked No. 5 in the latest AP Poll, the highest ranked team to play at Desert Financial Arena since ASU defeated No. 2 UCLA 87-84 in triple overtime last season. ASU has ten wins over Top-25 teams under Bobby Hurley, including three against Top-5 opponents. The Sun Devils defeated a Top-10 Wildcat team in back-to-back seasons in 2014 & 2015 (win over No. 6 Arizona in 2014, win over No. 2 Arizona in 2015)
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
Sun Devil fans are encouraged to wear Gold to support the home team at Desert Financial Arena.
TERRITORIAL CUP
Half of a Territorial Cup Series point is on the line, as the two men's basketball matchups account for one total point in the series. Women's Soccer claimed the first point of the 2022-23 athletic year for the Sun Devils, defeating Arizona on Nov. 4.
HOCKEY AT 3 PM
A reminder that Sun Devil Hockey plays Boston College at nearby Mullett Arena at 3 PM.
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, including six-game mini plans 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
942 CREW GIVEAWAY
Almost ?Golden Hour?
— 942 Crew (@942Crew) December 29, 2022
2 more sleeps before @SunDevilHoops hosts #5 Arizona????
Get your tickets now and PACK DFA Saturday at noon??
EXCLUSIVE @StateFortyEight "Onward to Victory" T for students in attendance ???? pic.twitter.com/IRmB6MLYby
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