WASHINGTON SCHOOLS
Arizona State (11-3, 2-1) is in the midst of an 18-game stretch against Pac-12 opponents continuing with a pair of matchups with Washington State on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 6 PM MST and Washington on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 PM MST. This is the first of two meetings with the Washington school, as the Sun Devils return the trip later in the month.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The Sun Devil Men's Basketball game against Washington State on Jan. 5 will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network at 6 PM MST. Daron Sutton (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst) will be on the call. On Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 PM MST, Arizona State will appear on the national ESPN broadcast when they take on Washington. 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 as Thursday's game is on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM and Sunday's is on KTAR 92.3 FM. The action can also be tracked via live stats accessed here.
MILESTONE WATCH
Desmond Cambridge Jr. currently ranks 10th in the NCAA with 1,982 career points in 125 games and is only 18 shy of the 2,000-point milestone. His 15.9 points/game rank 15th among active NCAA players. He has also made 324 three-point field goals, the sixth-most among active players. Cambridge Jr. is one of 33 active players with over 1,500 points and 600 rebounds in their career. DJ Horne also has over 1,000 career points (1,179).
SEASON SNAPSHOT
The Arizona State men's basketball team is off to a 11-3 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 the introduction of NCAA's ranking metric prior to the 2019-20 season. They have been as high as 22 this season.
The Sun Devils have a higher NET than...
- Michigan State (56)
- Memphis (59)
- Florida (66)
- Iowa (69)
BRACKETOLOGY
Bracket experts nationwide have Arizona State in firm contention for a NCAA Tournament bid. Take a look at where the most prominent national names have the Sun Devils ranked at their last projection.
Jerry Palm (CBS): 10 seed
Michel DeCoury (Fox Sports): 11 seed
Andy Katz (NCAA): 6 seed
Joe Lunardi (ESPN): First Four Out
Bracket Matrix: 10 seed
11-3 START
Sun Devil Men's Basketball is off to an 11-3 start, the best record through 14 games since the 2017-18 season. ASU has won 11 of it's first 14 games for the second time in the Bobby Hurley era and only the seventh time since 2000.
PAC-12 PLAY
The Maroon & Gold picked up a road victory over Colorado followed by a home win against Stanford back in December, moving to 2-0 in Pac-12 play for the fifth time in program history. With a win against Washington State on Thursday, ASU would be 3-1 in the Pac-12 for the first time since 2012-13.
LOCKING IT DOWN
Arizona State has been one of the best defensive teams in the country through 14 games, making it difficult on opponents to score. The Sun Devils rank 7th in the nation holding opponents to just 36.8% shooting from the field.
CLOSE CALLS
Coach Hurley's team has played in a two-possession game in six of its first 14 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 of their last 11 games at Desert Financial Arena. The Sun Devils are 8-3 in their last 11 home games against Washington State.
WILL-GUARD U
ASU has made life extremely difficult for opposing backcourts. Through 14 games this season, opposing guards are shooting 180-533 (33%) from the field against the ASU defense. Opposing guards are also averaging 7.6 turnovers per game. Guards are averaging 10 turnovers per game against the Sun Devils in conference play. In the matchup against Arizona, Wildcat guards made just eight shots from the floor.
COLLINS IS BALLIN'
Transfer point guard Frankie Collins has added a different dimension to the Sun Devils offense. He has led or tied ASU for the assists lead in all 13 games he's played this season. Over his last eight games, he is averaging 6.0 assists. His 5.5 assists per game on the season are third in the Pac-12 and 23rd nationally. Collins also led Arizona State in points with 12 against Arizona, the fourth time in the 2022-23 campaign he's led ASU in points.
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 71.8 points per game and four different Sun Devils are averaging at least 10.3 points per game or more (D.J. Horne, Frankie Collins, Desmond Cambridge Jr., Devan Cambridge). No one on the team averages over 30 minutes, with 11 players averaging at least 10.0 minutes per game. 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). 11 different Sun Devils have scored 10 or more points in at least one game this season.
PROTECTING THE PAINT
Arizona State continues to find themsleves near the top of the national rankings in blocks and rebounds per game, averaging 5.2. 11 players have recorded at least one block this season, led by Warren Washington's 29. Washington 2.07 blocks per game put him at 27th in the country. ASU ranks 22nd nationally in blocks per game. Arizona State also ranks 24th nationally in rebounds, averaging more than 40 per game. The Sun Devils have scored 414 of their 1005 points this season inside the painted area. That's 41% 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 11-3 Sun Devils. The brothers average a combined 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game in 49.7 minutes per game. Devan is one of only three players in the Pac-12 to be shooting over 50% from the field and 40% from behind the arc. Desmond leads the Pac-12 in steals per game at 3.0 and is +35 in three league games this season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Arizona State has...
- Scored more fast-break points than opponents in 10 out of 14 games and each the last six. The Sun Devils are outscoring opponents by a +38 margin on the fast break this season.
- Led in bench points in 12 of 14 games this season including a 19-12 edge against Arizona.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Sun Devils are 4-1 against teams coming off a win this season.
- ASU's three league games have been separated by a combined 14 points.
- Warren Washington is 6-1 in the opening tip at Desert Financial Arena this season.
NAVIGATING THE NON-CONFERENCE
Arizona State was extremely successful in the non-conference portion of their schedule, finishing with an 8-2 record. That included several marquee victories away from home. The Sun Devils won the Legends Classic in Brooklyn with wins over VCU and No. 20 Michigan. The Maroon & Gold also travelled to SMU and defeated the Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Arguably the biggest win came in Las Vegas, when Coach Hurley's team withstood a big second half run to edge Creighton at the Jack Jones Hoopfest.
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 three times this season, highlighted by erasing a 38-23 halftime deficit to comeback and beat Colorado 60-59 in Boulder.
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
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
PLENTY OF BASKETBALL +?? STUDENT GIVEAWAYS
— 942 Crew (@942Crew) January 4, 2023
1/5: @SunDevilHoops v Wazzu at 6p
Adidas Bucket Hat ?? ??
1/6: @SunDevilWBB v Oregon at 6p??
Adidas Fanny Pack ??
1/8: WBB v Oregon State at 11a
Free Food ??
MBB v Washington at 3p
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