OREGON SCHOOLS
Head Coach Bobby Hurley's team makes their first two-game Pac-12 Conference road trip of the season when they take on Oregon on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 PM MST before heading to play Oregon State on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 PM MST. The Maroon & Gold won all three games against the Oregon schools last year, including a 69-67 win in Eugene. ASU is currently riding their first two-game winning streak against the Ducks since 2010-11. The Sun Devils have won six of their last seven in the series with Oregon State.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The Sun Devil Men's Basketball game against Oregon will be broadcasted on FS1 on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 PM MST. David Gascon (pxp) and Dave Miller (analyst) are on the call. On Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 PM MST, the Sun Devils take on Oregon State on Pac-12 Network. 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 on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. The action can also be tracked via live stats accessed here.
SEASON SNAPSHOT
The Arizona State men's basketball team is off to a 13-3 start and has put themselves in prime contention for a postseason berth and mid-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 first 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...
- Florida (59)
- Wisconsin (61)
- Kentucky (62)
- Texas Tech (73)
- USC (74)
- Texas A&M (83)
- Villanova (93)
BRACKETOLOGY
Several bracket experts nationwide have Arizona State projected in the NCAA tournament. Take a look at where the most prominent national names have the Sun Devils seeded in their latest projections.
Michel DeCoury (Fox Sports): 11 seed (Last Four In)
Andy Katz (NCAA): 11 seed
Joe Lunardi (ESPN): Next Four Out
SB Nation: 11 Seed (Last Four In)
Bleacher Report: 8 Seed
Bracket Matrix: 11 seed
13-3 START
Sun Devil Men's Basketball is off to an 13-3 start, the best record through 16 games since the 2017-18 season. ASU has won 13 of it's first 16 games for the second time in the Bobby Hurley era and only the sixth time since 2000.
PAC-12 PLAY
The Maroon & Gold have claimed home victories over Stanford, Washington State, and Washington after traveling on the road to defeat Colorado, starting 4-1 in Pac-12 Conference action for the first time since 2007-08. With a win against Oregon on Thursday, ASU would move to 5-1 in the Pac-12 for the first time since 1980-81, their second year in the conference.
LOCKING IT DOWN
Arizona State has been one of the best defensive teams in the country through 16 games, making it difficult on opponents to score. The Sun Devils rank 7th in the nation holding opponents to just 37.1% shooting from the field.
WILL-GUARD U
Through 16 games this season, opposing guards are shooting 34% against ASU in conference play and 36% for the season against the Sun Devil perimeter defense. Guards are averaging 9 turnovers per game against the Sun Devils in conference play.
NEAL THE REAL DEAL
Sophomore guard/forward Jamiya Neal was fantastic in the win over Washington, recording the second double-double of the season by a Sun Devil. He finished with a career-high 14 points and 12 rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting in 25 minutes off the bench.
MILESTONE MOMENT
Fifth-year guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. reahed a significant milestone in Sunday's win over Washington. He surpassed 2,000 career points, becoming the 10th active player in the NCAA to reach the mark. His 2,001 points per game rank 10th among active NCAA players and his 328 threes rank sixth among active players. He is one of 33 active players with over 1,500 points and 600 rebounds in his career.
HITTING THE (OFFENSIVE) GLASS
No team in the Pac-12 averages more offensive rebounds than Arizona State. A big reason why is freshman big man Duke Brennan, who boasts an impressive offensive rebounding percentage of 15.6 (24 ORB/41 TRB). The qualified Pac-12 leader in offensive rebounding percentage is Mouhamed Gueye (WSU) at 13.6%. ASU's qualified leader is Warren Washington at 10.1%. Brennan has the second most offensive rebounds of any true-freshman in the Pac-12 (Adam Bona, UCLA, 28).
COLLINS IS BALLIN'
Transfer point guard Frankie Collins has added a different dimension to the Sun Devils offense. Not only can he score at a high level, he has emerged one of the best passers in the conference. His 5.1 assists per game on the season are tied for third in the Pac-12 and 32nd nationally. Collins is one of three players in the conference averaging over 10 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.
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 72.2 points per game and four different Sun Devils are averaging at least 10.6 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. 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 themselves near the top of the national rankings in blocks and rebounds per game. 11 players have recorded at least one block this season, led by Warren Washington's 34. Washington 2.06 blocks per game put him at 27th in the country. ASU ranks 24th nationally in blocks per game as a team. Arizona State also ranks 18th nationally in rebounds, averaging over 40 per game. The Maroon & Gold have outscored their opponent in the paint 14 times in 16 games this season, including a 38-32 margin against the Huskies. ASU is outscoring opponents by 35 points in the paint in league play. In fact, 42% of their points this season from inside the paint (488/1,155).
OUR WASHINGTON > STATE OF WASHINGTON
Sun Devil big man Warren Washington was outstanding in helping Arizona State pick up a sweep of the Washington schools. Washington stuffed the stat sheet in the two wins, combining for 25 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks. In the 77-71 victory over Washington State on Thursday, Washington made each of his first eight shots, finishing the night 9-of-10 from the field. He had a Sun Devil best 18 points and added four assists. He also was excellent on the defensive end, holding his matchup Mouhamed Gueye, to just eight points on 3-of-8 (37.5%) shooting. Washington established his presence in a battle of seven-footers, as he gathered a season-high 12 rebounds to go along with seven points and three blocks in a 73-65 victory over Washington.
COMFORTABLE WHEN IT'S CLOSE
Coach Hurley's team has played in a two-possession game in seven of its first 15 contests, boasting a 6-1 record. The Sun Devils are 30-14 in two possession games over the last four seasons, tied wtih Wisconsin for the most wins in the Division I during that span.
1. Arizona State 30
Wisconsin 30
3. Providence 29
4. Kansas 28
5. Miami (FL) 27
Western Kentucky 27
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Arizona State has...
- Scored more fast-break points than opponents in 11 out of 15 games, and the last eight. The Sun Devils are outscoring opponents by a +48 margin on the fast break this season.
- Won the turnover battle in four out of five conference games this season and five straight contests. ASU +21 in turnovers compared to its opponents this season.
BY THE NUMBERS
- ASU has the best 2PFG% (56%) in Pac-12 play according to KenPom.
- The Sun Devils have the best steal % in conference games according to KenPom.
- Arizona State is 9-0 this season when scoring at least 70 points.
- They are also 9-0 when outrebounding their opponent.
- Desmond Cambridge Jr. is +43 in five league play games this season after a +6 tally against Washington.
- DJ Horne's 12 marked his tenth time this season in double figures this season.
- Horne's four three pointers tied his season high.
- Warren Washington erased three Husky shots, his fourth game of the season with at least three blocks.
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