Arizona State will matchup with Oregon State on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 PM MST in Gill Coliseum.
HOW TO FOLLOW
On Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 PM MST, the Sun Devils take on Oregon State on Pac-12 Network. J.B. Long (pxp) and Ernie Kent (analyst) are 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 on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. The action can also be tracked via live stats accessed here.
SERIES WITH THE BEAVERS
The Sun Devils have won six of their last seven in the series with Oregon State, including two of the last three in Corvallis.
TWO STRAIGHT IN EUGENE
The Sun Devils defeated Oregon, 90-73, on Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena to earn their third straight win over the Ducks. The victory marked ASU's first time winning consecutive games at Oregon since three straight seasons from 2009-11.
FIRST HALF FRENZY
A key to ASU's victory in Eugene was an incredible first half performance on offense. The 46 points were the most points in the first half of a conference game by the program since 49 vs Washington on 2/23/21. It is also the most road first half points for the Sun Devils since 47 at Utah on 2/16/19. ASU's 19 first half field goals ties a season high for first halves (Washington). The Sun Devils shot 55.9% from the floor. It is the third best mark of the season in any half. ASU's eight threes tied a season high in the first half (Michigan).
SEASON SNAPSHOT
The Arizona State men's basketball team is off to a 14-3 (5-1) start and has put themselves in prime contention for a postseason berth. ASU is 5-1 in Pac-12 play for the first time since the 1980-81 season, just the second year the Sun Devils competed in the Pac-12. Head Coach Bobby Hurley has already taken Arizona State to the NCAA Tournament twice -- and a third one was on the way in 2019-20 before COVID happened and constructed a schedule that has already and will continue to test his team. Here is a snapshot of the Sun Devils' season through 17 games, including a nine-game win streak and two Quad 1 victories...
RECORD: 14-3 (best start since 2017-18)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 5-1 (2nd - first 5-1 start in league play since 1980-81)
BEST WINS: #20 Michigan (neutral site), VCU (neutral site), at Colorado, Creighton (neutral site), at Oregon
ROAD WINS (3): at Colorado (12/1), at SMU (12/7), at Oregon
DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS (6): vs. NAU, #20 Michigan (neutral site), vs. Grambling State, vs. Alcorn State, at SMU, vs. San Diego, at Oregon
NET: 40
REAL-TIME RPI: 40
KEN-POM: 48
Strength of Record: 22
STRENGTH OF RECORD
With the win against Oregon, the Sun Devils now have the 22nd ranked Strength of Record in the nation. The statistic accounts for the difficulty a team has had to achieve their current record based on their schedule.
NOTHING BUT NET
Arizona State is 40th in the NET and has boasted a ranking as high as 22nd in the nation the season. They jumped 16 spots after the win over Oregon, a higher jump than any other team in the top 150 on Thursday.
ASU currently ranks higher than some of the most recognizable programs in the nation:
- Michigan State (41)
- Oklahoma (42)
- Missouri (44)
- New Mexico (48)
In the NCAA's quadrant system, losses outside of Quad 1 are high detrimental to at-large candidacies. ASU is tied for second in the Pac-12 for fewest losses outside of the top quadrant with one.
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): 11 seed (Last Four In)
Jerry Palm (CBS): 10 seed
SB Nation: 11 Seed (Last Four In)
Bracket Matrix: 11 seed
14-3 START
Sun Devil Men's Basketball is off to a 14-3 start, the best record through 17 games since the 2017-18 season. ASU has won 14 of it's first 17 games for the second time in the Bobby Hurley era and only the fifth time since 1980-81.
PAC-12 PLAY
The Maroon & Gold have claimed home victories over Stanford, Washington State, and Washington in addition to securing road triumphs at Colorado and Oregon, starting 5-1 in Pac-12 Conference action for only the third time and first time since 1980-81.
LOCKING IT DOWN
Arizona State has been one of the best defensive teams in the country through 17 games, making it difficult on opponents to score. The Sun Devils rank 8th in the nation holding opponents to just 37.4% shooting from the field.
WILL-GUARD U
Through 17 games this season, opposing guards are shooting 37% against ASU in conference play and 34% for the season against the Sun Devils perimeter defense. Guards are averaging 8.1 turnovers per game against Arizona State in conference play.
TAKE 'EM AND MAKE 'EM
ASU shot 52.4% from the floor in the win over Oregon and are now 43-3 (.933) under Bobby Hurley and 4-0 this season when shooting 50% or better. It is the ninth time under coach Hurley that ASU has shot at least 50% from the floor in a road Pac-12 game.
IN ENEMY TERRITORY
With wins over Colorado and Oregon, Arizona State has won their first two true-road games in league play for the first time since 1991-92.
SHOWING OFF THE RANGE
ASU's 13 made three pointers against the Ducks were their second most of the season. (14, San Diego) and by far their most in league play of the 2022-23 campaign.
Fifth-year guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. reahed a significant milestone in the win over Washington on 1/8. He surpassed 2,000 career points, becoming the 10th active player in the NCAA to reach the mark. His 2,022 points per game rank 10th among active NCAA players and his 331 threes rank sixth among active players. He is one of five active players with over 2,000 points and 550 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 grabbed two offensive rebounds in 10 minutes on the floor in the win over Oregon. He has an offensive rebound percentage of 16.1. The qualified Pac-12 leader (40% of possible minutes played) is Mouhammed Gueye (WSU) at 13.2 percent. In fact, Brennan has 26 offensive rebounds out of 43 total boards. Despite shooting 52.4% from the floor, ASU still managed to snatch 11 offensive rebounds against the Ducks.
SHARING THE ROCK
The Sun Devils have had five games with at least 20 assists in its first 17 games this season. It's the most games with 20+ assists in the first 18 games of the season since at least 2009-10. The Sun Devils have had four such games through 17 games of the season since the 2018-19 season. They had 20 in the win over Oregon.
WASH HIM WORK
Warren Washington was a game-high +26 against the Ducks, delivering another steady performance. He was a perfect 3-3 on the night and ranks third in the Pac-12 this season shooting 66.7% from the floor. Washington also had two blocks, the most for the Sun Devils on the night. It is the 16th straight game the seven-footer has tied or paced ASU's blocking effort.
DJ IN SYNC
DJ Horne's 15 points marked his 10th time this season in double figures this season. He hit four three pointers for the second consecutive game and third time this season.
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. He dished eight assists in the win over Oregon, tied for his second most of the season. He has tied or outright paced ASU's assist category in 14 of the 16 games he's played in this season.Collins' 5.2 assists per game rank 26th in the nation and third in the Pac-12. He is one of only three players in the conference averaging at least 10 points, five assists, and four rebounds (USC's Drew Peterson, Oregon's Will Richardson).
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 73.2 points per game (4th in the Pac-12) and four different Sun Devils are averaging at least 10.8 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 35. Washington 2.05 blocks per game put him at 29th in the country and 3rd in the Pac-12. ASU ranks 25th nationally in blocks per game as a team. Arizona State also ranks 17th nationally in rebounds, averaging nearly 40 per game. The Maroon and Gold have outscored their opponent in the paint 15 times in 17 games this season, including a 36-32 margin against the Ducks. ASU is outscoring opponents by 39 points in the paint in league play and in all six games. In fact, ASU has scored exactly 42% of their points this season from in-side the paint (524/1,245).
CAMBRIDGE COMBINATION
Brothers Devan and Desmond Cambridge were dominant in the win over the Ducks, combining for 35 points, their second most in a game this season (36, San Diego). They set the tone from the start, scoring the first 10 Sun Devil points, five each. Desmond Cambridge Jr. finished with 21 and has now led ASU in scoring in five games this season, the most of any Sun Devil. He is +50 in six league play games this season after a +17 tally against Oregon. Devan Cambridge scored 14 points and ASU is 9-0 when he scores in double figures.
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
Western Kentucky 28
5. Miami (FL) 27
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• ASU's 44.3% from the field in conference play is second in the Pac-12 (USC, 44.7).
• The Sun Devils' steal percentage in league pay is 12.2%, the best in the Pac-12 and 2.6% higher than the national average. ASU is +15 in steals in conference games this season.
• Arizona State scored 90 points in the win over Oregon, their most in a league game this season and second highest tally overall this season.
• ASU's 52.4 percent FG% on two-point field goals in league play is the best in the Pac-12 according to KenPom.
• Arizona State is 10-0 this season when scoring at least 70 points. The Sun Devils are also 10-0 when out-rebounding their opponent.
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).