Arizona State (15-7, 6-5) is in the midst of the Pac-12 Conference schedule with only four home games remaining (nine overall).
HOW TO FOLLOW
The Sun Devil Men's Basketball game against Arizona will be broadcast nationally on Pac-12 Network at 6 PM MST. Daron Sutton (play-by-play) and Matt Muehlebach (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.
LAST MEETING
The Arizona State men's basketball team improved to 6-1 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 1980-81 with a 74-69 road win at the Oregon State Beavers last month. Paced by a second consecutive 21-point output by Desmond Cambridge Jr., ASU earned their 31st win in games decided by two possessions (six points) or less since the start of the 2019-20 season. It is the most wins in all of Division I over that stretch. Additionally, Sun Devils trailed by three at the half, marking their 37th halftime comeback win under Bobby Hurley. Of those comeback wins, 18 have been on the road and 18 have come in conference play.
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. 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.
DAZZLING DEZ
Desmond Cambridge Jr. has been on a tear as of late, leading the Sun Devil offense. He has scored at least 15 points in his last six games. It is only the third time in his five-year career that he has dropped at least 15 in six straight games. He did it from 11/16/21 – 12/15/21 at Nevada and in eight straight contests from 12/1/18 – 1/8/19 at Brown.Cambridge Jr. has paced the team in five of the 10 conference games this season and eight of 22 games overall. He has led ASU in scoring in four of the last six games including three straight contests (at Oregon, at Oregon State, UCLA).
BROTHERLY LOVE
The Cambridge brothers have had a massive impact on the floor in their first year in the desert. On top of Desmond's scoring, a Cambridge brother has led ASU in points in more than half of games played (12 of 22). Both have led ASU in blocks in three contests, tied with Duke Brennan for second most on the team. Overall, Devan sports a team-high +26 in league play and Desmond Jr. is right behind him at +25. In fact, in 12 against Power 6 opponents, Desmond Jr. is +63 and Devan is +49. The Sun Devils are 10-0 when Devan scores in double figures.
LOCKING IT DOWN
Arizona State has been one of the best defensive teams in the country through 22 games, making it difficult on opponents to score. The Sun Devils rank 8th in the nation holding opponents to just 38.7% shooting from the field. ASU is 6-0 this season when giving up less than 60 points.
SHARING THE ROCK
Arizona State has had at least 20 assists five times this season. It is the most such instances through 20 games since the Sun Devils, led by James Harden, had six in the 2008-09 season.
The Sun Devils are forcing opponents to an average of more than 14 turnovers per game and in league play. ASU is the only team in the Pac-12 to force double-digit turnovers in each league play game.
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 has tied or outright paced ASU's assist category in 16 of the 21 games he's played in this season. Collins' 4.7 assists per game is tied for fourth in the Pac-12. He is the lone player in the Pac-12 to average at least 10 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game, putting up those numbers in 28.6 minutes 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 71.5 points per game (third in the Pac-12) and four different Sun Devils are averaging at least 10.2 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 10 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.
RIM PROTECTION
Arizona State continues to find themselves near the top of the national rankings in blocks and rebounds per game. 12 players have recorded at least one block this season, led by Warren Washington's 46. Washington 2.09 blocks per game put him at 24th in the country and 3rd in the Pac-12. ASU ranks 17th nationally in blocks per game as a team.
WARREN IS SOARIN'
Warren Washington has at least one block in the first 20 games of the season, the longest streak since Jordan Bachynski had at least one block in the first 27 games of the 2013-14 season. He's the only player in the Pac-12 to record at least a block in each game this season (min. five games played).
OUR FRESHMAN IS NOT AFRAID
Austin Nunez has had some of his best moments under the brightest lights. Against Power 6 opponents, Nunez is +8 on the floor in 13 games. Additionally, against ranked teams, Nunez is +10 in four games. Nunez has had four double digit scoring games with a career high 15 against Michigan, ranked 20th at the time. His other double-digit efforts came against VCU, Creighton and UCLA. On the road against Washington, Nunez hit three clutch free throws with less than a second on the clock to tie the game and send it into overtime.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Arizona State has now won 11 of its last 14 games at Desert Financial Arena. It is the best 14-game mark 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.
DON'T COUNT US OUT
The Sun Devils have 37 halftime comebacks under Bobby Hurley including 18 on the road. In fact, the Sun Devils now have four halftime comebacks this year and three on the road (OSU, Colorado and SMU). All four comebacks have come away from home, with the other one being a neutral site contest against VCU at the Legends Classic held in Brooklyn, NY. In both of ASU's road Pac-12 comeback wins (Colorado, Oregon State), the opposition has combined to shoot 14-48 (29.1%) from the field including 7-26 (26.9%) from three in the second half. 18 of the 37 halftime comebacks under Coach Hurley have been in Pac-12 play. The Sun Devils trailed by as many as 16 against Oregon State, making it the largest comeback since they overcame a 22-point deficit against Arizona on February 25, 2020. The win was also ASU's largest road comeback since trailing by 18 at Georgia on December 15, 2018.
The Sun Devils have scored 41% of their points inside the paint this season.ASU has won the PIP battle in 15 of 22 games this season including their first seven conference games and eight of 11 conference games. ASU has a +73 margin against opponents in the paint.
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.
Andy Katz (NCAA): 10 seed
Jerry Palm (CBS): First Four Out
Bracket Matrix: 11 seed
Michael DeCoury (Fox Sports): 12 seed
Joe Lunardi (ESPN): Next Four Out
SB Nation: First Four Out
Bleacher Report: First Four Out
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.
COMFORTABLE WHEN IT'S CLOSE
Coach Hurley's team has played in a two-possession game in nine of its first 22 contests, boasting a 7-2 record. The Sun Devils are 31-15 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 31
Wisconsin 31
3. Providence 30
4. Kansas 29
5. Western Kentucky 28
Miami (FL) 28
MILESTONE MOMENT
Fifth-year guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. reached a significant milestone in a win over Washington earlier in the season. He surpassed 2,000 career points, becoming the 10th active player in the NCAA to reach the mark. His 2,116 points rank 9th among active NCAA players and his 347 threes rank sixth among active players. He is one of five active players with over 2,100 points and 570 rebounds in his career.
GREEN GAME
As one of the nation's most sustainable Universities, Arizona State has devoted many resources towards protecting the environment. Sun Devil Athletics annually designates one home contest in each sport as the "Green Game". Fans will be provided educational materials and information on how to increase sustainability in every day life.
RECOGNIZING NATIONAL WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY
Sun Devil Men's Basketball is hosting it's annual National Women in Sports Game following National Girls and Womens in Sports Day. In-game promotions and pre-game/halftime celebrations will be part of recognizing the important presence of females in sports.
942 CREW GIVEAWAY
SUN DEVILS ON SOCIALWAKE UP DEVILS?? IT'S GAMEDAY FOR @SunDevilHoops????
— 942 Crew (@942Crew) February 2, 2023
The Devils host the Beavers TONIGHT at 6PM????
STUDENT GIVEAWAY: Green Night Tee??
STUDENTS, if you downloaded your ticket, WE NEED YOU THERE?? If you haven't yet, get yours NOW??
LET'S PACK DFA AND BEAT THE BEAVS???? pic.twitter.com/BcH4dMJkUF
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