Arizona State (22-11, 11-9) will battle the Wildcats for a spot in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship at T-Mobile Arena. The winner moves on to face the winner of the UCLA/Oregon matchup taking place earlier in the day. The Sun Devils have another opportunity to add to an already impressive postseason resume as Selection Sunday approaches.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The Sun Devil Men's Basketball game against No. 8 Arizona will be the lone Pac-12 Tournament semifinal to be broadcasted on ESPN, scheduled for a 9:30 PM MST tip-off. Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton (analyst) will be on the call. All 31 of Arizona State's games this season plus the entire Pac-12 Conference Tournament 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. Following their iconic call of the shot to beat No. 7 Arizona, make sure to listen to Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP). The action can also be tracked via live stats available here.
PAC-12 TOURNAMENT
FULL BRACKET/SCHEDULE
Arizona State earned the No. 6 seed at the Pac-12 Conference Tournament hosted at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas after finishing at 11-9 in league play during the regular season. On Wednesday, the Sun Devils defeated No. 11 seed Oregon State, 63-57, in the opening round to advance to the quarterfinals. On Thursday, they knocked off No. 3 seed USC, 77-72, to secure a spot in the semifinals. ASU will play No. 2 seed Arizona today at 9:30 PM MST on ESPN for a spot in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship. The winner of this matchup will play the winner of the UCLA/Oregon game. ASU has now won five games at the Pac-12 Tournament in seven tries under Bobby Hurley. The program won three games combined over the previous 14 seasons.
LAST TIME OUT
Desmond Cambridge Jr. scored 27 points - a Sun Devil high - to lead all scorers in a 77-72 victory over USC. Cambridge Jr. was joined in double figures by Devan Cambridge (11) and DJ Horne (10). Along with his critical 27 points, Cambridge Jr. snatched seven rebounds - including four offensive - and secured two steals. Warren Washington grabbed eight rebounds and Arizona State bullied its way to 13 offensive rebounds as a team. In its three games against USC, ASU has recorded double-digit offensive rebounds in all three.
The Sun Devils played on their best halves of basketball when it mattered most. ASU led 39-25 at the break and shut down the USC offense, allowing just seven made baskets in the opening stanza. Arizona State withstood a late USC surge. After leading by 14 at half, ASU's stamina never waived. USC missed its first six shots of the contest and was 3-13 from the field opening it up. The Sun Devils led for 39:45 of the 40 minutes. In the first two games against USC combined, Arizona State led for 4:31.
AGAINST ARIZONA
Desmond Cambridge Jr. and Arizona State Men's Basketball sunk the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats on a halfcourt heave at the buzzer, 89-88, on February 25 at the McKale Memorial Center in Tucson. The astonishing scenes were exacerbated by comeback heroics and tense momentum swings.
In front of a hostile, sold-out crowd, Arizona State (20-9, 11-7) resisted an 11-point second half swing, trailing by as many as 10 with 6:30 left in regulation.From that juncture, the Sun Devils allowed just one field goal and finished the contest on a 21-10 scoring advantage.Arizona State picked up its first road victory over a top 10 team since Dec. 10, 2017 over #2 Kansas in Lawrence.
ASU held Arizona to one field goal in the last seven minutes. Arizona State outscored the Wildcats 21-10 over the final 6:30 of regulation. Arizona is now 36-2 over the last five seasons when scoring 88 or more points. Both losses have come against Arizona State. The victory marked Bobby Hurley's 11th over a ranked opponent as a Sun Devil.
SUN DEVILS IN VEGAS
Head Coach Bobby Hurley's program has enjoyed their share of success in Las Vegas and they look to continue that at the 2023 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament. Arizona State defeated Creighton (NET 14) at Michelob Ultra Arena as a part of the Jack Jones Hoopfest back in December. ASU is now 3-0 in Las Vegas during the 2022-23 season after defeating Oregon State and USC at the Pac-12 Tournament. Arizona State previously won the 2018 MGM Resorts Main Event and the 2017 Continental Tire Invitational in Las Vegas under Coach Hurley.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Sun Devil Men's Basketball has two representatives on Pac-12 award lists as Desmond Cambridge Jr.has been named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team and Warren Washington has earned recognition as an honorable mention for the All-Defensive Team, according to an announcement by the league office Tuesday morning.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
Sun Devil Men's Basketball has now won 20 games for the fourth time in the last six years. ASU has 22 wins in a season for the second time in the Hurley era. They had accomplished the feat only six times in the previous 33 years. Coach Hurley has patrolled his squads to two NCAA tournaments and were in prime position for a third before COVID-19 canceled March Madness. Arizona State is yet again making a postseason push.
LOCKING IT DOWN
Arizona State is one of the best defensive teams in the country, making it difficult for opposing offenses to score. The Sun Devils rank 11th in the nation holding opponents to just 39.3% shooting from the field. ASU is 9-0 this season when giving up less than 60 points and have held opponents to 40% or less from the field 18 games this season. ASU is 10-0 when opponents shoot under 36%.
TURNOVER MARGIN
The Sun Devils remain one of only four teams in the Power 5, Big East and Mountain West to have forced double digit turnovers in each conference game this season. ASU forced 14 Trojan turnovers in Friday night's contest. Arizona State has had 25 consecutive conference games forcing double-digit turnovers, the most in the Pac-12. In fact, it's the 31st time in the last 33 games forcing double-digit turnovers, and 58 of 64 dating back to the start of last season.
NOTHING BUT NET
Arizona State now has five quadrant one wins after the victory against USC, which is tied with or more than 29 of the Top-50 teams in the NET. The five quad one wins are more than seven of the Top-20 teams in the NET.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
ASU's 12 wins away from home is nationally elite. Only one team in the AP Top 25 has more wins away from home. That's more than No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 Alabama and No. 6 Marquette. Purdue, who is fifth in the country, is tied with ASU at 12. The only team in the AP Top 25 with 13 wins away from home is No. 1 Houston. The Sun Devils have all five quad one wins away from home.
NEUTRALIZING THE OPPONENT
Coach Hurley's team has been one of the best teams in the nation at neutral sites, going 5-0 so far in 2022-23. ASU is one of only seven teams to be undefeated having played at least five neutral site games:
Arizona State
Purdue
Arizona
TCU
Drake (Missouri Valley Champion)
Louisiana Lafayette (Sun Belt Champion)
Norfolk State
Of those seven teams, only Arizona State, Purdue, and Louisiana Lafayette have won seven road games.
COMFORTABLE WHEN IT'S CLOSE
Coach Hurley's team has played in a two-possession game in 15 of its 33 contests, boasting a 11-4 record. The Sun Devils are 35-17 in two possession games over the last four seasons, tied with Wisconsin for the most wins in the Division I during that span. Arizona State has won four of its last five close games.
1. Wisconsin 35
Arizona State 35
3. Western Kentucky 33
4. Providence 31
Kansas 31
Miami (FL) 31
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 2,278 points rank 8th among active NCAA players and his 377 threes rank fifth among active players. He is one of four active players with over 2,270 points and 615 rebounds in his career and has played the fewest games of anyone to accomplish the feat. Cambridge Jr. also ranks 30th in career steals (188) and 48th in career blocks (143) among active players.
DEZ FROM DEEP
Cambridge Jr. extended his Pac-12-leading 28th straight game with three three-pointers last night vs. USC. He is just the third Sun Devil in the last 20 seasons to record one or more three-pointers made in at least 28 consecutive games.
2012-13: Jonathan Gilling, 29
2006-07: Christian Polk, 28
2022-23: Desmond Cambridge Jr. 28
He now has double figures in 23 of 33 games this season. The Sun Devils are 16-7 in those 23 games. He has been in double figures in the last eight of the last nine games. Cambridge Jr.'s 27 points were not only his most as a Sun Devil, but the most points anyone has scored for ASU this season.
T-HORNE IN THE SIDE OF OPPONENTS
In a pivotal part of the season down the stretch, DJ Horne has turned up his scoring. He is averaging 15.1 points per game over his last 10 contests with all but one output in double digits. He had 16 total this season, second on the Sun Devil roster. He has missed just three free throws over the 10 games, totaling 23-26 from the charity stripe.
PROTECTING THE PAINT
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 55. Washington's 1.8 blocks per game put him at 42nd in the country and 3rd in the Pac-12.
DON'T COUNT US OUT
The Sun Devils have six halftime comebacks this year and three on the road (OSU, Colorado and SMU). Four of the six comebacks have come away from home, in addition to a neutral site contest against VCU at the Legends Classic held in Brooklyn, NY. 18 of the 39 halftime comebacks under Coach Hurley have been on the road and 23 have come in Pac-12 play. The Sun Devils trailed by as many as 16 on the road 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.
While they didn't qualify as comebacks, in wins over Creighton and Stanford away from home, ASU withstood 16-0 and 14-0 runs respectively in the second half and still came away with a victory. Prior to their 65-57 loss to Arizona State after leading 26-25 at the half, Utah was undefeated (17-0) when taking the advantage into the break.
ROAD WARRIORS
Arizona State picked up a signature win on the road, defeating No. 7 Arizona in the McKale Center. This is another example of the success for the Sun Devils away from home. They have won a total of 12 games away from home, including seven road wins. The Sun Devils also swept two road Pac-12 series this season (Oregon, Bays). It is the first time ASU has swept the Bay schools since 2019-20. ASU's seven total road wins are second in the Pac-12, more than Arizona, Utah and Oregon. It is just the third time since joining the conference and the first since the 1980-81 season that Arizona State has swept two road series in the same season. Arizona State finished with the second most league play road wins at six.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
The Sun Devils have the fifth best two point percentage defense in the nation according to KenPom, allowing teams to shoot only 43.3% from inside the arc. Coach Hurley's squad is 26th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric and 14th in opponent effective field goal percentage. KenPom also rates ASU 18th in the country in block %.
EXPERIENCE ON OUR SIDE
Coach Hurley's team has a veteran presence, with several players boasting a plethora of experience at the Division I level. In total, Sun Devils have played in 982 career games. That includes some notable names...
Desmond Cambridge Jr. - 144
Luther Muhammad - 127
Devan Cambridge - 124
DJ Horne - 117
Alonzo Gaffney - 80
Warren Washington - 79
Frankie Collins - 63
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. Arizona State has had 11 games this season with at least a 60% A/FGM ratio. It is the most in a single season since ASU had 13 such-games in the 2015-16 campaign. In fact, 471 of ASU's 829 field goals this season have come on assisted baskets. That's good for 56.8%. It is tracking to be the highest percentage of assists to made field goals in a season since the 2013-14 season (56.34%). The Sun Devils had 15 assists on 23 made baskets against the Trojans. That's good for a 65% assist to field goal made ratio.
CONQUERING CONFERENCE CONTENDERS
Arizona State owns victories over the following teams that were among the best in their respective conferences:
- NAU – Made Big Sky Tournament Championship Game
- VCU – Won the Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship; in A-10 Tournament Semifinals
- Grambling State – Tied for the SWAC Regular Season Co-Champs; in SWAC Tournament Semifinals
- Alcorn State – Tied for the SWAC Regular Season Co-Champs
- Creighton – Finished third in the Big East with a 14-6 record; in Big East Tournament Semifinals
- at Oregon – Finished fourth in the Pac-12; in Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals
- at Arizona – Finished second in the Pac-12 with a 14-6 record; in Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals
- USC - Finished second in the Pac-12 with a 14-6 record
FIve of the Sun Devils' losses have come away from home and with a key piece of their rotation sidelined.
at Texas Southern - No Jamiya Neal
at San Francisco - No Desmond Cambridge Jr.
at Washington State - No DJ Horne
at No. 4 UCLA - No Austin Nunez
at USC - No Austin Nunez
In contrast, ASU has been able to overcome players missing to earn key victories.
vs. NAU – won 84-68 without Desmond Cambridge Jr.
at Colorado – won 60-59 without Frankie Collins
at Stanford – won 68-65 without Warren Washington
at California – won 70-62 without Warren Washington
at No. 7 Arizona – won 89-88 without Austin Nunez
vs. Oregon State - won 63-57 without Austin Nunez
USC - won 77-72 without Austin Nunez
ASU's regular starting lineup of Frankie Collins, DJ Horne, Desmond Cambridge Jr., Devan Cambridge and Warren Washington is 16-6.
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 traveled 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.
DEVAN MAKES WINNING PLAYS
ASU's golden rule held true against the Trojans. The Sun Devils are now 14-1 when Devan Cambridge scores in double-figures, as he finished with 11. It's only loss was on the road to the Trojans in the last game of the regular season. Cambridge is a team-high +49 in league play this season. He is +11 in two games against the Wildcats this season.
JAMIYA IS THAT GUY
Playing a conference tournament demands high performances from all members of the squad. With Frankie Collins picking up early fouls against the Trojans, Jamiyal Neal put in a team-best nine points off the bench. ASU won the bench scoring category 20-9 against the Trojans. It was only the third time in the last 20 games that Neal had played at least 20 minutes. The nine points were his most since he had 12 in the road contest at Arizona.
THREE POINT BARRAGE
Arizona State made 14-32 three pointers, good for 43.8%. It is the seventh highest of the season for ASU. Cambridge Jr. was a dazzling 6-12, his season-high in made triples and Devan Cambridge was a perfect 2-2 from long distance. A key for success against the Wildcats will be three point shooting. In the contest at ASU on New Years Eve, the Sun Devils shot 3-27 from three point range and only lost by nine, 69-60 to No. 5 Arizona. The Sun Devils improved, shooting 11-28 (39%) from three in Tucson including Cambridge Jr.'s prayer at the buzzer.
EMPTY THE NOTEBOOK
- Cambridge Jr. led the Sun Devils in steals for the second straight game against USC He is tied for the team-lead in number of games leading in steals (nine, DJ Horne).
- ASU has outscored its opponent on the fastbreak in 23 of 33 games this season including tonight winning 9-8. The Sun Devils have outscored their opponents on the fastbreak in the last three games, two of them against USC.
- For the third time this season against USC, ASU won the offensive rebounding battle against one of the most physical teams in the country. ASU won the battle on the offensive glass 14-8.
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