Sun Devil Men's Basketball will compete in the NCAA Tournament after earning selection to March Madness. Arizona State is an 11 seed heading to the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, where they will face the Nevada Wolfpack on Wednesday at 6:10 PM MST. ASU has made the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in program history and third under Head Coach Bobby Hurley. It is the second-most tournament appearances for a Sun Devil Head Coach. The 22 wins is tied for its most wins in the Hurley era, including 12 wins away from home with seven true road wins. The squad is coming off a historical run at the Pac-12 Conference Tournament, making the semifinal round for only the fourth time in program history.
HOW TO FOLLOW
ASU's game against No. 11 seed Nevada in the NCAA Tournament will be broadcasted on TruTV, scheduled for a 6:10 PM MST tip-off. Tom McCarthy (play-by-play) and Avery Johnson (analyst) will be on the call. Every NCAA Tournament game will air on the Turner family of networks, which includes CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV. 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.
Coach Hurley's squad is coming off a historical run at the Pac-12 Conference Tournament, making the semifinal round for only the fourth time in program history. Arizona State was seeded No. 6 after finishing the regular season at 11-9 in conference play.
The Sun Devils started their stay in Las Vegas off with a 63-57 win over Oregon State in the opening round. They then went on to beat No. 3 seed USC, 77-72, to advance to the semifinals. Playing their third game in three days, Arizona State's run eventually came to an end with a loss to No. 2 seed Arizona.
Thanks to his efforts throughout the week, Desmond Cambridge Jr. was named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team. He averaged 16.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while adding a tournament-best 3.0 steals per game. In the victory over USC, Cambridge Jr. led the way with 27 points and seven rebounds. He was extremely active defensively against Arizona, set a new a career-high with five steals.
NEXT UP, NEVADA
This will be the fourth meeting ever between the two programs and the first in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona State has split the previous two matchups with the Wolfpack, with all four contest coming since 2002. The Sun Devils are familiar with Nevada Head Coach Steve Alford from his previous stint at UCLA. In his six seasons with the Bruins, ASU went 5-4 against UCLA. Dating back to his time at Iowa, ASU split a home-and-home series in 2005 & 2006. Arizona State is 5-3 against the Mountain West in the Bobby Hurley era.
HELLO, OLD FRIEND
Desmond Cambridge Jr. and Warren Washington will face with the Nevada Wolfpack after a combined 104 games and 101 combined starts with the Wolfpack. ASU has had a transfer face a former opponent once already this season, when Frankie Collins faced Michigan at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Sun Devils routed the Wolverines, 87-62, for the Legends Classic Tournament title. Collins tossed five a game-high five dimes in the effort.
SUN DEVILS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
For the 17th time in program history, Sun Devil Men's Basketball has earned selection in the NCAA Tournament. They have 14 victories in the Big Dance, including a victory over St. John's in the First Four under Coach Hurley in 2019. ASU has five Sweet 16 and three Elite 8 appearances.
NEUTRALIZING THE OPPONENT
The NCAA Tournament is played at a neutral site, which bodes well for Sun Devil Men's Basketball. Coach Hurley's team has been one of the best teams in the nation at neutral sites, going 5-1 so far in 2022-23. ASU lone loss came at the Pac-12 Tournament to eventual tournament champion No. 8 Arizona (No. 2 seed in South).
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
The Sun Devils have 12 wins away from home, seven of which have come on the road. ASU has two wins in a hostile road environment in Tucson in the last five years, tied for second most in the Pac-12 in that span. ASU also have has 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.
The Sun Devils have 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 six road wins are second in the Pac-12, more than Arizona, Utah and Oregon. In fact, ASU is tied for the most road wins in conference play this season (5) 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. ASU was able to earn a true-road win in the non-conference schedule, the Wildcats did not contest a single true-road game outside of conference play.
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 15th in the nation and fifth among NCAA Tournament teams holding opponents to just 39.8% 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%.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
The Sun Devils have the sixth-best two point percentage defense in the nation according to KenPom, allowing teams to shoot only 43.8% from inside the arc. Coach Hurley's squad is 28th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric and 22nd in opponent effective field goal percentage. KenPom also rates ASU 21st in the country in block %.
TURNOVER MARGIN
The Sun Devils ended the season as one of three teams in the Power 5, Big East and Mountain West to have forced double digit turnovers in each game against a conference foe. Arizona State has had 26 consecutive conference games forcing double-digit turnovers, the most in the Pac-12. In fact, it's the 32nd time in the last 34 games forcing double-digit turnovers, and 59 of 65 dating back to the start of last season. ASU forced 15 Wildcat turnovers in Friday night's contest. In fact, ASU only committed nine turnovers, its fewest since Feb. 18 vs. Utah. When ASU played at UCLA on Mar. 2, UCLA entered as the national leader in turnover differential, leading by an average of +6 per game. ASU led the turnover battle 19-16. The Bruins had won the turnover battle in 28 of 29 games played entering. UCLA's 19 turnovers against the Sun Devil defense was their season-high.
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 three NCAA tournaments in the seven seasons that there has been a big dance.
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.
FIRE AWAY
Desmond Cambridge Jr. has scored in double figures in 23 of 33 games he's competed this season. Against Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals, he extended his Pac-12 leading streak of 29 straight games with a made three pointer. Only Johnathan Gilling has had a streak of that length, recording 29 straight games with a made three pointer spanning the 2012-13 seasons. It is tied for the longest streak of made three pointers by a Sun Devil in the last 20 seasons.
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 995 career games. That includes some notable names...
Desmond Cambridge Jr. - 145
Luther Muhammad - 128
Devan Cambridge - 125
DJ Horne - 118
Alonzo Gaffney - 81
Warren Washington - 80
Frankie Collins - 64
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; Won the A-10 Tournament Championship
- Grambling State – SWAC Regular Season Co-Champs; Made SWAC Tournament Championship Game
- Alcorn State – SWAC Regular Season Co-Champs
- Creighton – Finished third in the Big East with a 14-6 record; Made Big East Tournament Semifinals
- at Oregon – Finished fourth in the Pac-12; Made Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals
- at Arizona – Finished second in the Pac-12 with a 14-6 record; Won the Pac-12 Tournament Championship
- USC - Finished third in the Pac-12 with a 14-6 record
Sun Devil Men's Basketball has two representatives on Pac-12 award lists as Desmond Cambridge Jr. was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team and Warren Washington earned recognition as an honorable mention for the All-Defensive Team, as voted on by other coaches in the league.
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 2,286 points rank 9th among active NCAA players and his 379 threes rank fifth among active players. He is one of three active players with over 2,280 points and 620 rebounds in his career and has played the fewest games of anyone to accomplish the feat. Cambridge Jr. also ranks 26th in career steals (193) and 49th in career blocks (143) among active players.
COMFORTABLE WHEN IT'S CLOSE
Coach Hurley's team has played in a two-possession game in 15 of its 34 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.
1. Wisconsin 35
Arizona State 35
3. Western Kentucky 33
4. Providence 31
Kansas 31
Miami (FL) 31
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 14.5 points per game over his last 11 contests with all but two outputs in double digits. In a massive quadrant one game for the Sun Devils against USC, at the Pac-12 Tournament, Horne had 16 points and nailed eight free throws, six of them down the stretch, sealing the victory. Sun Devil Men's Basketball is 8-2 when Horne makes at least three three-pointers. He went 3-6 from deep - including one to give ASU its first lead in over 18 minutes at 1:49 – in ASU's thrilling road victory against No. 7 Arizona.
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
Six 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 Austn Nunez
Arizona (Pac-12 Tournament) 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
Oregon State (Pac-12 Tournament) - won 63-57 without Auztin Nunes
USC (Pac-12 Tournament) - 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 16-7.
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. Collins boasts the the highest assist rate in the Pac-12 per KenPom and is tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with 4.4 assists per game. He was one of only two players in the Pac-12 to average at least 9.9 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game, joined by USC's Drew Peterson. Peterson averages 35.7 minutes per game while Collins does it in only 28.4 minutes per game.
PROTECTING THE PAINT
Arizona State continues to find themselves near the top of the national rankings in blocks, coming in at #31 in the latest national rankings (12th among NCAA Tournament teams). 12 players have recorded at least one block this season, led by Warren Washington's 55.
DEVAN MAKES WINNING PLAYS
In the last 23 games, Desmond Cambridge Jr. is a Sun Devil-high +38. In ASU's nine quad one games, he a +3. ASU's golden rule is when Devan Cambridge scores in double-digits, good things follow. The Sun Devils are 13-1 when he has at least 10 points.
Playing a conference tournament demands high performances from all members of the squad. Jamiyal Neal put in a team-best nine points off the bench against USC. 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. In the next contest against Arizona, he had 23 minutes and scored 11 points, tying for the ASU lead.
RUN N' GUN
Desmond Cambridge Jr. has led the Sun Devils in steals for the past three games (all three in the Pac-12 tournament), including a career-high five in the Pac-12 Tournament Semifinal against Arizona. The Sun Devils have outscored their opponents on the fastbreak in three of the last four games. ASU has outscored its opponent on the fastbreak in 23 of 34 games this season.
DIME A DOZEN
Arizona State has had 12 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. Of those 12 games, seven have come against conference opponents. In ASU's 11 quad one games, they have had four contests with at least a 60% A/FGM ratio. Three of those four quad one games were away from home. In fact, 484 of ASU's 850 field goals this season have come on assisted baskets. That's good for 56.94%. It is tracking to be the highest percentage of assists to made field goals in a season since the 2013-14 season (56.34%). ASU has had at least a 60% A/FGM ratio in three consecutive games. It is the longest streak this season since five games that included the early-season conference matchups at Colorado and vs. Stanford.
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.
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