HOW GOOD WAS 23 WINS?
ASU won 23 tilts for the first time since 2009 (25 wins led by James Harden) and for just the second time in the past 28 seasons. Prior to 2009, you have to go back to Bill Frieder's 1995 squad that won 24 games to find more wins than the 2023 Sun Devils. Also, it wasn't an easy 23, as it included 13 wins away from home, seven true road wins and a 6-2 mark on neutral floors. The 2023 season marked the fourth 20-win season for ASU in the past six years, after having 20 wins just nine times in the previous 35 seasons.
MOST WINS PROGRAM HISTORY
26 – 1963
25 – 2009, 1975
24 – 1995, 1981
23 – 2023, 1962, 1961
CLOSE GAME SUCCESS
ASU continued its solid play in close game games, going 11-5 in games decided by six points or less, as it is now 35-18 (.660) in close games in the past four seasons.
JAMIYA IS BACK
Keep an eye on junior Jamiya Neal as he had career-high 16 points in the blowout NCAA Tournament win over Nevada, had a double-double vs. Washington in January and averaged 8.2 points in the final eight tilts, and quietly had 12 in 27 minutes in the huge win at Arizona.
WEGUARDU
ASU held its opponents to just .399 shooting from the field, the third-best mark in the league and 15th in the nation. It was also tied for the second-best mark in school history, one year after posting what is now the fourth-best.
ASU BEST FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE
.391 -- 1962-63 (791-2024)
.399 -- 2022-23 (836-of-2096)
.399 -- 1971-72 (797-of-1997)
.400 -- 2021-22 (718-1797)
.401 -- 1967-68 (834-2078)
.402 -- 2009-10 (678-1687)
.410 -- 2012-13 (861-2098)
.410 -- 2007-08 (718-1752)
SHARING THE ROCK
Arizona State finishes the season with 13 games this season having 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, 515 of ASU's 910 field goals this season have come on assisted baskets. That's good for 56.59%. It is the highest percentage of assists to made field goals in a season since 471 out of 836 field goals were assisted on in the 2013-14 season (56.34%). Additionally, ASU has had at least a 60% A/FGM ratio in four of five games to end the season, with the exception of TCU.
ROAD WARRIORS
Arizona State picked up a signature win on the road, defeating No. 7 Arizona in the McKale Center in early March. This continued a trend of success for the Sun Devils away from home. ASU won a total of 13 games away from home, including seven road wins. The Sun Devils also swept two road Pac-12 series this season (Oregon and the Bay Area), the first time ASU has swept the Bay schools since 2019-20. ASU's seven total road wins were 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 swept two road series in the same season. Arizona State finished with the second-most league play road wins at six.
PAC-12 ROAD WINS: ASU's 6-4 road mark in Pac-12 play in 2022-23 was its best since the 1980-81 team went 8-1. Its 5-4 Pac-12 road mark in 2018-19 was its best since the 2009-10 and 2008-09 teams each went 5-4 as well and matched ASU's best Pac-12 road mark in previous 39 seasons. Bobby Hurley's fourth season was only ASU's sixth winning road record since it joined the Pac-10 in 1978-79. Ned Wulk's 1980-81 (8-1) and 1979-80 (7-2) set the bar, while Bill Frieder's 1994-95 Sweet Sixteen team also went 5-4.
SUN DEVIL WINNING ROAD RECORDS IN PAC-12
2022-23: 6-4 (11-9/T-5th)
2018-19: 5-4 (12-6/2nd)
2009-10: 5-4 (12-6/2nd)
2008-09: 5-4 (11-7/T-3rd)
1994-95: 5-4 (12-6/3rd)
1980-81: 8-1 (16-2/2nd)
1979-80: 7-2 (15-3/2th)
SOLID SHOWING IN LAS VEGAS
ASU won two Pac-12 Tournament games for just the third time, as it defeated Oregon State 63-57 and then topped USC 77-57 on March 9 before falling to Arizona in the semifinals. Coach Hurley has five Pac-12 tournament wins, while the previous five ASU coaches had six combined at the Pac-12 Tournament. It also went 2-1 in 2009 and 1990.
2023 PAC-12 TOURNAMENT AT T-MOBILE ARENA (ASU 2-1)
Session 2 - Wed., March 8/Game 4: (6) ASU 63, (11) OSU 57
Session 4 - Thur., March 9/Game 8: (6) ASU 77, (3) USC 57
Session 5 - Fri., March 10/Game 10: (2) UA 78, (6) ASU 59
NCAAS UNDER COACH HURLEY
ASU has made the NCAA Tournament three times in the past five chances (2022, 2019, and 2018) and won two games. In the previous 32 seasons (166-2017), ASU made two NCAA Tournaments and was 2-3.
NOT AFRAID TO GO ON THE ROAD EARLY
Coach Hurley has made a point to get on the road early in the season, as he has scheduled 15 out of conference road games during his time at ASU, and the Sun Devils are 10-5 after going 8-22 the previous 30. That .667 mark is tied for fifth-best in the nation, while the 10 wins are best in the Pac-12.
BEST OOC REGULAR SEASON ROAD RECORD SINCE 2015-16
Miami, 11-1 (.917)
USC, 8-3 (.727)
Saint Mary's, 7-3 (.700)
Kansas, 9-4 (.692)
Arizona State, 10-5 (.667)
Wichita State, 10-5 (.667)
SUN DEVILS VS. OOC RANKED OPPONENTS IN REGULAR SEASON
Coach Bobby Hurley schedules hard and gives his team some great opportunities, and they have taken advantage almost as well as anyone in the Pac-12 in his time at ASU. Since taking over in 2015-16, Coach Hurley's squads have six wins over top-25 associated press teams in non-conference regular season action, behind only Arizona (eight) and UCLA (seven) in the Pac-12 and on the same level nationally as Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Virginia and West Virginia. How good is this compared to past ASU teams? His six out-of-conference wins over ranked teams in his eight years matches the Sun Devil total in the previous 37 seasons.
PREVIOUS TO BOBBY HURLEY (6 IN 37 SEASONS)
ASU 79, #25 Marquette 77 (Nov. 25, 2013)
ASU 77, #17 Xavier 55 (Dec. 15, 2007)
ASU 97, #7 Maryland 90 (Nov. 23, 1994 at Maui)
ASU 79, #13 Michigan 62 (Nov. 22, 1994 at Maui)
#14 ASU 71, #7 Ohio State 58 (Dec. 20, 1980)
ASU 96, #12 Iowa 88 (Dec. 6, 1980)
ATTENDANCE NOTE
Everyone knows the 2020-21 season hit the Sun Devil program hard in terms of momentum. In addition to a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance getting canceled in 2020 -- which would have been a first for the program since the early 1960s -- the Sun Devil had turned the corner on attendance Desert Financial Arena as it had had averaged 10,140 fans in a three-year span (starting with the 2017-18 season) with 496,872 fans attending 49 Sun Devil home games, as ASU racked up a 39-10 record. In the three previous seasons in 51 home games ASU averaged 6,087 fans (310,459).
TOP SUN DEVIL STUDENT CROWDS
5,213 vs. UCLA (Jan. 19, 2023)
3,949 vs. Arizona (Feb. 7, 2022)
3,391 vs. Oregon (Jan. 11, 2018)
3,313 vs. Arizona (Jan. 31, 2019)
3,243 vs. Arizona (Jan. 25, 2020)
3,229 vs. Oregon (Feb. 20, 2020)
TOP AVERAGE SEASON ATTENDANCE MARKS (HEAD COACH)
2017-18: 10,603 (Bobby Hurley)
2018-19: 10,538 (Bobby Hurley)
1995-96: 9, 514 (Bill Frieder)
2008-09: 9,354 (Herb Sendek)
1994-95: 9,333 (Bill Frieder)
2019-20: 9,251 (Bobby Hurley)
ASU won 23 tilts for the first time since 2009 (25 wins led by James Harden) and for just the second time in the past 28 seasons. Prior to 2009, you have to go back to Bill Frieder's 1995 squad that won 24 games to find more wins than the 2023 Sun Devils. Also, it wasn't an easy 23, as it included 13 wins away from home, seven true road wins and a 6-2 mark on neutral floors. The 2023 season marked the fourth 20-win season for ASU in the past six years, after having 20 wins just nine times in the previous 35 seasons.
MOST WINS PROGRAM HISTORY
26 – 1963
25 – 2009, 1975
24 – 1995, 1981
23 – 2023, 1962, 1961
CLOSE GAME SUCCESS
ASU continued its solid play in close game games, going 11-5 in games decided by six points or less, as it is now 35-18 (.660) in close games in the past four seasons.
JAMIYA IS BACK
Keep an eye on junior Jamiya Neal as he had career-high 16 points in the blowout NCAA Tournament win over Nevada, had a double-double vs. Washington in January and averaged 8.2 points in the final eight tilts, and quietly had 12 in 27 minutes in the huge win at Arizona.
WEGUARDU
ASU held its opponents to just .399 shooting from the field, the third-best mark in the league and 15th in the nation. It was also tied for the second-best mark in school history, one year after posting what is now the fourth-best.
ASU BEST FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE
.391 -- 1962-63 (791-2024)
.399 -- 2022-23 (836-of-2096)
.399 -- 1971-72 (797-of-1997)
.400 -- 2021-22 (718-1797)
.401 -- 1967-68 (834-2078)
.402 -- 2009-10 (678-1687)
.410 -- 2012-13 (861-2098)
.410 -- 2007-08 (718-1752)
SHARING THE ROCK
Arizona State finishes the season with 13 games this season having 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, 515 of ASU's 910 field goals this season have come on assisted baskets. That's good for 56.59%. It is the highest percentage of assists to made field goals in a season since 471 out of 836 field goals were assisted on in the 2013-14 season (56.34%). Additionally, ASU has had at least a 60% A/FGM ratio in four of five games to end the season, with the exception of TCU.
ROAD WARRIORS
Arizona State picked up a signature win on the road, defeating No. 7 Arizona in the McKale Center in early March. This continued a trend of success for the Sun Devils away from home. ASU won a total of 13 games away from home, including seven road wins. The Sun Devils also swept two road Pac-12 series this season (Oregon and the Bay Area), the first time ASU has swept the Bay schools since 2019-20. ASU's seven total road wins were 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 swept two road series in the same season. Arizona State finished with the second-most league play road wins at six.
PAC-12 ROAD WINS: ASU's 6-4 road mark in Pac-12 play in 2022-23 was its best since the 1980-81 team went 8-1. Its 5-4 Pac-12 road mark in 2018-19 was its best since the 2009-10 and 2008-09 teams each went 5-4 as well and matched ASU's best Pac-12 road mark in previous 39 seasons. Bobby Hurley's fourth season was only ASU's sixth winning road record since it joined the Pac-10 in 1978-79. Ned Wulk's 1980-81 (8-1) and 1979-80 (7-2) set the bar, while Bill Frieder's 1994-95 Sweet Sixteen team also went 5-4.
SUN DEVIL WINNING ROAD RECORDS IN PAC-12
2022-23: 6-4 (11-9/T-5th)
2018-19: 5-4 (12-6/2nd)
2009-10: 5-4 (12-6/2nd)
2008-09: 5-4 (11-7/T-3rd)
1994-95: 5-4 (12-6/3rd)
1980-81: 8-1 (16-2/2nd)
1979-80: 7-2 (15-3/2th)
Las Vegas in November? ??
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) May 11, 2023
Count us in ??@SunDevilHoops will be competing in the 2023 Vegas Showdown ??
?? BYU/NC State/Vanderbilt
??? Nov. 23-24
?? Michelob ULTRA Arena pic.twitter.com/PH3DmEnWH8
SOLID SHOWING IN LAS VEGAS
ASU won two Pac-12 Tournament games for just the third time, as it defeated Oregon State 63-57 and then topped USC 77-57 on March 9 before falling to Arizona in the semifinals. Coach Hurley has five Pac-12 tournament wins, while the previous five ASU coaches had six combined at the Pac-12 Tournament. It also went 2-1 in 2009 and 1990.
2023 PAC-12 TOURNAMENT AT T-MOBILE ARENA (ASU 2-1)
Session 2 - Wed., March 8/Game 4: (6) ASU 63, (11) OSU 57
Session 4 - Thur., March 9/Game 8: (6) ASU 77, (3) USC 57
Session 5 - Fri., March 10/Game 10: (2) UA 78, (6) ASU 59
NCAAS UNDER COACH HURLEY
ASU has made the NCAA Tournament three times in the past five chances (2022, 2019, and 2018) and won two games. In the previous 32 seasons (166-2017), ASU made two NCAA Tournaments and was 2-3.
NOT AFRAID TO GO ON THE ROAD EARLY
Coach Hurley has made a point to get on the road early in the season, as he has scheduled 15 out of conference road games during his time at ASU, and the Sun Devils are 10-5 after going 8-22 the previous 30. That .667 mark is tied for fifth-best in the nation, while the 10 wins are best in the Pac-12.
BEST OOC REGULAR SEASON ROAD RECORD SINCE 2015-16
Miami, 11-1 (.917)
USC, 8-3 (.727)
Saint Mary's, 7-3 (.700)
Kansas, 9-4 (.692)
Arizona State, 10-5 (.667)
Wichita State, 10-5 (.667)
SUN DEVILS VS. OOC RANKED OPPONENTS IN REGULAR SEASON
Coach Bobby Hurley schedules hard and gives his team some great opportunities, and they have taken advantage almost as well as anyone in the Pac-12 in his time at ASU. Since taking over in 2015-16, Coach Hurley's squads have six wins over top-25 associated press teams in non-conference regular season action, behind only Arizona (eight) and UCLA (seven) in the Pac-12 and on the same level nationally as Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Virginia and West Virginia. How good is this compared to past ASU teams? His six out-of-conference wins over ranked teams in his eight years matches the Sun Devil total in the previous 37 seasons.
ASU OOC REGULAR SEASON WINS VS. RANKED TEAMS PAC-10/12 ERA
UNDER BOBBY HURLEY (6 IN EIGHT SEASONS)
ASU 87, #20 Michigan 62 (Nov. 17, 2022 at Barclays Center)
#18 ASU 80, #1 Kansas 76 (Dec. 22, 2018)
ASU 72, #15 Mississippi State 67 (Nov. 19, 2018 at Las Vegas)
#16 ASU 95, @#2 Kansas 85 (Dec. 10, 2017)
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 (Nov. 24, 2017 at Las Vegas)
ASU 67, #18 Texas A&M 54 (Dec. 5, 2015)
PREVIOUS TO BOBBY HURLEY (6 IN 37 SEASONS)
ASU 79, #25 Marquette 77 (Nov. 25, 2013)
ASU 77, #17 Xavier 55 (Dec. 15, 2007)
ASU 97, #7 Maryland 90 (Nov. 23, 1994 at Maui)
ASU 79, #13 Michigan 62 (Nov. 22, 1994 at Maui)
#14 ASU 71, #7 Ohio State 58 (Dec. 20, 1980)
ASU 96, #12 Iowa 88 (Dec. 6, 1980)
ATTENDANCE NOTE
Everyone knows the 2020-21 season hit the Sun Devil program hard in terms of momentum. In addition to a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance getting canceled in 2020 -- which would have been a first for the program since the early 1960s -- the Sun Devil had turned the corner on attendance Desert Financial Arena as it had had averaged 10,140 fans in a three-year span (starting with the 2017-18 season) with 496,872 fans attending 49 Sun Devil home games, as ASU racked up a 39-10 record. In the three previous seasons in 51 home games ASU averaged 6,087 fans (310,459).
TOP SUN DEVIL STUDENT CROWDS
5,213 vs. UCLA (Jan. 19, 2023)
3,949 vs. Arizona (Feb. 7, 2022)
3,391 vs. Oregon (Jan. 11, 2018)
3,313 vs. Arizona (Jan. 31, 2019)
3,243 vs. Arizona (Jan. 25, 2020)
3,229 vs. Oregon (Feb. 20, 2020)
TOP AVERAGE SEASON ATTENDANCE MARKS (HEAD COACH)
2017-18: 10,603 (Bobby Hurley)
2018-19: 10,538 (Bobby Hurley)
1995-96: 9, 514 (Bill Frieder)
2008-09: 9,354 (Herb Sendek)
1994-95: 9,333 (Bill Frieder)
2019-20: 9,251 (Bobby Hurley)
Staying in Tempe ??
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) March 22, 2023
Bobby Hurley has agreed to a contract extension with @SunDevilHoops ?? pic.twitter.com/JbmdqmC4Qr
"The #FinalFour the last number of years is a lot bigger than just three basketball games … It takes an army," an @NCAA official said. And next year, @TheSunDevils are the host school — read more: https://t.co/eZJJFNXlGC ?? #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/eZVLbSyu9t
— ASU News (@asunews) April 4, 2023
Phoenix will host the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, and there is a lot of planning that goes into the bidding for the event. Host committee organizers explain the process of getting this prestigious event. Watch here from @thesportsengle:https://t.co/HEHRNIOmdB
— Cronkite News: Phoenix Sports (@sportscronkite) April 5, 2023