Arizona State (3-2) is coming off a trip in which they competed in the Vegas Showdown, splitting a pair of games against Power Five competition. Head Coach Bobby Hurley's squad gets ready for a matchup with Sam Houston State on Wednesday at 7 PM. This is the first of three games on the homestand, giving fans plenty of opportunities to check out Sun Devil Men's Basketball in person.
HOW TO FOLLOW
ASU's game against Sam Houston State on Wednesday will be broadcasted on Pac-12 Network, scheduled for a 7 PM MST tip-off with Daron Sutton (play-by-play) and Matt Muehlbach (analyst) on the call. Make sure to listen to Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd on ESPN 620 AM (KTAR). The action can also be tracked via live stats available here.
LAST TIME OUT
Alonzo Gaffney hit his first five three-pointers in the first half as the Sun Devil men's hoops team raced to an early lead and then sustained the momentum in an 82-67 win over Vanderbilt in Las Vegas Friday evening. Gaffney ended with a career-best 19 points while Jose Perez added 15 and Jamiya Neal 14 as ASU shot .518 (29-of-56) from the field and 10-of-22 (.455) from three. ASU had an 11-0 run and led by as many as 18 (64-46) to beat Vanderbilt for the fifth time in six tries. ASU also shot 14-of-17 (.820) from the free throw line.
GET TICKETS
Tickets for Sun Devil Men's Basketball 2023-24 non-conference games are on sale now. The non-conference schedule features five home games including Thursday's contest with 3-0 UMass Lowell, plus key matchups versus San Francisco and SMU. Conference games will become available on Friday, Nov. 24. Visit the following link for more information. Ticket packages start at just $90 and the home schedule features match-ups against top ranked USC, UCLA and Arizona. Season Tickets and Mini Plans are now available.
KNOW YOUR FOE
Sam Houston State comes to Tempe for only the second meeting between the two programs. The Bearkats are off to a 4-3 start, already having faced Power 5 opponents Oklahoma State and Ole Miss on the road. This will already by their fifth true road game of the season. Head Coach Chris Mudge is in his first season, but was on the coaching staff of last year's team that finished 26-8 and put together one of the greatest seasons in school history.
WEGUARDU
ASU held its opponents to just 39.9% shooting from the field last season, 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. Through four games in 2023-24 the field goal percentage defense remains extremely impressive. Opponents are shooting just 39.4% against the Sun Devils.
After going 11-5 in games decided by six points or less (two possessions) last year, the Sun Devils earned their first "close" victory this season over UMass Lowell. Arizona State is now 36-18 (.666) in close games over the past five seasons.
ASU RECORD BY STARTING LINEUP
The Sun Devils have used a different starting lineup combination in each of their first five games. Frankie Collins and Jamiya Neal are the only two Sun Devils to have started every game.
Frankie Collins, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Bryant Selebangue, Alonzo Gaffney (1-0)
Frankie Collins, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Alonzo Gaffney, Shawn Phillips Jr. (1-0)
Frankie Collins, Jamiya Neal, Kamari Lands, Alonzo Gaffney, Shawn Phillips Jr. (1-0)
Frankie Collins, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Kamari Lands, Alonzo Gaffney (0-1)
Frankie Collins, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Kamari Lands, Shawn Phillips Jr. (0-1)
GAMES PLAYED (2023-24 | Career)
Kamari Lands - 5 | 37
Frankie Collins - 5 | 71
Braelon Green - 3 | 3
Brycen Long - 2 | 86
Jamiya Neal - 5 | 66
Malachi Davis - 3 | 3
Alonzo Gaffney - 5 | 89
Shawn Phillips Jr. - 3 | 23
Bobby Hurley - 2 | 14
Jose Perez - 5 | 102
Zane Meeks - 5 | 110
Akil Watson - 3 | 3
Bryant Selebangue - 5 | 35
Adam Miller - 0 | 64
Sun Devils have a combined 706 games of experience at the Division I Level (Includes previous school)
The Sun Devils have made at least one three-point field goal in 710 consecutive games dating back to 2/10/2001.
I'LL TAKE THAT
Through five games of the 2023-24 season, Frankie Collins has emerged as one of the best perimeter defenders in the nation. He has been causing opposing guards issues with his ball pressure and aggressiveness. Collins now has 18 steals, putting him 18th in the country in the category. Frankie Collins currently leads the entire nation in steals per game, averaging 3.6 per contest. He matched a program-record with eight steals in the victory over UMass Lowell earlier in the year.
CONSTANT COMPETITION
Arizona State has matched up with some of the top teams in the nation to start the 2023-24 campaign. ASU's only two losses came to BYU (6-0) and Mississippi State (6-0), who are ranked 19th and 21st respectively in the latest AP Poll. The Sun Devils still represent UMass Lowell's (4-1) only loss of the season. If you remove Texas Southern (0-6), the opposition that Arizona State has faced are a combined 19-3 to start the 2023-24 campaign.
PEREZ WILL MAKE YOU PAY
Graduate transfer Jose Perez has been a huge addition to the Sun Devil Men's Basketball roster. He is one of the best players in the country at getting to the free-throw line. Perez has attempted 588 free throws in his career, the fifth-highest total among active NCAA Division I players. His 438 made free-throws put him eighth among active NCAA Division I players. Perez is a career 75% shooter from the charity stripe.
Perez is one of only 17 active players at the NCAA Division I level that has reached 1,500 career points (1,508) and 350 career assists (352). He has done so in 102 career games, tied for the fewest total games of any player on the list (James Bishop IV, George Washington). To take it a step further, Perez is one of only NINE players at the NCAA Division I level with 1,500 points, 350 assists, AND 450 rebounds (462) in their career (Tristen Newton - UConn, RayJ Dennis - Baylor, Aaron Estrada - Hofstra, Andrew Taylor - Mississippi State, Marcus Domask - Illinois, Baylor Scheierman - Creighton, Xavier Johnson - Indiana, Jahmir Yong - Maryland).
942 CREW GIVEAWAY
IT'S A GREAT WEEK FOR SOME SUN DEVIL HOOPS!????
— 942 Crew (@942Crew) November 28, 2023
Come to @SunDevilHoops 2 home games at DFA this week to de-stress before finals!??
?? SMHU
??? Wed 11/29
? 7:00pm
?? Willy Wonka Themed Tee Student Giveaway
?? San Francisco
??? Sun 12/3
? 1:00pm
?? Ugly Sweater Student Giveaway pic.twitter.com/bsNFqex0VN
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Arizona State will feature a total of 11 new players on their roster, joining returners Frankie Collins, Jamiya Neal, Alonzo Gaffney, Bobby Hurley, and Jordan Williams to make up the 2023-24 Sun Devil Men's Basketball roster. The following is a roundup of the ASU newcomer class.
2023 INCOMING TRANSFERS
G Kamari Lands - Louisville
G Brycen Long - Houston Christian
C Shawn Phillips Jr. - LSU
G Jose Perez - West Virginia
F Zane Meeks - San Francisco
F Bryant Selebangue - Tulsa
G Adam Miller - LSU
JUCO ADDITION
G Malachi Davis - Tallahassee CC
FRESHMAN CLASS
G Braelon Green - Southfield, MI
F Akil Watson - Middletown, NY
BY CLASS
Graduate Student (2): Zane Meeks (San Francisco), Jose Perez (West Virginia)
Redshirt Senior (1) Alonzo Gaffney
Senior (1): Brycen Long
Redshirt Junior (1): Adam Miller
Junior (6): Frankie Collins, Jamiya Neal, Malachi Davis, Bobby Hurley, Bryant Selebangue, Jordan Williams
Sophomore (3): Kamari Lands, Shawn Phillips Jr., Zack Markus
Freshman (3): Braelon Green, Andrew Mayock, Akil Watson
BY STATE (10 States Represented)
Ohio (3) – Jamiya Neal (Toledo), Alonzo Gaffney (Cleveland), Shawn Phillips Jr. (Dayton)
New York (3) – Jose Perez (Bronx), Zack Markus (New York City), Akil Watson (Middletown)
California (2) – Frankie Collins (Sacramento), Jordan Williams (Los Angeles)
Canada (2) – Malachi Davis (Toronto), Bryant Selebangue (Montreal)
Arizona (2) – Brycen Long (Gilbert), Bobby Hurley (Scottsdale)
Indiana (1) – Kamari Lands (Indianapolis)
Michigan (1) – Braelon Green (Southfield)
Connecticut (1) – Andrew Mayock (New Canaan)
Kansas (1) – Zane Meeks (Prairie Village)
Illinois (1) – Adam Miller (Peoria)
SOLIDIFYING HIS STAFF
Head Coach Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program officially announced the final additions to the 2023-24 staff in October. Arizona State welcomes Yusuf Ali and Jarryn Skeete to the Sun Devil Family, with Nick Irvin and Mickey Mitchell receiving promotions. The news comes after Greg Lansing (Special Assistant to the Head Coach) and Hunter Eisenhower (Associate Head Coach - Sports Performance) joined the staff earlier in the offseason. ASU now boasts an experienced and diverse staff from top to bottom, featuring some of the nation's top rising talent in the coaching industry.
HERE TO STAY
The Arizona State Board of Regents announced in March of 2023 that Sun Devil Men's Basketball Head Coach Bobby Hurley has agreed to an extension that will keep him with the program through the 2026 season.
NCAAS UNDER COACH HURLEY
ASU has made the NCAA Tournament three times in the past five chances (2023, 2019, and 2018) and won two games. In the previous 32 seasons (1986-2017), ASU made two NCAA Tournaments and was 2-3.
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
With several marquee non-conference matchups away from home, Arizona State will once again be challenged early in the year. The Sun Devils will play 11 games before the holidays, including six games away from home. Beginning with a late December trip to the Bay Area, the Maroon & Gold will play 20-straight conference games, with the Pac-12 eliminating the two standalone league games in the middle of the non-conference portion of the schedule. All 31 of Arizona State's games will be televised, with Coach Hurley's squad making appearances on ESPN, FOX, Pac-12 Network and several major network affiliates in addition to online streaming platforms.
PHOENIX HOSTING THE 2024 MEN'S FINAL FOUR
The 2024 Men's Final Four will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., with the national semifinals on Saturday, April 6 and the National Championship game on Monday, April 8, 2024. This is the second time the state of Arizona has hosted the Final Four, also doing so back in 2017. Arizona State will once again serve as the host institution as they did for the 2017 edition.
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