TEMPE - Sun Devil Men's Basketball gets ready to take on San Diego on Saturday at 8:30 PM MST in their first true road game of the season.
Arizona State (6-2) looks to continue their four-game winning streak when they face the Toreros at Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego. The Sun Devils won last year's matchup between the two programs, 91-67, and have won all three previous meetings in the series. ASU looks to continue their success in non-conference road games under Bobby Hurley, boasting a 10-5 record in such games since 2015-16.
HOW TO FOLLOW
ASU's will make their debut on CBS Sports Network when they take on San Diego on Saturday, scheduled for a 8:30 PM MST tip-off with Carter Blackburn (play-by-play) and Bob Wenzel (analyst) on the call. 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.
LAST TIME OUT
Sun Devil Men's Basketball orchestrated an epic comeback to claim their fourth straight win, defeating SMU 76-74 on Wednesday night in front of an electrifying crowd at Desert Financial Arena. Arizona State (6-2) outscored the Mustangs 26-11 in the final 11:28 of the game to overcome a 13-point deficit, fueled by Frankie Collins' and Jose Perez's 25 second-half points. The duo combined to go 8-of-13 from the field after the break, with their competitiveness on both ends bringing their team back from a double-digit hole.
Perez led the Sun Devils with 20 points on the night, going 4-of-7 from the field and making 12 of his career-high 15 attempts at the charity stripe. Collins led the comeback with 14 second half points, finishing with 17 on an efficient 6-for-10 shooting from the field. He added six rebounds and was a menace on defense yet again, collecting four steals in the win. Alonzo Gaffney paced 11 points on the night, making all six of his attempts at the free-throw line.
FOUR-GAME WIN STREAK
Sun Devil Men's Basketball is on a four-game winning streak, picking up victories over Vanderbilt, Sam Houston State, San Francisco, and SMU since Thanksgiving. Three of the four victories have been by double-digits, with the outlier being a 13-point comeback win over SMU the last time out. Coach Hurley has now led the Maroon & Gold to ten-straight wins against non-conference opponents at Desert Financial Arena.
GET TICKETS
Tickets to Session II of the Jerry Colangelo Hall of Fame Series featuring a matchup with Arizona State and Northwestern at 6:30 PM MST are on sale now. Tickets for Sun Devil Men's Basketball 2023-24 conference games are still available. Packages start at just $90 and the home schedule features match-ups against top ranked USC, UCLA and Arizona. Check out our Season Tickets and Mini Plans options. For more information or questions, please call 480-965-5812 or email sundeviltickets@asu.edu.
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 eight games in 2023-24 the field goal percentage defense has been even better. Opponents are shooting just 39.2% against the Sun Devils. The Sun Devil defense is 25th in the nation holding opponents to 27.2% from deep.
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 9-22 the previous 31. 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)
Major Conferences, Most Wins on Road in Non-Conference Games - Since 2015-16
(Major Conferences: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC)
1. Villanova - 15
2. Oklahoma State - 12
3. DePaul - 11
Miami (FL) - 11
5. Arizona State - 10
Auburn - 10
Penn State - 10
Wake Forest - 10
COMFORTABLE WHEN IT'S CLOSE
After going 11-5 in games decided by six points or less (two possesions) last year, the Sun Devils are 2-0 in such games so far this season, including a 76-74 win over SMU on Wednesday. Arizona State is now 37-18 (.666) in close games over the past five seasons. The 37 wins are tied with Wisconsin for the most in the nation during that span.
DON'T COUNT US OUT
Arizona State has come back to win a game when trailing at halftime 41 times during the Bobby Hurley era, including against SMU last time out. Since 2015-16, that is the 10th-most halftime comeback victories in the nation.
Kansas - 47
Nevada - 44
Rider - 44
UNCG - 44
Hofstra - 43
Providence - 43
Seton Hall - 43
Kent State - 42
Texas Southern - 42
Western Kentucky - 41
Arizona State - 41
ASU RECORD BY STARTING LINEUP
The Sun Devils have used five different starting lineup combinations through their first eight 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 (4-0)
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)
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. He set a new career-high against SMU, attempting 15 free throws in the victory. Perez has now attempted 616 free throws in his career, the fourth-highest total among active NCAA Division I players. His 459 made free-throws puts him eighth among active NCAA Division I players. Perez is a career 75% shooter from the charity stripe.
Perez is one of only 18 active players at the NCAA Division I level that has reached 1,500 career points (1,564) and 360 career assists (360). He has done so in 105 career games, the second-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 EIGHT players at the NCAA Division I level with 1,500 points, 350 assists, AND 480 rebounds (484) in their career (Tristen Newton - UConn, RayJ Dennis - Baylor, Andrew Taylor - Mississippi State, Marcus Domask - Illinois, Baylor Scheierman - Creighton, Xavier Johnson - Indiana, Jahmir Yong - Maryland).
GAMES PLAYED (2023-24 | Career)
Shawn Phillips Jr. - 3 | 23
Bobby Hurley - 3 | 15
Jose Perez - 8 | 105
Zane Meeks - 5 | 110
Akil Watson - 6 | 6
Bryant Selebangue - 8 | 38
Adam Miller - 0 | 64
Kamari Lands - 8 | 40
Frankie Collins - 8 | 74
Braelon Green - 6 | 6
Brycen Long - 3 | 87
Jamiya Neal - 8 | 69
Malachi Davis - 6 | 6
Alonzo Gaffney - 8 | 92
Sun Devils have a combined 735 games of experience at the Division I Level (Includes previous school).
60-POINT MARK
Arizona State is undefeated (6-2) in games in which they score more than 60 points. They are averaging 73.7 points in their six wins and 52.5 points in their two losses.
THREE-POINT NOTE
The Sun Devils have made at least one three-point field goal in 713 consecutive games dating back to 2/10/2001.
ON THE BREAK
Coach Hurley's squad has developed into one of the top teams in the nation in transition, taking advantage of fast break opportunities. Over the past three games, ASU has scored 28, 22, and 22 fast break points respectively, averaging 24.0 fast break points per game. ASU now averages 16.0 fast break points per game, which is the 23rd-most in the nation.
I'LL TAKE THAT
Through eight 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 28 steals, putting him 5th in the country in the category. Frankie Collins currently is third the entire nation in steals per game, averaging 3.5 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 most successful teams in the nation to start the 2023-24 campaign. ASU's only two losses came to NET No. 1 BYU (8-0) and Mississippi State (6-2), who have both spent time in the AP Top-25 this season. The Sun Devils represent one of only two losses for UMass Lowell (6-2) this season. ASU has also defeated 2023 NIT participants Vanderbilt and Sam Houston State, in addition to a solid victories over 5-3 San Francisco and 6-4 SMU.
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 has once again been challenged early in the year. The Sun Devils are in the midst of an 11-game stretch 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, CBS Sports, 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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