Homestand continues for ASU Men's Hoops with ULM

The Sun Devils host the Warhawks at Desert Financial Arena for a 7 PM MST contest on Friday night, their fourth game in a five-game homestand to open the season

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Homestand continues for ASU Men's Hoops with ULM

Emma Jeanson

Bryce Ford (#4), Paulius Murauskas (#23), and Ben Defty (#14) exchange high fives in Arizona State's win over Hofstra on Nov. 10

by Connor SmithNovember 12, 2026

TEMPE — The 2026-27 Sun Devil Men’s Basketball team remains at home for a Friday night contest at 7 PM MST when Arizona State meets ULM at Desert Financial Arena.

Arizona State is off to a 3-0 start in the Randy Bennett era, picking three double-digit victories to begin the campaign. For the second time this week, the Sun Devils will face an opponent for the first time in program history. ULM (1-3) makes the trip to Tempe for a Friday the 13th contest. This is the fourth part of a five-game homestand that starts the season, giving Sun Devil fans plenty of chances to see their team in person early on in the campaign.

Arizona State

ULM

The matchup
Arizona State squares off with ULM out of the Sun Belt. The two sides have never met before, one of three opponents this season the Sun Devils will face for the first time. For the second straight contest, ASU will be facing a new foe, defeating Hofstra in the previous game in the first meeting between the two schools. This will also be the first time Coach Bennett has played ULM in his career.

How to follow ASU vs ULM

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How to follow
The broadcast of Sun Devil Men’s Basketball’s game on Friday will air on ESPN+ ($) when they take on ULM at Desert Financial Arena, scheduled for an 7 PM MST tip-off with Cronkite graduate and one of the voices of Sun Devil Hockey Alex Coil and two-time Arizona Sportscaster of the Year Jody Jackson call. Make sure to listen to Jeff Munn and Kyle Dodd on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP). The action can also be tracked via live stats.

Sun Devil Men's Basketball off to first 3-0 start since 2018-19

Full Recap

Last time out
Sun Devil Men's Basketball is now 3-0 for the first time since the 2018-19 season after earning a 85-63 win over Hofstra on Tuesday night at Desert Financial Arena.

Arizona State (3-0) defeated Hofstra handily in the first meeting leading for 39:10 of the 40-minute contest. The Pride came into the game as one of the nation's top defensive teams, allowing an average of only 55.0 points per game through two games (30th nationally). The Sun Devils hit that mark (55 points) with 15 minutes still left in the second half on their way to scoring 85 total points. ASU also dominated the glass, out-rebounding their opponent 49-25 (+24). The 49 rebounds are the most by the Sun Devils since they had 56 in a win over Cal on Feb. 11, 2023.

Three Sun Devils reached double figures scoring, led by Big 12 Starting Five of the Week selection Paulius Murauskas. Murauskas posted 22 points, his third straight 20-point effort to open the season and the 24th of his career. He added 11 rebounds, giving him his 21st career double-double and first as a Sun Devil. Murauskas had plenty of support, starting with freshman guard JRob Croy. Earning the start in the absence of senior Emmanuel Innocenti due to injury, Croy shined in only his third collegiate game. He poured in 18 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting, nailing 4-of-6 shots from deep. Joining the duo in double figures was sophomore guard Joel Foxwell, who came through with his 14th career 15-point/5-assist performance (16 points, 6 assists).

For the second consecutive matchup, the Sun Devils faced a formidable individual opposing offensive player. Sophomore wing Dillan Shaw took on the assignment yet again and was up to the task. Hofstra forward Tanner Thomas came in as their leading scorer and was a Second Team All-MAAC Selection during his last season. Thomas was held in check, managing to score only six points on 3-of-9 shooting due to disruptive defense from Shaw and the Sun Devils.

What the Sun Devils have done as a team defensively through three games hasn’t been seen in over a decade. This is the first time ASU has held its opponent to 65 points or less in each of its first three games of the season since the 2014-15 campaign.

"We still have a lot of things to work on, but it is starting to get there. I have been really encouraged by what I have seen. I don't think I have seen a team grow more over six weeks than this group. They keep getting better every day and they come to the gym wanting to work hard. Their mentality and attitude has been a major positive."

Randy Bennetton where the team stands through three games

Sun Devil Men's Basketball Postgame Media Availability

vs. Hofstra | 11.10.26

Big 12 Starting Five of the Week: Paulius Murauskas
The Big 12 Starting Five of the Week for games running Nov. 2-8 included Sun Devil forward Paulius Murauskas. The preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and Karl Malone Award Watch List selection left quite the impression on Sun Devil fans in his debut week in Maroon and Gold.

Murauskas helped the Sun Devils pick up a pair of double-digit victories to open the Randy Bennett era. He was absolutely dominant this week, showing why many project him as an All-American candidate and potential NBA Draft pick. Murauskas averaged 27.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 36.5 minutes per game while shooting 58.1% (18/31) from the field and 84.2% (16/19) from the free-throw line. Murauskas is one of only six Big 12 players to have a 30-point game so far this season. His 27.0 points per game ranks seventh nationally and second in the Big 12.

The Kaunas, Lithuania native becomes the fifth Sun Devil to claim a weekly conference award in the Big 12 and 37th overall. A Sun Devil has received a weekly conference award on 57 occasions.

Big 12 Starting Five - 11/9
Ivan Kharchenkov, Arizona
Paulius Murauskas, Arizona State
Robert Wright III, BYU (Player of the Week)
Dior Johnson, UCF
Miles Sadler, West Virginia (Freshman of the Week)

Like Ike
Murauskas has 76 points through the first three games of the season (21 points vs. ETSU, 33 points vs. Northern Colorado, 22 points vs Hofstra). That is the most points by a Sun Devil through two games since Ike Diogu had 77 through the first three contests of the 2003 campaign.

Ike Diogu

77 points

Paulius Murauskas

76 points

Holding Moore to Less
Hofstra senior guard Justin Moore was a Preseason First Team All-CAA selection and entered the game with 950 career points in 86 games over a 4-year collegiate career, averaging 10.7 per game. He was completely shut down by the Sun Devil defense. Moore finished with only four points on 2-of-8 shooting, recording only one assist and not a single rebound in 12 minutes of play.

E-Man down, JRob up
It was Bryce Ford who stepped up in the absence of starting wing senior Emmanuel Innocenti last game, who has missed the past two contests due to injury. This time, it was JRob Croy who earned the start in his place for the second straight game and scored 18 points in 28 minutes. 15 of those points came in the second half, as he put on an impressive shooting display. He went 5-of-6 from the field to help the Sun Devils create critical separation in the second half, drilling all three of his shots from beyond the arc. On the day, he was 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from three, making both of his free throws. He added four rebounds, a steal, an assist and was a +21 in 28 minutes of action. Croy didn't let a slow start phase him, as he began the game 0-for-2 from the field only to finish 6-of-7 to end the game.

Getting defensive
Arizona State has been extremely effective defensively through two games. They have yet to allow over 65 points after limiting the Pride to only 63 tonight. This is the first time since the 2014-15 campaign that they have started a year by allowing 65 points or less in each of the first three games. Opponents averaged 78.3 points per game last year, but are only mustering 63.7 points per game through three contests this year.

Hofstra shot only 38.1% from the field, struggling especially in the second half when the Arizona State defense turned up the pressure. The Pride made 12-of-33 shots (36.4%) over the final 20 minutes. After shooting 5-of-10 (50%) in the first half from distance, ASU held Hofstra to just 3-of-11 (27.2%) from behind the arc in the second half.

Chasing 600
After winning 589 games at Saint Mary's, Randy Bennett now has three wins as the head coach at Arizona State. He is now only eight wins shy of 600 career wins at the Division I level. Bennett is looking to become just the 46th head coach in NCAA DI history to earn 600 wins in their career. With 592 wins, Bennett is currently tied on the all-time coaching wins list with Guy Lewis. His next win would move him past Lewis and into 50th place on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball all-time coaching wins list. Coach Bennett would be the first Coach to start his career post 2000 and earn a spot in the Top-50.

What does the Fox say?
Joel Foxwell had his most efficient offensive game as a Sun Devil, commanding the offense for the Maroon and Gold. He matched his scoring output from the last game only 4:50 into the game (7 points). He finished with a season-high 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, connecting on 3-of-5 shots from beyond the arc. For the 14th time in his career, he posted a 15+ point/5+ assist performance (16 points and 6 assists). He now has five or more assists in 29 of his 37 career games. Foxwell was a +23 in 31 minutes and now has 19 assists compared to only four turnovers through three games.

A Scanner on Tanner
Hofstra senior forward Tanner Thomas averaged 14.5 points per game on 45.4% shooting in his final season at Sacred Heart on his way to earning 2024-25 Second Team All-MAAC Honors. In two games this season prior to the ASU matchup, he had led the Pride in scoring at 12.0 points per game. He was held in check by the Sun Devils defense, scoring only six points on 3-of-9 from the field and 0-of-3 from three-point range. He also did not collect a rebound or get to the free throw line and was a -20, fouling out in 25 minutes. Dillan Shaw saw the matchup on the defensive end most of the night and once again excelled guarding the opponent's best player.

Dialed in from deep
Arizona State's three-point shooting was a major reason why they were able to control the majority of the contest in the win over the Pride. Coming into the game, Hofstra's opponents had been held to just 18-of-61 (29.5%). The Sun Devils managed to shoot 13-of-26 (50%) from deep, a big improvement on their 15-of-48 (31.3%) combined total through the first two games. This is the only the second time since 2022-23 that ASU shot 50+% from three and made 13+ three-pointers (86-70 win over Oklahoma on Dec. 6, 2025).

Sun Devil Men's Basketball Transfer Class

Impact transfers
An eight-man transfer class immediately bolstered the Sun Devil Men’s Basketball roster. It is the highest-ranked transfer class in program history, tabbed by 247 Sports as the No. 15 best class in the nation.

Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Paulius Murauskas highlights the group. Fellow Saint Mary's standout under Bennett Dillan Shaw was also a major get. Bennett managed to add two more WCC starters to his group in Portland's Joel Foxwell and Gonzaga's Emmanuel Innocenti.

Associate Head Coach Rick Croy brought a pair of big men, Nate Garcia and Jonathan Griman, from Cal Baptist with him. Associate Head Coach David Patrick did the same with forward Marcus Vaughns. Center Ben Defty from Boston University completed arguably the No. 1 transfer class in the Big 12 Conference, according to 247 Sports.

Sun Devils by country
United States (5)
Australia (3)
Lithuania (2)
Germany (1)
Ivory Coast (1)
Venezuela (1)
Serbia (1)

Most International players by school
UT Martin (14)
St. John's (12)
Portland (11)
Arizona State (9)
Albany (9)

The global game
Sun Devil Men’s Basketball has a roster with players from all over the World. Seven countries are represented by the nine International Sun Devils on the 2026-27 roster. The nine International players are tied for the fourth-most in the country.

Filip Malesevic7'3"

Ben Defty7'1"

Nate Garcia7'0"

Jonathan Griman6'11"

Ajak Nyuon6'10"

Paulius Murauskas6'8"

Marcus Vaughns6'8"

New heights
This is officially the tallest team in the history of the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program. The combined height of the squad is an insane 93'3". For the first time in program history, the roster features three seven-footers. Seven Sun Devils are listed at 6'8" or taller, while 13 of the 14 are at least 6'4". Arizona State is one of only seven teams with three or more seven-footers on their roster. To take it a step further, they are one of only five with multiple players listed at 7'1" or taller.

Marcus Vaughns

6-8

Vijay Wallace

6-6

Joel Foxwell

6-1

Bryce Ford

6-3190

Emmanuel Innocenti

G/F

6-5

JRob Croy

6-6

Jokubas Rudaitis

6-5

Jonathan Griman

6-11

Ajak Nyuon

6-10

#11

Dillan Shaw

G/F

6-7

#14

Ben Defty

7-1

#23

Paulius Murauskas

6-8

#25

Filip Malesevic

7-3

#35