June 3, 2010
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Click here for the Sun Devil men's basketball schedule
That team will takes its successful road trip act to Albuquerque, Waco and Reno in non-conference action this season against teams that were a combined 47-4 in their home arenas, as Arizona State has announced its men's hoops schedule for the 2010-11 season.
For the first time since 1992-93, ASU will open its season with a road game as it will travel to Mountain West Conference Champion New Mexico on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The Lobos were 30-5 last year and are 49-5 in Albuquerque under head coach Steve Alford. UNM averaged 13,595 fans per game last year, including five straight sellouts of 14,586 to close the season.
ASU has played well in front of big crowds on the road recently, as last year it won its third straight game in Tucson in front of 14,631, a 73-69 win over Arizona. ASU also will play at Baylor (28-8) on Dec. 2 in the previously announced Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
Baylor is ranked fourth in preseason top-25 done by Andy Katz on May 11.
"Opening on the road is not ideal, but we felt the opportunity to play a regional team with a strong RPI was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and we look forward to them coming to Wells Fargo Arena in 2011-12. The schedule will be extremely challenging with so many newcomers and replacing three seniors who played a lot of minutes, but we look forward to that challenge," says ASU mentor Herb Sendek, the 2009-10 Pac-10 Coach of the Year who has led ASU to three straight 20-win seasons for the first time since 1961-63. "We are playing road games against three teams that are coming off great seasons, and in the case of Baylor and New Mexico, two of the best seasons in school history.
ASU will play at least six teams that won at least 20 games last year in its non-conference schedule. New Mexico (30-5), UAB (25-9), Baylor (28-8), Richmond (26-9), Nevada (21-13) and Tulsa (23-12) all won at least 20, while Weber State, a possible second-round opponent in the Great Alaska Shootout, was 20-11. Baylor was ninth in the final RPI, New Mexico tenth and Richmond 25th.
"Richmond was in the NCAA Tournament last year and won 26 games. UAB and Tulsa both had great seasons last year. Nevada has been one of the best teams in the WAC over the past few years. Playing as many as 16 games away from home will hopefully make us stronger as the Pac-10 begins."
In addition to its 12 road games, ASU will play three games in the Great Alaska Shootout (Nov. 24-27) and at least one game in the Pac-10 Tournament in Los Angeles.
I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ARE USING THESE THREE LETTERS IN JUNE
Six of ASU's 10 known non-conference opponents posted final RPIs in the top 100. Baylor (9), New Mexico (10) and Richmond (25) finished in the top-25, while UAB (45), Tulsa (68) and Nevada (73) also were in the top 100.
USING THE 20-WIN THEORY
ASU will play at least six teams that won at least 20 games last year in its non-conference schedule. New Mexico (30-5), UAB (25-9), Baylor (28-8), Richmond (26-9), Nevada (21-13) and Tulsa (23-12) all won 20, while Weber State, a possible second-round opponent in the Great Alaska Shootout, was 20-11.
CHECK OUT THESE HOME RECORDS
ASU's three non-conference road game opponents were a combined 47-4 last year at home. Baylor was 15-1, Nevada was 15-2 and New Mexico was 17-1.
*Baylor's 15 home wins were the most in its Ferrell Center history and its one home loss was the fewest at the Ferrell Center. The Bears were one of the most balanced teams in the nation last year, finishing tenth in field goal percentage, sixth in field goal percentage defense and sixth in blocked shots per game en route to an Elite Eight finish and a 28-8 record.
*New Mexico is 49-5 at home under coach Steve Alford in his three years, including a 28-2 mark against non-conference foes. Last year the Lobos beat eventual Pac-10 champion and No. 25 California 86-78 on Dec. 2, 2009. UNM's .857 (30-5) winning percentage last year was the sixth-best in the NCAA.
IS OPENING ON THE ROAD NORMAL?
ASU will open its season with a road game (Nov. 16 at New Mexico) for the first time since Dec. 1, 1992, when it fell at BYU 108-98. It will mark only the fifth time in ASU's 32 years of Pac-10 play it has opened its season in a road game. ASU opened its season on Nov. 30, 1989, in a Pac-10 game at Oregon State and opened the Pac-10 era on Nov. 24, 1978, in a road game against Arizona that was a non-conference affair.
ASU SEASON OPENERS ON THE ROAD (1978-79 TO PRESENT)
ASU @New Mexico (Nov. 16, 2010)
BYU 108, ASU 98 (Dec. 1, 1992)
Oregon State 87, ASU 64 (Nov. 30, 1989)
Kansas 63, ASU 62 (Nov. 30, 1981)
ASU 80, Houston 65 (Dec. 3, 1979)
ASU 84, Arizona 82 (Nov. 24, 1978)
WHEN WAS LAST TIME ASU PLAYED THREE ROAD GAMES IN THE NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE?
When you toss out neutral site tournaments and talk only true road games, the 2010-11 season will be the first time since the 1989-90 that ASU will play three non-conference road games. That season ASU played at San Francisco, at Northern Arizona and at Kansas. This year will mark just the fourth time in ASU's 32 seasons of Pac-10 play it will go on the road for three non-conference games.
SEASONS OF THREE NON-CONFERENCE ROAD GAMES (1978-79 TO PRESENT)
2010-11 (at New Mexico, Baylor and Nevada)
1989-90 (at San Francisco, Northern Arizona and Kansas)
1982-83 (at DePaul, Ohio State and Kansas State)
1981-82 (games at Kansas, Utah and Marquette)
SPIDEY SENSE SAYS THIS TEAM IS DARN GOOD
Richmond tied the school record for wins last season at 26-9, finished No. 24 in the final Associated Press Top-25 Poll and reached the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed. The Spiders graduated two starters, but return 14 of the 16 players on last year's roster, including Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American point guard Kevin Anderson. Richmond has won four of its last five games against ranked opponents and four of its last six games against teams from BCS conferences.
NEVADA DARN GOOD
ASU's Dec. 17 game at Nevada will give ASU a chance to play at one of the Western Athletic Conference's best teams recently. Nevada has been a consistent top-100 RPI team and has won at least 20 games each season beginning in 2003-04 despite having three coaches in that time.
NEVADA FINAL RECORD/RPI PAST SEVEN SEASONS
2009-10/21-13, 73
2008-09/21-13, 83
2007-08/21-12, 73
2006-07/29-5, 23
2005-06/27-6, 19
2004-05/25-7, 32
2003-04/25-9, 29
ABOUT THE ROAD
*ASU at 10-8 is the only team in the Pac-10 with a winning league road record in each of the past two seasons, as it has gone 5-4 each year away from Tempe.
*After losing its first eight Pac-10 road games under Herb Sendek, ASU is 15-13 (.536) since.
*ASU swept the Oregon trip for the second straight year in 2009-10, its second Pac-10 road sweep since January of 2005 and its third road sweep in the past six seasons.
*ASU has now won the past three in Tucson and is 3-1 at UA under Herb Sendek after winning once in Tucson in the previous 23 tries (win was in 1994-95, from 1983-84 through 2006-07 period).
*ASU won four straight Pac-10 roadies in 2008-09 for the first time since the 1980-81 team won five straight.
*ASU won five Pac-10 road games for just the sixth time in its 32-year history in 2009-10. It went 8-1 in 1980-81, 7-2 in 1979-80 and 5-4 in 2009-10, 2008-09, 1994-95 and 1982-83.
ASU MEN'S BASKETBALL 2010-11 SCHEDULE
Nov. 16 at New Mexico (30-5)
Nov. 20 vs. UAB (25-9)
Nov. 24-27 @Great Alaska Shootout
Dec. 2 at Baylor (28-8)
Dec. 5 vs. Richmond (26-9)
Dec. 11 vs. Gardner Webb (8-21)
Dec. 17 at Nevada (21-13)
Dec. 21 vs. Long Beach State (17-16)
Dec. 23 vs. North Carolina A&T (11-22)
Dec. 30 at Oregon State
Jan. 1 at Oregon
Jan. 6 vs. Stanford
Jan. 8 vs. California
Jan. 12 vs. Tulsa (23-12)
Jan. 15 at Arizona
Jan. 20 at Washington State
Jan. 22 at Washington
Jan. 27 vs. UCLA
Jan. 29 vs. USC
Feb. 3 at California
Feb. 5 at Stanford
Feb. 12 vs. Arizona
Feb. 17 vs. Washington
Feb. 19 vs. Washington State
Feb. 24 at USC
Feb. 26 at UCLA
Mar. 3 vs. Oregon
Mar. 5 vs. Oregon State
(Note: Pac-10 opponents could switch and some games could be moved to Sunday once television schedules are announced.)