The Pac-12 Conference has released the weekly matchups and site designations for the league's 2019-20 men's basketball season, and the Sun Devils -- who have averaged a Pac-12 best 80.04 points per game the past two seasons -- will open the season trying to win its third straight against Arizona and second straight in Tucson.
The announcement reflects the games being played and the home/away designations each week of the Pac-12 regular season. Specific dates and times for each game within a week will be announced later this summer -- usually in September -- after selections by the league's television partners are finalized. All 108 Conference games will be televised by either Pac-12 Network, ESPN/2/U, FOX/FS1 or CBS.
The weekly matchups and site designations for the 2019-20 regular season have been determined based on the league's current annual 18-game rotation model. The Conference announced this past May that it will transition to a 20-game league schedule beginning with the 2020-21 season.
Tipoff of the league's regular season will begin no earlier than Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020.
2019-20 @SUNDEVILHOOPS PAC-12 PAIRINGS
Jan. 1-5: at Arizona
Jan. 8-12: at Oregon/Oregon State
Jan. 15-19: Utah/Colorado
Jan. 22-26: Arizona
Jan. 29-Feb. 2: at Washington/Washington State
Feb. 5-9: UCLA/USC
Feb. 12-16: at California/Stanford
Feb. 19-23: Oregon State/Oregon
Feb. 26-Mar. 1: at USC/UCLA
Mar. 4-7: Washington/Washington State
Mar. 11-14: Pac-12 Tournament at Las Vegas, Nev.
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
JAN. 1-5/OPENING WITH ARIZONA (AGAIN): Somewhere in these five days, the Sun Devils head to Tucson to open the regular season. ASU and Arizona have opened a Pac-12 season 10 times and have closed it 10 times (2018-19, 2016-17, 2012-13, 2011-12, 2004-05, 2003-04, 1994-95, 1993-94, 1985-86 and 1984-85) since joining the Pac-10 in 1978-79. ASU will open Pac-12 season on the road for the the eighth time in the past dozen seasons, and will open with Arizona for the fifth time since the league expanded to 12 teams nine seasons ago. ASU swept Arizona last year for the first time since 2008-09 and won in Tucson for the first time since winter of 2010.
RECENT PAC-12 OPENERS (HOME GAMES BOLD)
ASU at Arizona (Jan. 1-5, 2020)
Utah 96, ASU 86 (Jan. 3, 2019)
@#17 Arizona 84, #3 ASU 78 (Dec. 30, 2017)
ASU 98, @Stanford 93 (Dec. 30, 2016)
#4 Arizona 94, ASU 82 (Jan. 3, 2016)
@#8 Arizona 73, ASU 49 (Jan. 4, 2015)
Washington 76, ASU 65 (Jan. 2, 2014)
ASU 55, Utah 54 OT (Jan. 2, 2013)
@Arizona 68, ASU 51 (Dec. 31, 2011)
@Oregon State 80, ASU 58 (Dec. 30, 2010)
@UCLA 72, ASU 70 (Dec. 31, 2009)
ASU 90, @Stanford 60 (Jan. 2, 2009)
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) March 10, 2019
JAN. 8-12/OFF TO OREGON: ASU will travel to Oregon the second weekend of the season, the fourth time in the nine seasons of Pac-12 play it opens with three straight on the road. Since the league expanded to 12 teams, ASU has opened with three straight leagues on the road in 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-18 and now 2019-20. Last year in Corvallis ASU outlasted Oregon State (17-11; 9-7) at Gill Coliseum, 74-71, to clinch the second seed, the first-round bye and the season sweep of the Beavers in the next to last game of the regular season. It matched the best Pac-12 road halftime comeback in the past 13 seasons and sixth time last season the Sun Devils erased a halftime deficit to win. ASU also improved to 8-1 following a loss on the season.
ROAD HALFTIME COMEBACK DEFICIT (DOWN 7 OR MORE) PAST 13 SEASONS
(-14) @Georgia 47, #20 ASU 33/Dec. 15, 2018/# 20 ASU 76, @Georgia 74
(-12) @UNLV 37, ASU 25/Dec. 16, 2015/ASU 66, @UNLV 56
(-8) @Creighton 41, ASU 33/Dec. 2, 2015/ASU 79, @Creighton 77
(-7) @Oregon State 37, ASU 30/Mar. 3, 2019/ASU 74, @Oregon State 71
(-7) @San Diego State 32, ASU 25/Dec. 10, 2016/ASU 74, @San Diego State 63
(-7) @Stanford 35, ASU 28/Feb. 25, 2010/ASU 68, @Stanford 60
PAC-12 ROAD WINS: ASU's 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 past 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
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)
JAN. 15-19/HOSTING UTAH AND COLORADO: ASU will host Utah and Colorado in its first Pac-12 home games of the year. ASU is 6-1 vs. Colorado in Tempe (including a current six-game win streak) and 3-4 vs. the Utes. In 2017 Tra Holder was big-time clutch in the Colorado win, hitting two free throws to win the game. In 2018 ASU turned a 32-32 halftime game into an 80-66 win in front of 13,943 fans, while last year ASU was in control the whole way in an 83-61 win. ASU and Utah have split the season series the past two seasons, with each team winning on the road.
ASU VS. CU IN TEMPE PAC-12 ERA (6-1)
ASU 83, CU 61/Jan. 5, 2019
ASU 80, CU 66/Jan. 27, 2018
ASU 78, CU 77/Jan. 5, 2017
ASU 78, CU 72/Jan. 17, 2015
ASU 72, CU 51/Jan. 25, 2014
ASU 65, CU 56/Jan. 6, 2013
CU 63, ASU 49/Feb. 11, 2012
JAN. 22-26/TERRITORIAL CUP IN TEMPE: The Territorial Cup in Tempe takes place the fourth weekend of the Pac-12 Season. ASU has topped the Wildcats in four of the past eight in Tempe and has 11 wins vs. Arizona in the past 12 seasons. The 69-66 double-overtime Sun Devil win over No. 2 Arizona (23-1 entering game) on Feb. 14, 2014, was the highest-ranked team the Sun Devils had topped at home – until it beat No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 22, 2018. Last season on Jan. 31 in Tempe, Remy Martin had 31 points and eight assists while Zylan Cheatham had 22 rebounds -- the most by any Pac-12 player in a league game in 19 seasons -- to lead ASU to a 95-88 overtime win over hot-shooting Arizona. ASU had five players in double digits, as Luguentz Dort had 15 points with six assists, Rob Edwards chipped in with 19 and Romello White had 13. ASU made 16-of-22 (.727) from the field in the second half to counter Arizona's 14-of-28 three-point shooting for the game. ASU outscored UA 12-5 in overtime as Zylan Cheatham had seven rebounds in the overtime. ASU held UA to 0-of-4 field goals in the extra stanza and scored the first seven points.
JAN. 29-FEB. 2/OFF TO THE GREAT NORTHWEST: The Sun Devils missed the Seattle/Pullman swing in 2018-19, but have notched a split in each of Bobby Hurley's first three seasons, winniing at Pullman in 2017-18 and 2015-16 and getting a win in Seattle in 2016-17. Down eight early, ASU held off Washington State late to win 88-78 in Pullman on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 4, 2018) in its last trip. Three players notched 20 points, as Shannon Evans II (23), Romello White (21) and Tra Holder (20) all made big plays late as ASU notched its fourth road win of the year. ASU shot .704 from the field in the second half (19-of-27), made 12-of-13 free throws and notched 10 steals. It shot .557 from the field (34-of-61), its best mark in a road game since it shot 37-of-58 (.638) at Washington on Feb. 2, 2013.
FEB. 5-9/HOSTING USC AND UCLA: Last year UCLA and USC didn't make the Tempe trip, but ASU topped the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion behind a 20-rebound performance by Zylan Cheatham. Crazy stats on this series: ASU has won three straight over UCLA for the first time since 2002-03 seasons and has won 10 of past 11 vs. USC in Tempe.
PAST 11 ASU VS. USC GAMES IN TEMPE (ASU LEADS 10-1)
ASU 80, USC 77/Feb. 8, 2018
ASU 83, USC 82/Feb. 26, 2017
ASU 74, #23 USC 67/Feb. 12, 2016
ASU 64, USC 59/Feb. 22, 2015
ASU 98, USC 93 (OT)/Jan. 24, 2013
ASU 56, USC 52/Feb. 25, 2012
USC 63, ASU 61/Jan. 27, 2011
ASU 59, USC 54/Mar. 4, 2010
ASU 65, USC 53/Feb. 15, 2009
ASU 80, USC 66/Mar. 1, 2008
ASU 68, #22 USC 58/Feb. 18, 2007
20 rebounds by one player? Yup. We hold UCLA to .323 FGs in second half and win 84-73. https://t.co/XrNm0MW88K
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) January 25, 2019
FEB. 12-16/IN THE BAY AREA: The Sun Devils will travel to the Bay Area, as it has won four of the past six at Haas Pavilion and won at Stanford for the first time since 2009-10 in 2016-17. ASU's 35-point 79-44 win Jan. 22, 2015, at Cal is its biggest Pac-12 win since it beat Washington State by 41 (96-55) on Jan. 11, 2003, and the second-largest Pac-12 road win in school history, as it dealt the Golden Bears their second-largest home loss. ASU swept Cal for the 12th time in 2018-19 and is 9-4 vs. California in its past 13.
FEB. 19-23/HOSTING UO AND OSU: ASU hosts Oregon and Oregon State in late February. ASU has a 10-game win streak over Oregon State in Tempe and is 11-7 vs. Oregon in Tempe since 2001 and has won six of the past 10 in Tempe in the series. In 2018 ASU came back from a 13-point deficit with 11 minutes left to go for a 77-75 victory over Oregon State in Tempe.
ASU'S 10-GAME WIN STREAK IN TEMPE OVER OSU
ASU 70, Oregon State 67/Jan. 17, 2019
ASU 77, Oregon State 75/Jan. 13, 2018
ASU 86, Oregon State 68/Jan. 28, 2016
ASU 73, Oregon State 55/Jan. 28, 2015
ASU 86, Oregon State 82 (OT)/Feb. 6, 2014
ASU 76, Oregon State 66/Jan. 14, 2012
ASU 80, Oregon State 66/Mar. 5, 2011
ASU 56, Oregon State 46/Feb. 11, 2010
ASU 69, Oregon State 38/Jan. 8, 2009
ASU 72, Oregon State 53/Jan. 5, 2008
FEB. 26-MARCH 1/OFF TO LA: ASU heads to USC and UCLA for its final road trip of the year. ASU used a Tra Holder game-winner in a crazy comeback 80-78 win on Feb. 8, 2018, and then topped UCLA an 88-79 win on Feb. 10 in front of 14,025 fans to complete a home sweep in 2018. ASU last won at USC 62-53 on Jan. 5, 2012, and won last year at UCLA for the first time since Jan. 17, 2009, when ASU won at UCLA 61-58 in overtime over the ninth-ranked Bruins in a CBS broadcast with Derek Glasser and James Harden leading the way. Zylan Cheatham's 20 rebounds were the most by a Sun Devil since Mike Batiste grabbed 20 on Nov. 19, 1997, vs. Wagner, while Remy Martin's 11 assists were the most by a Sun Devil since Jahii Carson had 13 vs. Texas Tech on Dec. 21, 2013, and the most in a Pac-12 game since Derek Glasser had 11 vs. California on March 7, 2009.
MARCH 4-7/HOSTING UW AND WSU: ASU plays host to WSU and Washington to close the regular season. ASU holds a 42-38 series lead over WSU and has won six of the past nine, 10 of the past 15 overall and six of past seven in Tempe. ASU won the meeting over the Huskies in Tempe over eventual No. 1 pick Markelle Fulz 86-75 on Jan. 25, 2017. Against Washington Tempe last year ASU led for more than 36 minutes against the Pac-12 undefeated leader (10-0) and held the Huskies to 21-of-57 (.368) while shooting .617 (29-of-47) from the floor, its best Pac-12 effort in six seasons. Romello White led the way with 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and added eight rebounds in 34 minutes. Lu Dort added 15, Remy Martin 13 and five assists and Rob Edwards 12 points and eight rebounds as ASU outrebounded UW 40-23. ASU shot 15-of-23 (.652) in the second half.