TEMPE - Sun Devil Men's Basketball returns to Desert Financial Arena to host UCLA on Wednesday at 7 PM following a quick one-game road trip.
Arizona State (10-6, 4-1) enters the 7 PM matchup with the Bruins (7-10, 2-4) in second place in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils have won 10 of their last 12 games at home and are off to a 4-1 league start for the second straight season. This is the first of two contests against the LA schools for Head Coach Bobby Hurley's team, with the Maroon & Gold taking on USC at 12 PM on Saturday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The broadcast of Sun Devil Men's Basketball's game on Wednesday will air on Pac-12 Network when they host UCLA, scheduled for a 7 PM MST tip-off with Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (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.
MILESTONE ACHIEVED
Bobby Hurley secured his 150th victory as the head coach of Sun Devil Men's Basketball over Utah on Jan. 4. The win makes him just the third coach in program history to win 150 games at ASU.
ASU MEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH CAREER WINS
406, Ned Wulk (1957-82)
159, Herb Sendek (2006-15)
151, Bobby Hurley (2015-present)
Hurley also collected his 73rd win in Pac-12 Conference play earlier in the season, the most of any coach in program history (Pac-10/12 era).
ASU MEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH CAREER PAC-10/12 WINS
75, Bobby Hurley (2015-present)
72, Herb Sendek (2006-15)
67, Bill Frieder (1990-97)
55, Rob Evans (1999-06)
46, Ned Wulk (1978-82)
GET TICKETS
Tickets for Sun Devil Men's Basketball 2023-24 conference games are on sale now. Ticket packages start at just $90 and the home schedule features highly-anticipated matchups with USC, UCLA and Arizona. Season Tickets and Mini Plans are still available. For more information or questions, please call 480-965-5812 or email sundeviltickets@asu.edu.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Arizona State is off to a tremendous start at home this season, boasting a 7-0 record (2-0 in Pac-12 play). This included wins in non-conference over strong mid-major competition in San Francisco, SMU, and UMass Lowell. The latest performances were the most impressive, as the Sun Devils opened their Pac-12 home slate with a sweep of the Mountain Schools. So far this season, ASU is outscoring opponents 518-460 at home. They average 74.0 points and by contrast are only giving up 65.7 points. Dating back to last season, ASU has won 10 of their last 12 at Desert Financial Arena. The Sun Devils are looking for a 3-0 start at home in conference play for the second consecutive season.
942 CREW GIVEAWAY
?? @SunDevilHoops is back ??
— 942 Crew (@942Crew) January 14, 2024
Wednesday 1/17: 7pm vs UCLA ??
- 942 Crew Night
- 942 x @StateFortyEight T Giveaway for Students ??
Saturday 1/20: 12pm vs USC ??
- 80's Theme
- 80's T Giveaway for Students ??
We're undefeated at home… Let's PACK DFA and keep it that way ?? pic.twitter.com/Jl2M4X3PQc
4-1 PAC-12 START
ASU is 4-1 through their first five Pac-12 games for the second consecutive season. In 2022-23, Arizona State started conference play 6-1. The Sun Devils are one of only 11 Power 6 programs that have won four of their first five conference games The 4-1 record has the Maroon & Gold in sole possession of second place in the Pac-12 standings.
I'LL TAKE THAT
Through 16 games of the 2023-24 season, Frankie Collins has emerged as one of the best perimeter defenders in the nation. Collins has 49 steals, putting him 6th in the country in the category. He is currently third in the nation in steals per game, averaging 3.1 per contest. He matched a program-record with eight steals in the victory over UMass Lowell and has 10 3+-steal performance already this season. Collins is on pace for 95 steals over a 31-game regular season, which would shatter the program record (76 – Lafayette Lever, 1982).
FRANKIE DOES IT ALL
Guard Frankie Collins has emerged as one of the top all-around players in the Pac-12 Conference. He is currently one of only two players in the nation averaging at least 13.6 points (1st on team), 5.2 rebounds (2nd on team), 3.6 assists (1st on team), and 3.1 steals (1st on team). The only other player to boast those averages is Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey. Collins is stuffing the stat sheet in a historic manner while playing only 31.6 minutes per game. Collins has reached double figures scoring in 15 of the 16 games this season. He is 10-13 from the free-throw line over the past three games.
COMFORTABLE WHEN IT'S CLOSE
After going 12-5 in games decided by six points or less (two possessions) last year, the Sun Devils are 5-1 in such games so far this season. Coach Hurley's team beat Stanford by three and Cal by two, adding to the strong record. Arizona State is now 40-19 (.678) in close games over the past five seasons. The 40 wins are the most in the nation during that span. ASU is 5-0 in games decided by three points or fewer this season. The rest of the Pac-12 is 9-12 in such games. To take it a step further, ASU is 6-1 over its last seven tilts when the game is decided by a two-point deficit or less. Overall ASU is 25-15 in two point or less games under Bobby Hurley. Below are the most recent.
SUN DEVILS IN TWO-POINT GAMES (DEC. 1, 2022-PRESENT)
ASU 71, @ Cal 69 (Dec. 31, 2023)
ASU 76, SMU 74 (Dec. 6, 2023)
ASU 71, UMass Lowell 69 (Nov. 16, 2023)
TCU 72, ASU 70 (Mar. 17, 2023 at NCAA Tournament/Ball Arena in Denver)
ASU 89, @Arizona 88 (Feb. 25, 2023)
ASU 73, Creighton 71 (Dec. 12, 2022 at Jack Jones Hoopfest in Las Vegas)
ASU 60, @Colorado 59 (Dec. 1, 2022)
DON'T COUNT US OUT
Arizona State has come back to win a game when trailing at halftime 43 times during the Bobby Hurley era, including in both games on the Bay Area road trip to start of Pac-12 play. They trailed by nine points against the Cardinal at the break before pulling off a 76-73 victory. Two days later, they found themselves trailing Cal by ten at half before storming back to come away with a 71-69 win. The 10-point halftime comeback was the fifth in which ASU made up a double-digit deficit under Hurley. It was the first time in the Hurley era that Arizona State has completed consecutive road halftime deficit comeback wins. Since 2015-16, the Sun Devils are Top-15 in the nation and lead the Pac-12 with their 43 halftime comeback victories.
2023-24 (4)
(-10) Cal 35, ASU 25/Dec. 31, 2023/ASU 71, Cal 69
(-9) Stanford 37, ASU 28/Dec. 29, 2023/ASU 76, Stanford 73
(-3) SMU 40, ASU 36/Dec. 6, 2023/ASU 76, SMU 74
(-9) UMass Lowell 31, ASU 22/Nov. 16, 2023/ASU 71, UMass Lowell 69
ASU trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half of the Cal game, making this the second straight season in which they overcame a deficit of at least 16 to win a conference game. The Sun Devils won at Oregon St on 1/14/23 after trailing by as many as 16 in the first half.
ZO SAYS NO
Sun Devil forward Alonzo Gaffney is one of the most versatile defenders in the Pac-12 and is a key to the Arizona State defense. He is one of two players in the conference with at least 27 blocks and 19 steals this season (Adem Bona, UCLA). He just played in his 100th career game at the Division I level.
ASU RECORD BY STARTING LINEUP
Due injuries to Shawn Phillips Jr. and Zane Meeks early in the season, the Sun Devils have been shorthanded most of the year. With Adam Miller gaining eligibility midway through the campaign, fluctuation continues with Arizona State's roster. This has resulted in Coach Hurley using six different starting lineup combinations through their first 16 games. Frankie Collins and Jamiya Neal are the only two Sun Devils to have started every game. ASU has at least one win with four different lineup combinations. The Sun Devils are 4-1 when Adam Miller and Shawn Phillips Jr. are both available to play.
Frankie Collins, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Bryant Selebangue, Alonzo Gaffney (4-1)
Frankie Collins, Adam Miller, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Alonzo Gaffney (4-3)
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 earlier in the year, attempting 15 free throws in the victory. Perez has now attempted 664 free throws in his career, the sixth-highest total among active NCAA Division I players. His 490 made free-throws puts him eighth among active NCAA Division I players. Perez is a career 74% shooter from the charity stripe. He currently ranks 34th in the nation and first in the Pac-12 this year with 109 free throw attempts.
Perez is one of only 16 active players at the NCAA Division I level that has reached 1,655 career points (1,657) and 380 career assists (383). Perez has the second-fewest total games played (113) of any player on the list (James Bishop IV, George Washington - 111). In the win over Stanford, he secured his 500th career rebound, making him one of only 42 active players at the Division I level with 1,500 career points and 515 career rebounds (515). To take it a step further, Perez is one of only EIGHT players at the NCAA Division I level with at least 1,650 points, 380 assists, AND 515 rebounds in their career (Tristen Newton - UConn, RayJ Dennis - Baylor, Andrew Taylor - Mississippi State, Marcus Domask - Illinois, Baylor Scheierman - Creighton, Jahmir Yong - Maryland, Aaron Estrada, Alabama). He is one of only 11 players in the Pac-12 to have four or more 20+ point performances.
GAMES PLAYED (2023-24 | Career)
Alonzo Gaffney played in his 100th career game at the Division I level against Washington. He becomes the third Sun Devil on the current roster to reach that mark, joining Zane Meeks and Jose Perez. ASU has seven players with over 70 games of experience at the Division I level.
Kamari Lands - 16 | 48
Frankie Collins - 16 | 82
Braelon Green - 14 | 14
Brycen Long - 6 | 90
Jamiya Neal - 16 | 77
Malachi Davis - 7 | 7
Alonzo Gaffney - 16 | 100
Shawn Phillips Jr. - 8 | 28
Bobby Hurley - 4 | 16
Jose Perez - 16 | 113
Zane Meeks - 5 | 110
Akil Watson - 12 | 12
Bryant Selebangue - 16 | 46
Adam Miller - 7 | 71
Sun Devils have a combined 814 games of experience at the Division I Level (includes previous school).
60-POINT MARK
Arizona State has only two losses when they score 60+ points (at San Diego, at Washington). They are 10-2 in such games this season. ASU is averaging 74.7 points in their ten wins and 60.2 points in their six losses. By contrast, the Sun Devils are holding opponents to 66.9 points in their ten wins and allowing 77.2 points in their six losses.
THREE-POINT NOTE
The Sun Devils have made at least one three-point field goal in 721 consecutive games dating back to 2/10/2001.
CONSTANT COMPETITION
Coach Hurley has challenged his team with an extremely difficult non-conference slate. Sun Devil Men's Basketball was ready for Pac-12 play after facing one of the toughest schedules in the country so far this season. Here is a closer look at who ASU has played this season.
- Mississippi State - 12-4 record; undefeated in neutral sites; NET of 35; win over No. 5 Tennessee
- vs. Texas Southern - No. 7 NET non-con SOS
- vs. UMass Lowell - 12-4 record, 3-0 in AEC; 6-3 road record (win at Georgia Tech)
- BYU - 13-3 record; No. 20 ranking in latest AP Poll
- vs. San Francisco - 14-4, 3-0 in WCC; NET of 42; best winning % in WCC
- vs. SMU - 11-5 record, 2-1 in AAC; NET of 38; 3-2 road record (wins over Florida St. & Murray St.)
- TCU - 13-3 record, 2-1 Big 12; No. 19 ranking in latest AP Poll; wins over No. 2 Houston and No. 9 Oklahoma
- Northwestern - 12-4 record, 3-2 in Big Ten; win over No. 2 Purdue
- at Stanford - 4-2 in Pac-12; 7-2 at home including win over No. 12 Arizona
- vs. Utah - Quad 1 victory; 12-5 record, NET 24
- vs. Colorado - 12-5 with win over Miami; NET 48
- at Washington - 8-2 at home
Arizona State features 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.
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.
SUN DEVILS ON SOCIAL
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