TEMPE - Sun Devil Men's Basketball returns home following a Bay Area road sweep as they take on Utah Thursday at 9 PM MST.
For the first time in nearly a month, Arizona State (8-5, 2-0) will play at Desert Financial Arena. The last time Sun Devil fans got to see their team at home was when they captured a thrilling 76-74 victory over SMU back on Dec. 5 (the Mustangs haven't lost since). Head Coach Bobby Hurley's team will face the Utes in a battle of teams that are 2-0 in Pac-12 Conference play, as first place in the league is on the line.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The broadcast of Sun Devil Men's Basketball's game on Thursday will air on ESPN2 as they host Utah, scheduled for a 9 PM MST tip-off with Dave Feldman (play-by-play) and Corey Williams (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 WATCH
Bobby Hurley currently sits at 149 wins as the head coach of Sun Devil Men's Basketball. His next win would make 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)
149, Bobby Hurley (2015-present)
2-0 PAC-12 START
ASU moved to 2-0 in the Pac-12 for the sixth time in program history. Two have come in the past two seasons.
- 1979-80 (5-0)
- 1987-88 (4-0)
- 2007-08 (4-0)
- 2012-13 (2-0)
- 2022-23 (2-0)
- 2023-24 (2-0)
The only time ASU started 2-0 in Pac-12 AND both games were on the road was 1987-88 (ASU 66, @Washington State 65 OT on Dec. 20, 1987; ASU 87, @Washington 78 on Dec. 22, 1987).
Arizona State was the lone Pac-12 team to go 2-0 on the road to start conference play. In fact, they are one of only two Power 6 schools currently sitting at 2-0 in the conference with both wins coming on the road, joined only by Villanova (@ Creighton, @ DePaul). As of 1/1, ASU is one of only five schools in the entire nation with a 2-0 league record with both games taking place on the road (Cal State Northridge - Big West, UT Martin - Ohio Valley, Saint Peter's - MAAC).
CALI COMEBACKS
The Sun Devils earned consecutive incredible comeback victories over Stanford and Cal on the road to open up Pac-12 play at 2-0. ASU defeated Stanford after trailing 37-28 at half and by as many as 12 (58-46) with 11:29 to go in the game. The Maroon & Gold finished the game on a 17-4 run over the final 5:04 to capture their second straight road win over Stanford. Two days later, they duplicated their Bay Area magic in a come-from-behind win at Cal. Coach Hurley's squad trailed by as many as 16 (43-27) in the second half, but managed to outscore Cal 32-15 over the final 9:40 to secure the sweep. They trailed for over 35 minutes of game time in each contest, but continued to battle and eventually mounted furious comebacks. In fact, of the 80 total minutes played in the Bay Area, ASU trailed in 70:28 of action.
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 now 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 5-0 record in the non-conference portion of their schedule. This included wins over strong mid-major competition in San Francisco, SMU, and UMass Lowell. So far this season, ASU is outscoring opponents 360-317 at home. They average 72.0 points and by contrast are only giving up 63.4 points. Dating back to last season, ASU has won eight of their last 10 at Desert Financial Arena. In 2022-23, the Sun Devils got off to a 3-0 start at home in conference play, including a sweep of the Washington schools.
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 13.4 points (1st on team), 5.2 rebounds (2nd on team), 3.3 assists (1st on team), and 3.2 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 minutes per game.
The only team in the Pac-12 to go 2-0 on the road during opening weekend was Arizona State and the play of guard Frankie Collins was a big reason why. He took over both games in the Bay Area, averaging 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists in 32 minutes of action. He did this in extremely efficient fashion, shooting 15-of-26 (58%) and 4-of-8 (50%) from beyond the arc. His impact on offense was tremendous, but his defensive effort proved pivotal. He posted 4.0 steals and caused opposing point guards problems all weekend.
In the first of two comeback wins, Collins was all over the court in the victory over Stanford. He finished with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals, including a game-winning clutch turnaround jumper to give ASU a 75-73 lead. He put together arguably his best performance as a Sun Devil on Sunday, willing his team to victory over Cal to secure ASU's second straight road sweep in the Bay Area. Collins delivered a career-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, making 3-of-5 of his three-pointers. He added four rebounds and most importantly six steals, his second game of the season with 6 or more swipes. ASU trailed by as many as 16 points and found themselves down 45-32 with 13:16 left in the second half. Frankie Collins took control from their, scoring 14 points and coming up with an incredible five steals as the Sun Devils finished on a 39-17 run.
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 4-1 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 39-19 (.667) in close games over the past five seasons. The 39 wins are the most in the nation during that span. ASU is 4-0 in games decided by three points or fewer this season. 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. 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. It was the first time in the Bobby 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 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, fluctuation continues with Arizona State's roster. This has resulted in Coach Hurley using six different starting lineup combinations through their first 12 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 2-0 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 (2-2)
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 month, attempting 15 free throws in the victory. Perez has now attempted 646 free throws in his career, the fifth-highest total among active NCAA Division I players. His 479 made free-throws puts him eighth among active NCAA Division I players. Perez is a career 74.1% shooter from the charity stripe.
Perez is one of only 17 active players at the NCAA Division I level that has reached 1,500 career points (1,611) and 375 career assists (375). Perez has the second-fewest total games played (110) of any player on the list (James Bishop IV, George Washington - 108). In the win over Stanford, he secured his 500th career rebound, making him one of only 30 active players at the Division I level with 1,600 career points and 500 career rebounds (502). To take it a step further, Perez is one of only EIGHT players at the NCAA Division I level with at least 1,600 points, 375 assists, AND 500 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).
GAMES PLAYED (2023-24 | Career)
Kamari Lands - 13 | 45
Frankie Collins - 13 | 79
Braelon Green - 11 | 11
Brycen Long - 6 | 90
Jamiya Neal - 13 | 74
Malachi Davis - 7 | 7
Alonzo Gaffney - 13 | 97
Shawn Phillips Jr. - 5 | 25
Bobby Hurley - 4 | 16
Jose Perez - 13 | 110
Zane Meeks - 5 | 110
Akil Watson - 11 | 11
Bryant Selebangue - 13 | 43
Adam Miller - 4 | 68
Sun Devils have a combined 786 games of experience at the Division I Level (includes previous school).
60-POINT MARK
Arizona State has only one loss when they score 60+ points (88-83 loss to San Diego). They are 8-1 in such games this season. ASU is averaging 73.6 points in their eight wins and 58.8 points in their five losses. By contrast, the Sun Devils are holding opponents to 65.8 points in their eight wins and allowing 76.2 points in their five losses.
THREE-POINT NOTE
The Sun Devils have made at least one three-point field goal in 718 consecutive games dating back to 2/10/2001.
I'LL TAKE THAT
Through 13 games of the 2023-24 season, Frankie Collins has emerged as one of the best perimeter defenders in the nation. Collins has 41 steals, putting him 4th in the country in the category. He is currently third in the nation in steals per game, averaging 3.2 per contest. He matched a program-record with eight steals in the victory over UMass Lowell and is coming off an active six-steal performance in the win over Cal.
CONSTANT COMPETITION
Coach Hurley has challenged his team with an extremely difficult non-conference slate. Sun Devil Men's Basketball will be 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 - 11-2 record; NET of 35; ranked in AP Poll for two weeks
- vs. Texas Southern - No. 7 NET SOS
- vs. UMass Lowell - 9-4 record; 5-3 road record
- BYU - 12-1 record; No. 12 ranking in latest AP Poll
- vs. San Francisco - 11-4 record; NET of 39; best winning % in WCC
- vs. SMU - 9-4 record; NET of 47; 2-1 on the road (wins over Florida St. & Murray St.)
- at San Diego - 10-5 record; 9-1 at home
- TCU - 11-2 record; NET of 43
- Northwestern - 10-2 record, 1-0 in Big Ten; Only team to beat No. 1 Purdue
- at Stanford - 6-2 at home; win over No. 10 Arizona
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
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.
WHERE TO WATCH
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.
942 CREW GIVEAWAY
SUN DEVILS ON SOCIAL?? @SunDevilHoops RETURNS HOME ??
— 942 Crew (@942Crew) January 2, 2024
Students ?? Come to DFA this week for some Basketball & bring a friend for FREE (Claim both tix in the same transaction)
Thurs 1/4 at 9pm v Utah
Sat 1/6 at 6pm v CU
We need YOU there to keep our FIRST PLACE Sun Devils UNDEFEATED AT HOME ???? pic.twitter.com/Wyk3zyW48G
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