April 30, 2003
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ASU MAKES IT TO NCAAs: The Arizona State men's basketball team (20-12; 11-7 and fourth in the Pac-10 Conference) went 6-3 in the second half of Pac-10 play to clinch the fourth spot in the standings and notch its first 20-win season since 1995 and just its second in the past 13 seasons. ASU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995, the second time in the past 12 seasons and for the third time in 22 seasons. Its only NCAA appearances in the previous 21 seasons were in 1994-95 and 1990-91. ASU advanced to the West Region and topped No. 19 Memphis 84-71 in Oklahoma City on March 20 before falling to sixth-ranked and second-seeded Kansas 108-76 on March 22.
IKE DIOGU: Ike Diogu, the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and the only freshman to earn All-Pac-10 honors, averaged 19.9 points and 9.6 rebounds in the final 14 games and had 12 20-point games on the year. Diogu was the only player who ranked in the Pac-10's top five in scoring and rebounding as he finished third in scoring (19.0 ppg.) and fifth in rebounding (7.8 rpg.). Cal senior Joe Shipp, Oregon junior Luke Ridnour and Diogu were the only Pac-10 players who posted double digits in every game.
The Garland, Texas, native set ASU freshman records for starts (32), points (607), field goals made (209), rebounds (249) and minutes (1,030). He set school records for free throws made (180) and attempted (245) and his 18 rebounds vs. Oregon in the Pac-10 Tournament set the ASU freshman single-game mark and is a Pac-10 Tournament record. Diogu's 245 free throw attempts (7.66 per game) broke the ASU record of 234 (7.09 per game) set by Mario Bennett in 1994-95.
Diogu earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America honors and was selected to the five-man Freshman All-America teams by both Sporting News and Basektball Times. He was one of just two freshmen (Carmelo Anthony was the other) to receive Associated Press All-America votes.
Diogu led the team at 19.0 points and 7.8 rebounds on the year and went to the free throw line a Pac-10-leading 245 times and shot .735 percent (180-of-245). He shot 60.8 percent from the field (209-of-344), tied for first in the Pac-10, and finished at 63.8 percent (120-of-188) in the 18 Pac-10 games, first in the league. Diogu's 60.8 percent field goal shooting was the eighth-best mark in the nation.
LOOKING AHEAD: Ike Diogu has a chance to be a preseason All-American next year, as he and Carmelo Anthony were the only freshmen to receive All-American votes this year by the 72 Associated Press voters. Underclassmen on the Associated Press All-American team this year were first-team picks T.J. Ford of Texas and Dwyane Wade of Marquette and second-team pick Carmelo Anthony of Syracuse. The following were underclassmen who earned honorable mention honors: Mario Austin, Mississippi State; Gregory Burks, Prairie View A&M; Taylor Coppenrath, Vermont; Ike Diogu, Arizona State; Luis Flores, Manhattan; Branduinn Fullove, UC Santa Barbara; Jarvis Hayes, Georgia; Mike Helms, Oakland, Mich.; Chris Kaman, Central Michigan; Ricky Minard, Morehead State; James Moore, New Mexico State; Jameer Nelson, Saint Joseph's; Emeka Okafor, Connecticut; Luke Ridnour, Oregon; Blake Stepp, Gonzaga; Mike Sweetney, Georgetown; Chris Thomas, Notre Dame and Patrick Whearty, Holy Cross.
TOP SCORER RETURNING: The return of Ike Diogu (19.0 ppg.) next year marks the first time ASU will return its top scorer since 1999-2000, when Eddie House returned for his senior season after averaging 18.9 points per game in 1998-99. House averaged a Pac-10 leading 23.0 points per game en route to conference Player of the Year honors. ASU is one of five Pac-10 teams who will return its top scorer next year, along with Oregon (Luke Ridnour/19.7), USC (Desmon Farmer/18.7), WSU (Marcus Moore/18.2) and Washington (Nate Robinson/13.0).
NCAA HISTORY: This year marked ASU's 12th NCAA appearance and first since 1995. ASU is 12-13 (.480) and has reached the Final Eight on three occasions. The Sun Devils did so in 1961, 1963 and 1975 - all under coach Ned Wulk. Utah, Oregon State and UCLA eliminated ASU in those years. In 1995, ASU (the No. 5 seed in the Southeast), beat Ball State 81-66 and topped Manhattan 64-54 in Memphis to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where it fell to second-ranked Kentucky 97-67 in Birmingham.
PATIENCE: When Rob Evans arrived at ASU in the spring of 1998, many talked about his final two years at Ole Miss when he went 42-16 (.724) and won two SEC West titles with a program that had been to just one NCAA Tournament. Before those two seasons, Evans took a program many called "below ground" and had a 44-65 (.403) mark in his first four seasons. At ASU, Evans was 60-60 in his first four years before the 20-12 (.625) record this year. Overall, Evans is 104-125 (.454) in his first four years of building a program and is now 62-28 (.689) after the rebuilding process.
AWAY: ASU opened Pac-10 play with five of its first seven and seven of its first 11 on the road and was 7-8 in neutral site games with wins over Utah (Maui Invitational), Purdue (Las Vegas Showdown) and Memphis (NCAA Tournament at Oklahoma City). ASU played 15 home games and 17 games away from Tempe.
RPI CHATTER: ASU finished the regular season with an RPI of No. 32, according to collegeRPI.com (Mar. 16). Others in the Pac-10 included Arizona (2), Stanford (20), California (33), Oregon (50), USC (111), UCLA (136), Oregon State (157), Washington (161), and Washington State (232). ASU was 5-10 against the top 100 with wins over Utah (16), Purdue (30), California, Oregon and Nevada (98). ASU had just one loss outside the top 100, 76-74 at No. 111 USC on Jan. 18.
IN THE PAC-10: ASU finished first in the Pac-10 in field goal percentage (.482) and blocks per game (4.34), tied for first with Oregon State for fewest turnovers per game (13.7), was second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.16) and was third in offense (77.0 points per game), scoring margin (+6.5) and rebounding margin (+4.1). Tommy Smith posted a Pac-10 leading 69 blocks (2.16 per game) while Kyle Dodd led the loop with a 4.73 assist-to-turnover ratio (104 assists and 22 turnovers).
ALL-PAC HONORS: Diogu became just the ninth freshman to earn all-league honors since Arizona and Arizona State joined the loop in 1978-79 (25 seasons ago) and just the fourth to earn All-Pac-10 in the past seven seasons. Before Diogu, no freshman had earned All-Pac-10 since Jason Gardner (Arizona), Casey Jacobsen (Stanford) and Jason Kapono (UCLA) in 1999-2000. He is the first freshman since Cal's Shareef Abdur-Rahim in 1995-96 to finish in the league's top 10 in scoring and rebounding (Abdur-Rahim was the league's Player of the Year). He is Arizona State's third Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, joining Jamal Faulkner in 1990-91 and Byron Scott in 1979-80.
ROB EVANS: Rob Evans (166-153/.520) finished his fifth season at Arizona State (11th overall) after being hired on April 7, 1998. The 1997 SEC Coach of the Year spent six seasons at Ole Miss, compiling an 86-81 (.515) record. He led the Rebels to a 42-16 record in his final two seasons after going 44-65 (.403) in his first four, winning two SEC West titles, and led Ole Miss to back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1937-38. The 56-year old Evans is a 1968 graduate of New Mexico State, where he captained two NCAA Tournament teams, is a 1989 inductee of the Athletic Hall of Fame and was named to the school's All-Time team. He is 80-72 (.526) at ASU. Evans' Ole Miss squads were known as tough man-to-man teams which ranked 13th in the nation and second in the SEC in 1997-98 in rebounding at +6.6. Ole Miss held opponents to just 30 percent from the three-point stripe, best in the SEC, and to just 40.6 percent from the field. He is 122-86 (.587) in the past seven seasons.
EVANS IN THE NCAA: Rob Evans is now 1-3 in NCAA Tournament action after ASU topped Memphis and fell to Kansas. Evans took Ole Miss to NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons, a first in school history, in 1997 and 1998. Ole Miss had been to just one NCAA Tournament before Evans arrived (1981). Evans and eighth-seeded Ole Miss fell to ninth-seeded Temple 62-40 in the first round on March 14, 1997, in Kansas City. In 1998, fourth-seeded Ole Miss fell to 13th-seeded Valparaiso 70-69 in Oklahoma City on March 13, 1998. Valparaiso then beat Florida State 83-77 in overtime to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where it fell to Rhode Island.
IKE ON PAC-10 LIST: Ike Diogu's 19.0 points per game is the third-best mark in Pac-10 history by a freshman. Only Shareef Abdur-Rahim (21.1 points per game in 1995-96) and Harold Miner (20.6 in 1989-90) posted better scoring numbers in their initial seasons.
Pac-10 CAREER Freshman Scoring Leaders Rk. Player, School, Year PPG 1. Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Cal, 1995-96 21.1 2. Harold Miner, USC, 1989-90 20.6 3. Ike Diogu, Arizona State, 2002-03 19.0 4. Don McLean, UCLA, 1988-89 18.6 5. Cliff Robinson, USC, 1977-78 18.4 6. Tom Lewis, USC, 1985-86 17.6 7. Todd Lichti, Stanford, 1985-86 17.2 8. Jason Kapono, UCLA, 1999-2000 16.0 9. Sean Elliott, Arizona, 1985-86 15.6 10. Jamal Faulkner, Arizona State, 1990-91 15.4
WULK HALL INDUCTEE: The Sun Devil family inducted Ned Wulk into the 2003 Pac-10 Hall of Honor on March 12, 2003. Byron Scott was ASU's initial inductee in 2002. The Hall of Honor was created to recognize athletes and coaches who have made significant contributions to the tradition and heritage of the Pac-10. ASU honored Wulk in March of 1999, as the arena floor where he won 20 straight contests was renamed "Ned Wulk Court" in his honor as he won 406 games from 1958-82. Wulk was 406-272 (.599) in his 25-year run as Sun Devil head coach and was honored at a banquet on March 5, 1999, which was held on the floor of Wells Fargo Arena.
MAKING HIS MARK: Ike Diogu's 27-points vs. Oregon on March 13 in the Pac-10 Tournament, at Oregon on Jan. 4 and against Lafayette on Nov. 30 are tied for the fourth-best freshman scoring mark in ASU history. They are the best scoring marks by a freshman since Mario Bennett set the record with 35 against fifth-ranked Arizona on Feb. 20, 1992. Diogu owns eight of the top 13 freshman scoring games in ASU history and is the first Sun Devil freshman to post back-to-back 25-point games, as he had 26 vs. USC and UCLA. A look at the top freshman scoring games in the ASU record books:
ASU FRESHMAN SINGLE-GAME POINTS (25-point games) Rk. Pts. Player 1. 35 Mario Bennett vs. #5 Arizona, Feb. 20, 1992 2. 31 Byron Scott vs. #18 Arizona, Feb. 23, 1980 3. 29 Jamal Faulkner vs. #2 Arkansas (NCAA), March 17, 1991 4. 27 Ike Diogu vs. Oregon (Pac-10 Tournament), March 13, 2003 27 Ike Diogu at #9 Oregon, Jan. 4, 2003 27 Ike Diogu vs. Lafayette, Nov. 30, 2002 27 Jamal Faulkner at Oregon, Feb. 28, 1991 27 Byron Scott vs. Arizona, Dec. 27, 1979 9. 26 Ike Diogu at #19 Stanford, Feb. 27, 2003 Ike Diogu vs. UCLA, Feb. 15, 2003 Ike Diogu vs. USC, Feb. 13, 2003 Ike Diogu at Washington State, Feb. 6, 2003 13. 25 Ike Diogu vs. Nevada, Dec. 10, 2002
NATIONAL RANKINGS: Ike Diogu ended the season eighth in the nation in field goal shooting a 60.8 percent, the best mark in the nation for a freshman and the third-best mark in school history. ASU was 14th in the nation in field goal percentage at 48.2 percent.
MAKING HIS MARK, II: Ike Diogu's set the ASU freshman record and the Pac-10 Tournament record with 18 rebounds vs. Oregon on March 13. His 14 rebounds vs. Oregon on March 6 and vs. Stanford on Feb. 1 are tied for the third-best freshman rebounding marks in ASU history. In the past 12 seasons, only two ASU freshmen have posted double-doubles (eight occasions). In addition to his 27-point, 18-rebound effort vs. Oregon in the Pac-10 Tournament, Diogu had 14 points and 10 boards at Oregon State on Jan. 2, 18 points and 13 boards vs. No. 20 California on Jan. 30, 16 points and 14 rebounds vs. Stanford on Feb. 1, 26 points and 10 boards at Washington State on Feb. 6, 15 points and 10 boards vs. top-ranked Arizona on Feb. 22 and 17 points and 14 boards vs. Oregon on March 6. Chad Prewitt had 15 points and 10 boards vs. Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 8, 1998. When you tally it, the feat has been accomplished by a Sun Devil frosh just eight times in the past 338 games and just seven times (all by Ike Diogu) in the past 144 games. A look at the top freshman rebounding games at ASU:
ASU FRESHMAN SINGLE-GAME REBOUNDS (13 or more) Rk. Rbs. Player 1. 18 Ike Diogu vs. Oregon (Pac-10 Tournament), Mar. 13, 2003 2. 17 Mario Bennett vs. Oregon, Feb. 1, 1992 3. 14 Ike Diogu vs. Oregon, Mar. 6, 2003 14 Ike Diogu vs. Stanford, Feb. 1, 2003 14 Mario Bennett vs. Lamar, Nov. 26, 1991 6. 13 Ike Diogu vs. California, Jan. 30, 2003 13 by three others on four occasions
PLAYER QUICK NOTES
#1 JASON BRAXTON: Had 18 assists and nine turnovers in the final 10 games...posted a career high 17 points in NCAA loss to sixth-ranked Kansas on March 22...matched a career-high with seven assists and zero turnovers vs. USC on Feb. 13...nine points and five boards at UCLA on Jan. 16...six boards at USC on Jan. 18...did not turn the ball over in 47 minutes on Oregon road trip...11 points vs. Utah on Nov. 27...seven assists vs. Chaminade (Nov. 26) and vs. Nevada (Dec. 10)...averaged 26.3 minutes and 8.8 points in the final 14 games last year and started final 20 games.
#3 KYLE DODD: Had 58 assists and just nine turnovers in final 13 games...posted a season-high 14 points vs. UCLA on Feb. 15...led Pac-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.72 and also had 76 assists and just 13 turnovers in the 18 league games, a league-leading 5.85 ratio...had 14 turnovers in the final 22 games (499 minutes)...eight assists and two turnovers in March 8 win over Oregon State which clinched fourth-place in the Pac-10...six assists and one turnover at No. 23 California on March 1...six assists and no turnovers vs. top-ranked Arizona on Feb. 22...14 points, eight assists and five boards vs. UCLA on Feb. 15...seven assists vs. Washington in 27 minutes and six vs. Washington State...nine points vs. Nebraska on Dec. 28...12 points vs. Chaminade on Nov. 26...in his 122-game career, he had 306 assists and just 105 turnovers, a 2.91-to-1 ratio...had eight dunks in four-year career.
#4 TOMMY SMITH: Pac-10 Player of the week as he had 24 points (matched career-high), 11 boards and four blocks vs. Oregon on March 6 and 17 points and 11 boards vs. Oregon State on March 8...an All-Pac-10 honorable mention selection...18 points and eight boards vs. top-ranked Arizona on Feb. 22...16 points and eight boards vs. UCLA on Feb. 15...17 points (7-of-10 shooting) in Feb. 6 win at Washington State...14 points, seven boards and zero turnovers vs. WSU on Jan. 11...career-high 16 boards, 13 points, six bocks and five assists vs. Washington on Jan. 9...16 points, seven boards and six assists vs. Nebraska on Dec. 28...career-high seven assists vs. Bucknell on Dec. 27...nine career doubles-doubles...13 points and eight boards vs. BYU on Dec. 4...eight points, 11 boards and six blocks vs. Utah on Nov. 27.
#5 IKE DIOGU: Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and an All-Pac-10 selection...Basketball Times First-Team Freshman All-American and All-Rockies selection...a member of Sporting News five-man Freshman All-American team...scored in double digits in all 32 games...12 20-point games...seven double-doubles...a NABC District 15 First-Team Selection...earned selection to the USBWA District 9 10-man team...honorable mention All-American by Associated Press and FoxSports.com...13 points and seven boards vs. sixth-ranked Kansas on March 22...22 points on 9-of-11 shooting vs. Memphis on March 20 in first round of NCAA Tournament...27 points and Pac-10 Tournament record 18 rebounds vs. Oregon on March 13...18 points on 9-of-10 shooting vs. Oregon State on March 8...17 points and 14 boards vs. Oregon on March 6 and was 7-of-8 from the line...18 points and nine boards at No. 23 California on March 1...26 points and nine boards at No. 19 Stanford on Feb. 27...15 points and 10 boards vs. top-ranked Arizona on Feb. 22...26 points vs. both USC and UCLA on Feb. 13-15 and was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for his efforts...just the third freshman to be named Pac-10 Player of the Week in the past six seasons...26 points (11-of-15 shooting) and 10 boards at Washington State on Feb. 6...16 points and 14 boards vs. Stanford on Feb. 1...18 points and 13 rebounds vs. No. 20 California...24 points (11-of-12 from free throw line) at USC on Jan. 18...16 points (7-of-9 from the field) at UCLA on Jan. 16...17 points vs. Washington State on Jan. 11...14 points and nine boards vs. Washington on Jan. 9...27 points at Oregon on Jan. 4...18 points and 10 boards in Pac-10 opener on Jan. 2 at Oregon State...21 points and seven boards vs. Nebraska on Dec. 28 which earned him ASU Classic MVP honors...18 points and nine boards vs. Purdue on Dec. 21 at Las Vegas Showdown...25 points and nine boards vs. Nevada on Dec. 10...15 points and eight boards vs. BYU on Dec. 4...27 points vs. Lafayette on Nov. 30...37 minutes vs. Utah on Nov. 27 and had 22 points, eight boards and zero turnovers...just the second ASU freshman to start in the season opener in the past 10 years.
#12 KENNY CRANDALL: Averaged 7.5 minutes in his final 13 games, but did not play at Washington on Feb. 8 and at California on Mar. 1...played 20 minutes at top-ranked Arizona on Jan. 22 and made 4-of-7 three-pointers and had season-high 12 points...17-of-20 (.850) free throws on the year...five assists vs. Morehead State on Nov. 22...broke right fibula on April 17 in a dirt-bike accident and played through pain all season...played double-digit minutes in 10 games on the year...shot 21-of-46 (.457) from the three-point stripe in Pac-10 games in 2001-2002.
#14 CURTIS MILLAGE: Averaged 17.4 points per game in Pac-10 play, tied for fifth in the loop, and his 15.9 points per game overall was tenth in the league...made 62-of-73 (.849) free throws in the final 16 games...finished his career with 13 20-point games...made 49-of-56 (.875) free throws in the final 10 games and averaged 19.9 points in that span...nearly posted the first triple-double in ASU history with his 17-point, 11-rebound and nine-assist performance vs. Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 20...honorable mention All-Pac-10...25 points vs. Oregon in Pac-10 Tournament on March 13...17 points vs. Oregon State on March 8...27 points vs. Oregon on March 6...22 points vs. UCLA on Feb. 15...27 points vs. USC on Feb. 13...21 points vs. No. 20 Cal on Jan. 30...led team with 20 points at top-ranked Arizona on Jan. 22...eight boards at USC on Jan. 18...led team with 23 points at UCLA on Jan. 16, as he was 8-of-12 (.667) from the field...led team with 16 points vs. Washington on Jan. 9...18 points on 7-of-10 shooting at No. 9 Oregon on Jan. 4...led team with 16 points and added five boards at Oregon State on Jan. 2...13 points, four boards and five assists vs. Nebraska on Dec. 28...posted 26 points in his season debut vs. Utah on Nov. 27.
#21 DONNELL KNIGHT: Four career double-doubles...10 points in 26 minutes vs. No. 20 California on Jan. 30...13 points at USC on Jan. 18...13 points and eight boards vs. Washington State on Jan. 11...eight points and seven boards vs. Nebraska on Dec. 28...15 points vs. Bucknell on Dec. 27...12 points and 10 boards off the bench vs. Nevada on Dec. 10 and made all five field goal attempts...posted 15 points and 12 boards vs. Morehead State in season opener on Nov. 22.
#22 JAMAL HILL: Junior college transfer who was both a starter (four games) and first player off the bench...solid game vs. top-ranked Arizona with 12 points, including three three-pointers...12 points vs. USC on Feb. 13...averaged 12.5 points on the Washington road trip and played 31 minutes without a turnover in the overtime win at Washington...22-of-29 (.759) from the free throw line...posted 14 points against both Washington (Jan. 9) and Washington State (Jan. 11)...seven points at Oregon on Jan. 4...eight points in 20 minutes in Pac-10 opener at Oregon State on Jan. 2...seven points vs. Purdue on Dec. 21...12 points vs. BYU on Dec. 4 on 5-of-7 shooting...was in double figures in 10 games...17 points vs. Chaminade on Nov. 26...16 points vs. No. 15 Kentucky on Nov. 25 in season-high 37 minutes...averaged 35 minutes per game in Maui Invitational with Curtis Millage sitting the first two games.
#24 JUSTIN ALLEN: Redshirted 2000-2001 season with Hodgkin's Disease...recipient of the 2003 V Foundation Comeback Award, given annually to someone in all of college basketball who embodies the spirit and courage of Jimmy Valvano...has played in 72 games in three-year career...played in 19 games this season...missed Washington home series (Jan. 9-11) with sprained right ankle...hit first-half three-pointer at Washington on Feb. 8...hit first-half three-pointer vs. Nebraska on Dec. 28...hit two three-pointers at Utah on Dec. 7, 2002.
#42 SHAWN REDHAGE: Posted one of the best performances off the bench in all of college basketball on Feb. 8, 2003, at Washington in ASU's 79-77 overtime win...had a career-high 29 points on 8-of-11 from the floor, and also had career highs in free throws made (11) and attempted (18)...posted season highs in rebounds (eight, but then topped with 12 vs. USC), assists (five) and minutes (34)...on Feb. 13 against USC, he had 16 points (including 8-of-9 from free throw line) and matched career-high with 12 rebounds for the second double-double of his career...had 13 double-figure scoring games this year after having three all of last year...posted double digits in 10 of the final 14 games...29 points vs. Washington is the most by a Sun Devil off the bench in school history...in the final seven games, including the final six games in which he started, Redhage averaged 12.9 points...posted his second-best scoring night of the season against Memphis in the NCAA Tournament with 18 points...excellent student who has a 3.61 GPA in construction science...a 2003 Verizon Academic All-District VIII pick...2001 and 2002 Pac-10 All-Academic pick...made 235-of-303 (.776) free throws in his four-year career...also had 76 blocks in his career, ninth-best in ASU history...11 points vs. Oregon on March 13 in Pac-10 Tournament...16 points and nine boards vs. Oregon State on March 8...12 points vs. Oregon on March 6...16 points and five boards in starting role at No. 23 California on March 1...10 points and seven boards at No. 19 Stanford on Feb. 27...16 points and matched a career-high with 12 boards vs. USC on Feb. 13...10 points in 17 minutes vs. No. 20 California on Jan. 30...10 points and six boards at top-ranked Arizona on Jan. 22...posted 14 points in 15 minutes against Purdue on Dec. 21...12 points vs. Nevada on Dec. 10...matched the ASU freshman record with 28 starts in 1999-2000.
DEFENSE: ASU held Oregon State to just 47 points on Jan. 2, the fewest by an ASU opponent in a Pac-10 road game since a 58-47 win at Stanford on Jan. 27, 1991. It also tied for ASU's fifth-best defensive effort in Pac-10 game. A look at the best defensive games since ASU joined the Pac-10 in 1978-79:
FEWEST POINTS AGAINST ASU IN PAC-10 GAME T-1. 41 @ASU 53, Washington 41 (Jan. 31, 1991) T-1. 41 ASU 67, @Washington State 41 (Feb. 11, 1984) T-3. 44 @ASU 82, Oregon State 44 (Feb. 25, 1995) T-4. 45 @ASU 96, Washington State 45 (Feb. 7, 2002) T-5. 47 ASU 67, @Oregon State 47 (Jan. 2, 2003) T-5. 47 Washington 47, @ASU 46 (Jan. 9, 1982) T-5. 47 ASU 58, @Stanford 47 (Jan. 27, 1991) T-5. 47 @ASU 55, Washington 47 in Tempe (Feb. 13, 1992)
SHOOTING IT: The 65.4 percent shooting at Washington State on Feb. 6 (34-of-52) is the sixth-best mark in school history, the second-best in a road game, the fifth-best in a Pac-10 game and the best since March 9, 1990, when ASU was 30-of-45 (.667) against Oregon State in the Pac-10 Tournament. ASU had three of the top 10 shooting nights in Sun Devil history this season.
BEST FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE IN ASU HISTORY Rk. .Pct FG-A, Opponent, Date 1. .756 (34-of-45) vs. Oregon St., Feb. 10, 1979 2. .714 (40-of-56) vs. Santa Clara at Knoxville, Dec. 14, 1979 3. .679 (36-of-55) vs. Stanford, Feb. 9, 1985 4. .673 (35-of-52) at California, Feb. 3, 1979 5. .667 (30-of-45) vs. Oregon St., Mar. 9, 1990 6. .654 (34-of-52) at Washington State, Feb. 6, 2003 7. .652 (43-of-66) vs. Manhattan at San Diego, Dec. 28, 1986 8. .650 (39-of-60) vs. New Mexico, Mar. 5, 1971 T9. .633 (31-of-49) vs. Bucknell, Dec. 27, 2002 T9. .633 (38-of-60) vs. Chaminade, Nov. 26, 2002
ROTATION UPDATE: Injuries affected the rotation, as highly touted 6-8 freshman Serge Angounou missed the season after injuring his kneecap in the first exhibition. Angounou had surgery on Nov. 15 and will apply for a redshirt. Also, swingman Kenny Crandall recovered all season from a broken right fibula and was limited. Curtis Millage, the team's top returning scorer from last year, missed the first three games due to an eligibility issue.
OLD NOTES: ASU's 5-4 midseason Pac-10 record was the best mark since the 1994-95 Sweet Sixteen team went 6-3 en route to a 12-6 league mark...Arizona State swept the Washington road trip for just the fifth time in school history this year. It was ASU's first road sweep since it swept the Oregon schools in February of 2001...ASU's 33-point win at Washington State (87-54) was the school's biggest road win since a 36-point win (91-55) at California on Feb. 3, 1979...Rob Evans is 11-8 in overtime in his career (6-6 at Arizona State)...the Pac-10 schedule did not work in Evans' favor again this year as it marked the fourth time in his five-year ASU career that the Sun Devils opened on the road to start league play. The home game was in 2000-2001 against second-ranked Stanford...Diogu was one of only four Pac-10 freshman to start a season opener, joining Mike Jensen (Washington), Lamar Hurd (Oregon State) and Andre Igoudala (Arizona)...ASU's 59-56 Nov. 22 win over Morehead State was its 13th straight home opening win. Rob Evans is now 9-2 in season lid-lifters (4-1 at ASU)...ASU played one of its most efficient games with its 70-53 win over Purdue on Dec. 21 in the Las Vegas Showdown. ASU was 25-of-46 (.543) from the field, outrebounded Purdue 35-26 and led by as many as 20. ASU's 46 field goal attempts is the fewest in the past 231 games, dating to when it also attempted just 46 in a win over SMU on Dec. 29, 1995. ASU held Purdue to just 17-of-43 (.395) from the field and allowed 26 rebounds and just four assists...the last ASU opponent to score 100 in Tempe was third-ranked UA on Feb. 27, 1988 (101-73). The current streak of an ASU opponent not scoring 100 points in Tempe stands at 251 games...ASU is 7-18 in its first Pac-10 road game in its 25 Pac-10 seasons. ASU won Pac-10 road openers this season (Jan. 2 at OSU) and in 1991-92, 1987-88, 1984-85, 1980-81, 1979-80 and 1978-79...ASU won its 36th holiday tournament for the 27th time this year. ASU is now 60-12 (.833) in the tournament, as Ike Diogu became the first freshman since Mario Bennett in 1991 to earn MVP honors...ASU's win over Cal on Jan. 30 snapped a 17-game losing streak when ASU trailed at the half. The last time ASU had come back from a halftime deficit was March 3, 2001, when it trailed Oregon State 31-30 before winning 61-59. ASU also came back from a 39-35 halftime deficit to beat UCLA on Feb. 15.