Arizona State Sun Devils
Pac-12 (20-11, 8-10)
Arizona State took the college basketball world by storm in November and December. The Sun Devils started the year 12-0, which is impressive enough as it is, but that included wins over the likes of San Diego State, Kansas State, Xavier, Kansas and St. John’s. They fell back to Earth in Pac-12 play, but it still has been a very impressive season for Coach Bobby Hurley and company.
Big Wins: 11/24 vs Xavier (102-86), 12/10 at Kansas (95-85), 2/8 USC (80-78)
Bad Losses: 1/4 at Colorado (81-90), 2/24 at Oregon State (75-79), 3/3 Stanford (83-84)
Coach: Bobby Hurley
Why They Can Surprise:
What makes this group so good is that they play a high pace without turning the ball over. The senior backcourt trio of Shannon Evans, Tra Holder and Kodi Justice lead the way. All three are good passers and all three take care of the basketball. Holder is the team’s top scorer and averages 18.4 points per game. He will attack the basket with ease and will spend plenty of time making free-throws. Evans is also a dynamic scorer who can consistently hit three-pointers and effectively attack the basket. Those two are a huge reason why the Sun Devils spent so much time at the free-throw line and why this offense is extremely difficult to slow down. Justice is more of a pure shooter and he gets plenty of open looks when Holder and Evans are attacking the basket.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The addition of Romello White has made all the difference for this team. Last year Arizona State was very backcourt heavy in every aspect of the game. White, a 6-8 freshman, has helped balance the team. He is averaging 10.7 points and 7.2 rebounds and will get some help from Vitaliy Shible, De’Quon Lake and Mickey Mitchell. The rebound margin is still not impressive, but it is vastly better than it was last year. The frontcourt is still the team’s problem spot though and ASU will get outrebounded by bigger, stronger teams. Lake is a decent presence in the paint, but without a consistent shot blocking threat on the floor, the defense can struggle to stop big wings and forwards who like to attack the basket.
Probable Starters:
Shannon Evans, Senior, Guard, 16.6 ppg, 3.5 apg
Tra Holder, Senior, Guard, 18.4 ppg, 3.4 apg. 4.1 rpg
Kodi Justice, Senior, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 1.9 apg
Vitaliy Shible, Freshman, Forward, 1.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Romello White, Freshman, Forward, 10.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg
Key Role Players:
Remy Martin, Freshman, Guard, 9.9 ppg, 2.9 apg
De’Quon Lake, Junior, Forward, 7.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Mickey Mitchell, Sophomore, Forward, 5.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 83.5 (18th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 74.6 (237, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.4 (95, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.6 (161, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.8 (78, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.2 (117, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.3 (69, 4)
Rebound Margin: -1.0 (240, 10)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (138, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.0 (24, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NIT First Round win over Connecticut
2015 NIT Second Round loss to Richmond
2014 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Texas
2013 NIT First Round win over Detroit
2013 NIT Second Round loss to Baylor
2010 NIT First Round loss to Jacksonville
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Temple
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Syracuse
2008 NIT First Round win over Alabama State
2008 NIT Second Round win over Southern Illinois
2008 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Florida
2005 NIT First Round loss to UNLV
2003 NCAA Round of 64 win over Memphis
2003 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kansas
2002 NIT First Round loss to UNLV
*all team stats through 3/4
