Arizona State Sun Devils
Pac-12 (20-11, 11-7)
The Arizona State Sun Devils recovered from a slow start in conference play. They lost three of their first four games, but managed to get themselves back into the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Bobby Hurley has rebuilt the Arizona State program pretty quickly and has some experienced veterans to help lead this run through the postseason.
Big Wins: 2/8 USC (66-64), 2/13 at Stanford (74-69), 2/20 Oregon (77-72)
Bad Losses: 1/29 at Washington State (65-67), 2/27 at UCLA (72-75), 3/5 Washington (83-90)
Coach: Bobby Hurley
Why They Can Surprise:
Remy Martin is the type of player that can carry a team through a game on his back in the postseason, if necessary. Martin is averaging 19.1 points per game and knocks down 43.2 percent of his shots from the field. Rob Edwards is another experienced perimeter shooter that will need to step up like he has all season and average 12-15 points in the NCAA Tournament. Alonzo Verge Jr. gives coach Hurley another strong scoring option that will create additional stress on opposing teams at the defensive end of the court. The Sun Devils have the ability to score 75 or 80 plus points when the offense is clicking on all cylinders, which in a one game scenario can only help them on a neutral floor. Forcing turnovers is another strength of this team as opponents have committed 16.4 turnovers per game heading into the NCAA Tournament. Thus, the ability to get those critical extra possessions should only help Arizona State in close tournament games.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Free throw shooting is a potential red flag for the Sun Devils as they are only shooting 69.5 percent from the charity stripe. Arizona State has had some spotty performances at certain times this season. One glaring example is a 67-65 road loss at Washington State against a Cougar team that has improved, but if you are the Sun Devils you can’t lose that game. Cold shooting nights could also end the Arizona State run very quickly as the 71-61 loss at USC on February 29th uncovered that potential issue. The Sun Devils only made 29.6 percent of their shots from the floor in the second half, which allowed the Trojans to pull away for the victory.
Probable Starters:
Remy Martin, Junior, Guard, 19.1 ppg, 4.1 apg, 1.5 spg
Rob Edwards, Redshirt Senior, Guard, 11.6 ppg
Romello White, Redshirt Junior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Kimani Lawrence, Junior, Forward, 4.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Mickey Mitchell, Senior, Forward, 1.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Key Role Players:
Alonzo Verge Jr., Junior, Guard, 14.6 ppg, 2.3 apg
Taeshon Cherry, Sophomore, Forward, 4.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Jaelen House, Freshman, Guard, 3.9 ppg, 1.2 apg
Jalen Graham, Freshman, Forward, 3.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.8 (102nd in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.5 (205, 12)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.9 (223, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.8 (171, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.3 (165, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.3 (229, 11)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.5 (222, 11)
Rebound Margin: -2.3 (281, 12)
Assists Per Game: 11.1 (313, 11)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.4 (188, 6)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2019 | NCAA | First Round win over St. John's |
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Buffalo |
| 2018 | NCAA | Opening Round loss to Syracuse |
| 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 3/8
