I'm no doubt excited for a big football game this Saturday, but let's not forget that Tad Boyle and the boys are getting the season started this evening all the way from Shanghai in a non-conference opener vs. Bobby Hurley and Arizona State.
Tip: 8:30pm MST, ESPN2
ODDS: Colorado by 5.5
This breakdown of ASU comes from our friend Hod Rabino, publisher of DevilsDigest, the Rivals site covering Arizona State athletics. Pretty thorough rundown of the team, not quite that different from Colorado, as he explains. ASU, although not possessing that same high level of "quality returning depth" as Tad Boyle likes to put it, has a good handful of returners who are going to be responsible for turning the wheels on the wagon for the Sun Devils.
That JUCO guard Verge appears to be a good (if not, at least on paper, better) counter to Maddox Daniels while McKinley Wright and Remy Martin have no doubt become well-acquainted with each other over the last few years.
Very excited for this one. Take a read below — good pregame content.
Key returning players:
Junior guard Remy Martin (6-foot-0, 170 pounds — 12.9 PPG in 18-19)
Junior forward Romello White (6-foot-8, 235 pounds — 8.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG in 18-19)
Senior guard Rob Edwards (6-foot-5, 205 pounds — 11.1 PPG in 18-19)
Junior forward Kimani Lawrence (6-foot-8, 220 pounds — 8.6 PPG in 18-19)
Key additions:
JUCO guard Alonzo Verge (6-foot-3, 170 pounds, scored over 30 points per game in JUCO ball last year)
Freshman guard Jaelen House (6-foot-2, 160 pounds, averaged 21.6 PPG as a senior in high school, from Phoenix, AZ.)
Question 1: ASU comes off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. The Sun Devils have not made three straight since the early 1980s. Are expectations of ASU this year that the team is capable of doing just that?
Hod Rabino: "First and foremost, expectations, with back to back Tournament appearances, something that no other Pac-12 team can claim in that time period, are still there. When you lose two players to NBA rosters in Luguentz Dort and Zylan Cheatham, it’s hard to replace that level of talent, and even thought ASU does have a Top 25 (2020) class, it’s still a class that I don’t know (is capable) of producing that many immediate impact players.
Maybe it’s more of a case where next year and beyond we’ll see what they contribute.
I think expectations are still there. I think everybody is aware that this year the Pac-12, at least on paper, should be much, much stronger of a conference than it was last year. But a lot of (that) are because of really talented freshmen that are going to be playing on a lot of different teams.
Arizona State is kind of hoping that the proven veterans that they have coming back can really counter all that infusion of talent. In that state, I don’t think ASU is really that much different than Colorado.
Now, Colorado has better overall returning talent than ASU, but they’re similar in that they’re really not going to live and die by the freshmen compared to teams like Washington and Arizona, and it’s actually going to be their veteran players that are really going to dictate what kind of season they’re going to have. That’s why I think this matchup on Friday is really interesting.
Just like Colorado has high expectations just because of the veteran players coming back, not because of newcomers, I think the same could be said of ASU. I don’t know if ASU is going to finish second in the conference like they did last year, but to finish in the top 4, I don’t think it’s that far-fetched.
I think there’s optimism in Tempe but maybe not at the level it was at last year."
Question 2: ASU appears to have a similarly tough non-conference schedule, with Colorado, St. John's, Creighton and St. Mary's on the list. Is that something Bobby Hurley has sought out?
Hod Rabino: "That’s something that Bobby Hurley has done an excellent job at from day one. Even with the talent level he had in his first and second-year teams is nowhere near the talent he has now or even last year, he always made sure to schedule a very challenging slate. I think everybody should be really pleased with that aspect alone. It really helps RPI.
Not to harp on previous head coach Herb Sendek, but he had two 20-win seasons in Tempe where he did not go to the NCAA Tournament exactly because of that reason — scheduling a very weak non-conference schedule and not having a high RPI when selection Sunday came through.
Bobby Hurley always does a great job with that and it really does prepare the team for the rigors of the Pac-12. Now, ironically, folks may remember that it was only two years ago where ASU was a perfect 12-0 in non-conference play, ranked third in the country, but then their Pac-12 results were an absolute disaster. They finished eighth in the Pac-12 and just because they had such as strong non-conference schedule, they beat Kansas among other teams, they were able to sneak in to the Tournament.
So it’s not always a precursor to a successful Pac-12 season but at the end of the day, it does prepare you and maybe if nothing else, gives you enough good will or equity to be looked at favorably on Selection Sunday.
When it comes to non-conference schedules, Bobby Hurley does a great job with ASU."
Question 3: How have you felt about Remy Martin and his development? What do you see him doing for this team as a junior?
Hod Rabino: “Remy Martin is one of those old juniors if you will. He played so much as an underclassman — I think he was pretty much a veteran last year and even as a freshman, even though ASU had three senior guards, Remy Martin saw a lot of playing time and really was a focal point in some of those victories for ASU.
He’s definitely one of the best returning players in the Pac-12, there’s no doubt about that.
Not only does he have a high number of assists, but also his assist to turnover ratio I believe in Pac-12 play along, he did lead the entire conference. He’s a guy that usually has really sound decision-making, really takes care of the bell quite well.
I know sometimes ASU fans cringe about his shot selection or even the form of his shot but when you look at his numbers, he’s more successful than not in that area.
He’s definitely the engine that makes ASU go. It’s hard to imagine any given game where ASU wins without Remy Martin not having at least a decent game. He’s definitely a ball distributor first but has shown progress as a shooter, too. I have no reason to believe that he’s not going to take the next step this year."
Question 4: Who makes up the nucleus of this team?
Hod Rabino: "ASU is in that unique situation where, yes, you do have that Top 25 class but you’re not going to point to many newcomers at all that are going to make an immediate impact, but that’s what makes ASU very similar to Colorado and different to UW and U of A, to where if their true freshmen are not blazing out of the gate, they’re going to have a real tough time because returning talent is simply not there.
ASU is going to look to Romello White, Rob Edwards, Kiman Lawrence, who was a player that even here in ASU’s backyard, a lot of teams overlooked, but I think somebody who can be very significant, not only as a scorer but also on defense.
ASU is going to be dependent a lot on this returning talent but I think you have a lot of proven returning players. The newcomers are going to be more of puzzle pieces to fit here and there, mainly coming off the bench in support of the veterans."
Question 5: On the note of some of those newcomers, could you give me a few to look out for Friday night?
Hod Rabino: "One newcomer is junior college guard Alonzo Verge. He put up crazy numbers in junior college and so far the preseason buzz is definitely there. He’s somebody who has impressed a lot of observers right off the bat, he’s penciled in as a starter, just a very pure shooter and somebody that can get ASU more of that outside shooting ability.
Even though ASU wasn’t a bad team by any means last year, I felt was one component that was hit and miss. Rob Edwards being injured for long stretches of the season also hurt ASU’s jump shooting ability.
With Alonzo Verge, even though he’s a newcomer, I still think that he’s going to be a focal point of this ASU offense. He’s a player who can have the best of both worlds. If you put too much attention on him as an opposing defense, there’s definitely veterans on the ASU roster who can pick it up. And if you’re more concerned about other veterans he’s definitely someone who can sneak up on you.
That’s one player that I think I’m the most excited and fans are the most excited to watch.
There’s true freshman Jaelen House, son of Eddie House, one of the greats in ASU program history. He’s somebody who could be a nice spark plug off the bench, somebody who has extreme energy on both ends of the floor, has a pretty good outside shot — can be somewhat erratic, but if he can play under control more than he did his senior year in high school, I think ASU could have a really valuable sixth man."
Question 6: View on this game vs. Colorado?
Hod Rabino: "I definitely think Arizona State knows that they have quite a challenge right out of the gate and it’s rare in basketball that you start with such a quality opponent in week one or game one. I’m careful to say this is a litmus test, because there’s only so much you can gain after a first game...but I think it’s nice ASU does have such a stiff test right off the bat and even though it’s a non-conference team, the fact that it’s a Pac-12 team, it adds a lot of intrigue to this matchup.
If ASU ends up winning this game in China, then I do think it’s a nice feather in their cap, but (not a sweeping) long term conclusion...but you can definitely point to this game if they do win and say that maybe this team is better than people think they are.
On one hand, it’s a great test, it can definitely tell you some things about the program, but on the other hand, no matter what the score of this game is, I don’t think you can make any long term conclusions about the rest of the season.
It’s a great challenge and greatly intriguing game, even if it wasn’t played in China."
Tip: 8:30pm MST, ESPN2
ODDS: Colorado by 5.5
This breakdown of ASU comes from our friend Hod Rabino, publisher of DevilsDigest, the Rivals site covering Arizona State athletics. Pretty thorough rundown of the team, not quite that different from Colorado, as he explains. ASU, although not possessing that same high level of "quality returning depth" as Tad Boyle likes to put it, has a good handful of returners who are going to be responsible for turning the wheels on the wagon for the Sun Devils.
That JUCO guard Verge appears to be a good (if not, at least on paper, better) counter to Maddox Daniels while McKinley Wright and Remy Martin have no doubt become well-acquainted with each other over the last few years.
Very excited for this one. Take a read below — good pregame content.
Key returning players:
Junior guard Remy Martin (6-foot-0, 170 pounds — 12.9 PPG in 18-19)
Junior forward Romello White (6-foot-8, 235 pounds — 8.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG in 18-19)
Senior guard Rob Edwards (6-foot-5, 205 pounds — 11.1 PPG in 18-19)
Junior forward Kimani Lawrence (6-foot-8, 220 pounds — 8.6 PPG in 18-19)
Key additions:
JUCO guard Alonzo Verge (6-foot-3, 170 pounds, scored over 30 points per game in JUCO ball last year)
Freshman guard Jaelen House (6-foot-2, 160 pounds, averaged 21.6 PPG as a senior in high school, from Phoenix, AZ.)
Question 1: ASU comes off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. The Sun Devils have not made three straight since the early 1980s. Are expectations of ASU this year that the team is capable of doing just that?
Hod Rabino: "First and foremost, expectations, with back to back Tournament appearances, something that no other Pac-12 team can claim in that time period, are still there. When you lose two players to NBA rosters in Luguentz Dort and Zylan Cheatham, it’s hard to replace that level of talent, and even thought ASU does have a Top 25 (2020) class, it’s still a class that I don’t know (is capable) of producing that many immediate impact players.
Maybe it’s more of a case where next year and beyond we’ll see what they contribute.
I think expectations are still there. I think everybody is aware that this year the Pac-12, at least on paper, should be much, much stronger of a conference than it was last year. But a lot of (that) are because of really talented freshmen that are going to be playing on a lot of different teams.
Arizona State is kind of hoping that the proven veterans that they have coming back can really counter all that infusion of talent. In that state, I don’t think ASU is really that much different than Colorado.
Now, Colorado has better overall returning talent than ASU, but they’re similar in that they’re really not going to live and die by the freshmen compared to teams like Washington and Arizona, and it’s actually going to be their veteran players that are really going to dictate what kind of season they’re going to have. That’s why I think this matchup on Friday is really interesting.
Just like Colorado has high expectations just because of the veteran players coming back, not because of newcomers, I think the same could be said of ASU. I don’t know if ASU is going to finish second in the conference like they did last year, but to finish in the top 4, I don’t think it’s that far-fetched.
I think there’s optimism in Tempe but maybe not at the level it was at last year."
Question 2: ASU appears to have a similarly tough non-conference schedule, with Colorado, St. John's, Creighton and St. Mary's on the list. Is that something Bobby Hurley has sought out?
Hod Rabino: "That’s something that Bobby Hurley has done an excellent job at from day one. Even with the talent level he had in his first and second-year teams is nowhere near the talent he has now or even last year, he always made sure to schedule a very challenging slate. I think everybody should be really pleased with that aspect alone. It really helps RPI.
Not to harp on previous head coach Herb Sendek, but he had two 20-win seasons in Tempe where he did not go to the NCAA Tournament exactly because of that reason — scheduling a very weak non-conference schedule and not having a high RPI when selection Sunday came through.
Bobby Hurley always does a great job with that and it really does prepare the team for the rigors of the Pac-12. Now, ironically, folks may remember that it was only two years ago where ASU was a perfect 12-0 in non-conference play, ranked third in the country, but then their Pac-12 results were an absolute disaster. They finished eighth in the Pac-12 and just because they had such as strong non-conference schedule, they beat Kansas among other teams, they were able to sneak in to the Tournament.
So it’s not always a precursor to a successful Pac-12 season but at the end of the day, it does prepare you and maybe if nothing else, gives you enough good will or equity to be looked at favorably on Selection Sunday.
When it comes to non-conference schedules, Bobby Hurley does a great job with ASU."
Question 3: How have you felt about Remy Martin and his development? What do you see him doing for this team as a junior?
Hod Rabino: “Remy Martin is one of those old juniors if you will. He played so much as an underclassman — I think he was pretty much a veteran last year and even as a freshman, even though ASU had three senior guards, Remy Martin saw a lot of playing time and really was a focal point in some of those victories for ASU.
He’s definitely one of the best returning players in the Pac-12, there’s no doubt about that.
Not only does he have a high number of assists, but also his assist to turnover ratio I believe in Pac-12 play along, he did lead the entire conference. He’s a guy that usually has really sound decision-making, really takes care of the bell quite well.
I know sometimes ASU fans cringe about his shot selection or even the form of his shot but when you look at his numbers, he’s more successful than not in that area.
He’s definitely the engine that makes ASU go. It’s hard to imagine any given game where ASU wins without Remy Martin not having at least a decent game. He’s definitely a ball distributor first but has shown progress as a shooter, too. I have no reason to believe that he’s not going to take the next step this year."
Question 4: Who makes up the nucleus of this team?
Hod Rabino: "ASU is in that unique situation where, yes, you do have that Top 25 class but you’re not going to point to many newcomers at all that are going to make an immediate impact, but that’s what makes ASU very similar to Colorado and different to UW and U of A, to where if their true freshmen are not blazing out of the gate, they’re going to have a real tough time because returning talent is simply not there.
ASU is going to look to Romello White, Rob Edwards, Kiman Lawrence, who was a player that even here in ASU’s backyard, a lot of teams overlooked, but I think somebody who can be very significant, not only as a scorer but also on defense.
ASU is going to be dependent a lot on this returning talent but I think you have a lot of proven returning players. The newcomers are going to be more of puzzle pieces to fit here and there, mainly coming off the bench in support of the veterans."
Question 5: On the note of some of those newcomers, could you give me a few to look out for Friday night?
Hod Rabino: "One newcomer is junior college guard Alonzo Verge. He put up crazy numbers in junior college and so far the preseason buzz is definitely there. He’s somebody who has impressed a lot of observers right off the bat, he’s penciled in as a starter, just a very pure shooter and somebody that can get ASU more of that outside shooting ability.
Even though ASU wasn’t a bad team by any means last year, I felt was one component that was hit and miss. Rob Edwards being injured for long stretches of the season also hurt ASU’s jump shooting ability.
With Alonzo Verge, even though he’s a newcomer, I still think that he’s going to be a focal point of this ASU offense. He’s a player who can have the best of both worlds. If you put too much attention on him as an opposing defense, there’s definitely veterans on the ASU roster who can pick it up. And if you’re more concerned about other veterans he’s definitely someone who can sneak up on you.
That’s one player that I think I’m the most excited and fans are the most excited to watch.
There’s true freshman Jaelen House, son of Eddie House, one of the greats in ASU program history. He’s somebody who could be a nice spark plug off the bench, somebody who has extreme energy on both ends of the floor, has a pretty good outside shot — can be somewhat erratic, but if he can play under control more than he did his senior year in high school, I think ASU could have a really valuable sixth man."
Question 6: View on this game vs. Colorado?
Hod Rabino: "I definitely think Arizona State knows that they have quite a challenge right out of the gate and it’s rare in basketball that you start with such a quality opponent in week one or game one. I’m careful to say this is a litmus test, because there’s only so much you can gain after a first game...but I think it’s nice ASU does have such a stiff test right off the bat and even though it’s a non-conference team, the fact that it’s a Pac-12 team, it adds a lot of intrigue to this matchup.
If ASU ends up winning this game in China, then I do think it’s a nice feather in their cap, but (not a sweeping) long term conclusion...but you can definitely point to this game if they do win and say that maybe this team is better than people think they are.
On one hand, it’s a great test, it can definitely tell you some things about the program, but on the other hand, no matter what the score of this game is, I don’t think you can make any long term conclusions about the rest of the season.
It’s a great challenge and greatly intriguing game, even if it wasn’t played in China."
