Men's Basketball Draws Mississippi State in Season Opener
By: Connor Smith
TEMPE - The 2023-24 Sun Devil Men's Basketball season tips-off Wednesday at 7:30 PM when Arizona State takes on Mississippi State as part of the Barstool Sports Invitational.
Bobby Hurley enters his ninth year at the helm in Tempe with arguably one of his deepest and most versatile teams. The matchup between Arizona State and Mississippi State will take place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. ASU is opening up away from home for the third time in the past five years after beginning the season at home eight straight years from 2011-2018.
HOW TO FOLLOW
ASU's game against Mississippi State in the Barstool Sports Invitational will be broadcasted on Barstool.TV, scheduled for a 7:30 PM MST tip-off. Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy and Dan "Big Cat" Katz will be on the call along with several other Barstool Sports personalities. Make sure to listen to Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd on ESPN 620 (KTAR). The action can also be tracked via live stats available here.
BARSTOOL SPORTS INVITATIONAL
The second edition of the Barstool Sports Invitational will feature a pair of intriguing matchups in the Windy City.
Game 1 - 5:00 PM AZT Florida Atlantic vs. Loyola Chicago
-- 20 minute warm up following the end of game one --
Game 2 - 7:30 PM AZT Arizona State vs. Mississippi State
--AUDIO: Coach Hurley joins Bickley and Marotta on 98.7 FM for weekly chat (Nov. 6, 2023)
--VIDEO PODCAST: Coach Hurley joins Anthony Totri of GoPHNX.com/Nov. 2, 2023)
MATCHUP WITH MISSISSIPPI STATE
This will be only the third meeting all-time between the two programs, all of which have taken place at neutral sites. Most recently, the Sun Devils took down No. 15 Mississippi State, 72-67, back in 2018 at the MGM Main Event Semifinals in Las Vegas. Arizona State is 2-0 all-time against the Bulldogs, also earning a 70-69 victory at a tournament in Honolulu back in 1987.
SEASON OPENING NOTES
Arizona State is 7-1 in season openers against non-conference opponents in the Bobby Hurley era, having won seven in a row. In five of those games, the Sun Devils have scored 88+ points. ASU is averaging 86.6 points/game over the last seven season-opening games against non-conference foes. Overall since 2000, the Maroon & Gold are 20-5 in season openers dating back to the 1998-99 season.
NEUTRALIZING THE OPPONENT
Arizona State has had some big wins at neutral sites under Coach Hurley in the non-conference, including victories over VCU (Brooklyn), Michigan (Brooklyn), and Creighton (Las Vegas) last year. He now has 12 neutral site victories out of conference during his tenure.
NEUTRAL SITE NON-CONFERENCE WINS SINCE 2015
ASU 73, Creighton 71 - Dec. 12, 2022 at Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas (Jack Jones Shootout)
ASU 87, #20 Michigan 65 - Nov. 17, 2022 at Barclays Center, Brooklyn (Legends Classic)
ASU 63, VCU 59 - Nov. 16, 2022 at Barclays Center, Brooklyn (Legends Classic)
#18 ASU 94, Rhode Island 88 - Nov. 25, 2020 at Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut (2K Empire Classic)
ASU 80, St. John's 67 - Nov. 23, 2019 at Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut (Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Tournament)
ASU 87, Utah State 82 - Nov. 21, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas (MGM Resorts Main Event)
ASU 72, #15 Mississippi State 67 - Nov. 20, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas (MGM Resorts Main Event)
ASU 82, St. John's 70 - Dec. 8, 2017 at STAPLES Center, Los Angeles
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 - Nov. 24, 2017 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas (Continental Tire Invitational)
ASU 92, Kansas State 90 - Nov. 23, 2017 at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas (Continental Tire Invitational)
ASU 80, Tulane 71 - Nov. 18, 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando (Tire Pros Invitational)
ASU 79, NC State 76 - Nov. 23, 2015 at Barclays Center, Brooklyn (BE Classic)
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
With several marquee non-conference matchups away from home, Arizona State will once again be challenged early in the year. The Sun Devils will play 11 games before the holidays, including six games away from home. Beginning with a late December trip to the Bay Area, the Maroon & Gold will play 20-straight conference games, with the Pac-12 eliminating the two standalone league games in the middle of the non-conference portion of the schedule. All 31 of Arizona State's games will be televised, with Coach Hurley's squad making appearances on ESPN, FOX, Pac-12 Network and several major network affiliates in addition to online streaming platforms.
GET TICKETS
Tickets for Sun Devil Men's Basketball 2023-24 non-conference games are on sale now. The non-conference schedule features five home games including an opening night rematch with Texas Southern Saturday, Nov. 11, plus key matchups versus San Francisco and SMU. Conference games will become available on Friday, Nov. 24. Visit the following link for more information. Ticket packages start at just $90 and the home schedule features match-ups against top ranked USC, UCLA and Arizona. Season Tickets and Mini Plans are now available.
HOW GOOD WAS 23 WINS?
ASU won 23 tilts for the first time since 2009 (25 wins led by James Harden) and for just the second time in the past 28 seasons. Prior to 2009, you have to go back to Bill Frieder's 1995 squad that won 24 games to find more wins than the 2023 Sun Devils. Also, it wasn't an easy 23, as it included 13 wins away from home, seven true road wins and a 6-2 mark on neutral floors. The 2023 season marked the fourth 20-win season for ASU in the past six years, after having 20 wins just nine times in the previous 35 seasons.
MOST WINS PROGRAM HISTORY
26 – 1963
25 – 2009, 1975
24 – 1995, 1981
23 – 2023, 1962, 1961
CLOSE GAME SUCCESS
ASU continued its solid play in close game games, going 11-5 in games decided by six points or less, as it is now 35-18 (.660) in close games in the past four seasons.
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.
WEGUARDU
ASU held its opponents to just .399 shooting from the field, the third-best mark in the league and 15th in the nation. It was also tied for the second-best mark in school history, one year after posting what is now the fourth-best.
ASU BEST FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE
.391 -- 1962-63 (791-2024)
.399 -- 2022-23 (836-of-2096)
.399 -- 1971-72 (797-of-1997)
.400 -- 2021-22 (718-1797)
.401 -- 1967-68 (834-2078)
.402 -- 2009-10 (678-1687)
.410 -- 2012-13 (861-2098)
.410 -- 2007-08 (718-1752)
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Arizona State will feature 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
HERE TO STAY
Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson 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.
NEW NUMBERS
Arizona State fans should be on the lookout for a couple of jersey updates. Four Sun Devils have either changed their number from last year or updated it from earlier in the offseason.
#1 Frankie Collins will switch from #10
#8 Alonzo Gaffney will switch from #32
#7 Malachi Davis will switch from #4
#9 Shawn Phillips Jr. will switch from #34
NAVIGATING THE NON-CONFERENCE
Arizona State was extremely successful in the non-conference portion of their 2022-23 schedule, finishing with an 8-2 record last year. That included several marquee victories away from home. The Sun Devils won the Legends Classic in Brooklyn with wins over VCU and No. 20 Michigan. The Maroon & Gold also traveled to SMU and defeated the Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Arguably the biggest win came in Las Vegas, when Coach Hurley's team withstood a big second half run to edge Creighton at the Jack Jones Hoopfest.
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