Men's Basketball Faces Oregon on the Road

three basketball players celebrating on court

By Karen Genis

January 23, 2024

By: Connor Smith

TEMPE - Sun Devil Men's Basketball heads to Eugene where they will battle Oregon on Thursday at 7 PM MST.

Arizona State (11-7, 5-2) faces the Ducks (13-5, 5-2) in a showdown for first-place in the Pac-12 Conference, with both teams currently tied atop the league. Head Coach Bobby Hurley's program is looking for their third straight win at Matthew Knight Arena and enter the contest having won 10 of their last 15 road conference games.

HOW TO FOLLOW
The broadcast of Sun Devil Men's Basketball's game on Thursday will be on Pac-12 Network when they take on Oregon, scheduled for a 7 PM MST tip-off with J.B. Long (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst) on the call. Make sure to listen to Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP). The action can also be tracked via live stats available here.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Arizona State and Oregon are currently tied with Arizona for first in the Pac-12 standings with a 5-2 league record.
- The winner of this game would remain in first place in the Pac-12.
The Sun Devils are looking for their second straight 6-2 start in the league.
- It would be the first time with back-to-back 6-2 conference starts since the 1979-80 & 1980-81 seasons.
- ASU will attempt to start 6-2 in conference for only the sixth since moving to Pac-10/12.

PAC YOUR BAGS
Arizona State looks to duplicate the success they enjoyed on the road in Pac-12 play last season and during their first league road trip of the year. In 2022-23, the Sun Devils went 6-4 on the road in Pac-12 play, the best mark since the 1980-81 team went 8-1. The 5-4 Pac-12 road mark in 2018-19 gave ASU back-to-back winning road campaigns in the league for the first time since the 2009-10 and 2008-09. Two of the best four Pac-12 road marks in the previous 39 seasons have come under Bobby Hurley. Thanks to their wins over Stanford and Cal, ASU is off to a 2-1 start in league play on the road this season. Arizona State has won 10 of their past 15 on the road in the conference dating back to Feb. 23, 2022, the second-best record of any team during that span (UCLA, 12-6).

LAST TIME IN OREGON
The Sun Devils swept the Oregon Schools on the road for the first time since 2009-10 last season. Desmond Cambridge Jr. was instrumental in the two victories, securing his second Pac-12 Player of the Week honor in the process. ASU started the trip with an impressive 90-73 win over Oregon, their most points in any Pac-12 game in 2022-23. They then capped the trip with a 16-point comeback 74-69 win over Oregon State, their third win in the last four trips to Corvallis.

5-2 PAC-12 START
The Sun Devils have won five of their first seven games in the conference for only the fourth time since 2012-13, something they have only accomplished six total times since 1981-82.

MILESTONE ACHIEVED
Bobby Hurley secured his 150th victory as the head coach of Sun Devil Men's Basketball over Utah on Jan. 4. The win makes him just the third coach in program history to win 150 games at ASU.

ASU MEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH CAREER WINS
406, Ned Wulk (1957-82)
159, Herb Sendek (2006-15)
152, Bobby Hurley (2015-present)

Hurley also collected his 75th win in Pac-12 Conference play earlier in the season, the most of any coach in program history (Pac-10/12 era).

ASU MEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH CAREER PAC-10/12 WINS
76, Bobby Hurley (2015-present)
72, Herb Sendek (2006-15)
67, Bill Frieder (1990-97)
55, Rob Evans (1999-06)
46, Ned Wulk (1978-82)

BRYANT ON THE BOARDS
Forward Bryant Selebangue provided a spark in Arizona State's 82-67 win over USC. He snatched nine offensive rebounds in the first half alone, becoming just the fourth Sun Devil since 1996-97 and first since Jeff Pendergraph in 2007 to grab that many offensive boards. He finished with 11 total rebounds, the 18th double-digit rebounding effort of his career. Selebangue is tied for sixth in the Pac-12 with 41 offensive rebounds and is one of only two in the Top-6 that have played less than 310 minutes (Keba Keita, Utah).

I'LL TAKE THAT
Through 18 games of the 2023-24 season, Frankie Collins has emerged as one of the best perimeter defenders in the nation. Collins has 56 steals, putting him tied for fourth in the country in the category. He is currently third in the nation in steals per game, averaging 3.1 per contest. He matched a program-record with eight steals in the victory over UMass Lowell and has 11 3+-steal performance already this season. Collins is on pace for 96 steals over a 31-game regular season, which would shatter the program record (76 – Lafayette Lever, 1982). His 56 steals are 19 more than any other player in Pac-12 as he now has three games with 6+ steals after a 6-steal performance against USC.

FRANKIE DOES IT ALL
Guard Frankie Collins has emerged as one of the top all-around players in the Pac-12 Conference. He is currently one of only three players in the nation averaging at least 13.9 points (1st on team), 5.0 rebounds (2nd on team), 3.7 assists (1st on team), and 3.1 steals (1st on team). The only other player to boast those averages is Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey. Collins is stuffing the stat sheet in a historic manner while playing only 32.0 minutes per game (13th in the conference). Collins has reached double figures scoring in 17 of the 18 games this season.

Collins was extremely productive in two games against the LA schools. He did a little bit of everything last week, averaging 16.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals in 35.5 minutes while shooting 46.2% from the field and 40.0% from three. Collins finished with 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists while tying a season-high with four three in the matchup against UCLA. He proved the be the difference in Arizona State's 82-67 win over USC on Saturday. Collins impacted the game in many ways in the victory, finishing with 17 points, seven assists, and three rebounds. His offense was only part of what made his effort special, as he added six steals in a virtuoso defensive performance. USC committed a season-high 22 turnovers as the Sun Devil press defense, spearheaded by Collins, caused the Trojans guards problems all game.

COMFORTABLE WHEN IT'S CLOSE
After going 12-5 in games decided by six points or less (two possessions) last year, the Sun Devils are 5-2 in such games so far this season. Coach Hurley's team beat Stanford by three and Cal by two, adding to the strong record. Arizona State is now 40-20 (.666) in close games over the past five seasons. The 40 wins are the most in the nation during that span. ASU is 5-1 in games decided by three points or fewer this season. To take it a step further, ASU is 6-2 over its last seven tilts when the game is decided by a two-point deficit or less. Overall ASU is 25-16 in two point or less games under Bobby Hurley.

DON'T COUNT US OUT
Arizona State has come back to win a game when trailing at halftime 43 times during the Bobby Hurley era, including in both games on the Bay Area road trip to start of Pac-12 play. They trailed by nine points against the Cardinal at the break before pulling off a 76-73 victory. Two days later, they found themselves trailing Cal by ten at half before storming back to come away with a 71-69 win. The 10-point halftime comeback was the fifth in which ASU made up a double-digit deficit under Hurley. It was the first time in the Hurley era that Arizona State has completed consecutive road halftime deficit comeback wins. Since 2015-16, the Sun Devils are Top-15 in the nation and lead the Pac-12 with their 43 halftime comeback victories.

2023-24 (4)
(-10) Cal 35, ASU 25/Dec. 31, 2023/ASU 71, Cal 69
(-9) Stanford 37, ASU 28/Dec. 29, 2023/ASU 76, Stanford 73
(-3) SMU 40, ASU 36/Dec. 6, 2023/ASU 76, SMU 74
(-9) UMass Lowell 31, ASU 22/Nov. 16, 2023/ASU 71, UMass Lowell 69

ASU trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half of the Cal game, making this the second straight season in which they overcame a deficit of at least 16 to win a conference game. The Sun Devils won at Oregon St on 1/14/23 after trailing by as many as 16 in the first half.

ZO SAYS NO
Sun Devil forward Alonzo Gaffney is one of the most versatile defenders in the Pac-12 and is a key to the Arizona State defense. He is one of two players in the conference with at least 27 blocks and 20 steals this season (Adem Bona, UCLA). He recently surpassed the 100-game mark in his Division I career.

ASU RECORD BY STARTING LINEUP
Due injuries to Shawn Phillips Jr. and Zane Meeks early in the season, the Sun Devils have been shorthanded most of the year. With Adam Miller gaining eligibility midway through the campaign, fluctuation continues with Arizona State's roster. This has resulted in Coach Hurley using six different starting lineup combinations through their first 18 games. Frankie Collins and Jamiya Neal are the only two Sun Devils to have started every game. ASU has at least one win with four different lineup combinations. The Sun Devils are 5-2 when Adam Miller and Shawn Phillips Jr. are both available to play.

Frankie Collins, Adam Miller, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Alonzo Gaffney (5-4)
Frankie Collins, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Bryant Selebangue, Alonzo Gaffney (4-1)
Frankie Collins, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Alonzo Gaffney, Shawn Phillips Jr. (1-0)
Frankie Collins, Jamiya Neal, Kamari Lands, Alonzo Gaffney, Shawn Phillips Jr. (1-0)
Frankie Collins, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Kamari Lands, Alonzo Gaffney (0-1)
Frankie Collins, Jose Perez, Jamiya Neal, Kamari Lands, Shawn Phillips Jr. (0-1)

PEREZ WILL MAKE YOU PAY
Graduate transfer Jose Perez has been a huge addition to the Sun Devil Men's Basketball roster. He is one of the best players in the country at getting to the free-throw line. He set a new career-high against SMU earlier in the year, attempting 15 free throws in the victory. Perez has now attempted 670 free throws in his career, the sixth-highest total among active NCAA Division I players. His 495 made free-throws puts him ninth among active NCAA Division I players. Perez is a career 74% shooter from the charity stripe. He currently ranks 47th in the nation and second in the Pac-12 this year with 115 free throw attempts.

Perez is one of only 17 active players at the NCAA Division I level that has reached 1,685 career points (1,689) and 385 career assists (389). Perez has the third-fewest total games played (115) of any player on the list (James Bishop IV, George Washington - 113; Mark Sears, Alabama, 114). In the win over Stanford, he secured his 500th career rebound, making him one of only 24 active players at the Division I level with 1,665 career points and 520 career rebounds (520). To take it a step further, Perez is one of only EIGHT players at the NCAA Division I level with at least 1,685 points, 385 assists, AND 520 rebounds in their career (Tristen Newton - UConn, RayJ Dennis - Baylor, Andrew Taylor - Mississippi State, Marcus Domask - Illinois, Baylor Scheierman - Creighton, Jahmir Yong - Maryland, Aaron Estrada, Alabama). He is one of only 8 players in the Pac-12 to have five or more 20+ point performances.

GAMES PLAYED (2023-24 | Career)
Alonzo Gaffney played in his 100th career game at the Division I level against Washington. He becomes the third Sun Devil on the current roster to reach that mark, joining Zane Meeks and Jose Perez. ASU has seven players with over 70 games of experience at the Division I level.

Sun Devils have a combined 833 games of experience at the Division I Level (includes previous school).

60-POINT MARK
Arizona State has only three losses when they score 60+ points (at San Diego, at Washington, vs. UCLA). They are 11-3 in such games this season. ASU is averaging 75.4 points in their 11 wins and 61.0 points in their seven losses. By contrast, the Sun Devils are holding opponents to 66.9 points in their 11 wins and allowing 75.9 points in their seven losses.

THREE-POINT NOTE
The Sun Devils have made at least one three-point field goal in 722 consecutive games dating back to 2/10/2001.

CONSTANT COMPETITION
Coach Hurley has challenged his team with an extremely difficult non-conference slate. Sun Devil Men's Basketball was ready for Pac-12 play after facing one of the toughest schedules in the country so far this season. Here is a closer look at who ASU has played this season.

Mississippi State - 13-5 record; ranked four weeks in AP Poll; undefeated in neutral sites; NET of 35; win over No. 5 Tennessee
vs. Texas Southern - No. 7 NET non-con SOS
vs. UMass Lowell - 14-4 record, 5-0 in AEC; 8-3 road record (win at Georgia Tech)
BYU - 14-4 record; No. 21 ranking in latest AP Poll
vs. San Francisco - 15-5, 4-1 in WCC; NET of 58; best winning % in WCC
vs. SMU - 13-5 record, 4-1 in AAC; NET of 32; 3-2 road record (wins over Florida St. & Murray St.)
TCU - 13-5 record; ranked three weeks in AP Poll; wins over No. 2 Houston and No. 9 Oklahoma
Northwestern - 13-5 record, 4-3 in Big Ten; win over No. 2 Purdue
at Stanford - 8-3 at home including win over No. 12 Arizona
vs. Utah - Quad 1 victory; 14-5 record, 5-3 in Pac-12, NET 25
vs. Colorado - 14-5 record, 5-3 in Pac-12; win over Miami; NET 34
at Washington - 8-2 at home
vs. USC - preseason Top-25; non-conference wins over Kansas State & Seton Hall

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Arizona State features 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

BY CLASS
Graduate Student (2): Zane Meeks (San Francisco), Jose Perez (West Virginia)
Redshirt Senior (1) Alonzo Gaffney
Senior (1): Brycen Long
Redshirt Junior (1): Adam Miller
Junior (6): Frankie Collins, Jamiya Neal, Malachi Davis, Bobby Hurley, Bryant Selebangue, Jordan Williams
Sophomore (3): Kamari Lands, Shawn Phillips Jr., Zack Markus
Freshman (3): Braelon Green, Andrew Mayock, Akil Watson

BY STATE (10 States Represented)
Ohio (3) – Jamiya Neal (Toledo), Alonzo Gaffney (Cleveland), Shawn Phillips Jr. (Dayton)
New York (3) – Jose Perez (Bronx), Zack Markus (New York City), Akil Watson (Middletown)
California (2) – Frankie Collins (Sacramento), Jordan Williams (Los Angeles)
Canada (2) – Malachi Davis (Toronto), Bryant Selebangue (Montreal)
Arizona (2) – Brycen Long (Gilbert), Bobby Hurley (Scottsdale)
Indiana (1) – Kamari Lands (Indianapolis)
Michigan (1) – Braelon Green (Southfield)
Connecticut (1) – Andrew Mayock (New Canaan)
Kansas (1) – Zane Meeks (Prairie Village)
Illinois (1) – Adam Miller (Peoria)

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.

HERE TO STAY
The Arizona State Board of Regents 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.

WHERE TO WATCH
All 31 of Arizona State's games will be televised, with Coach Hurley's squad making appearances on ESPN, FOX, CBS Sports, Pac-12 Network and several major network affiliates in addition to online streaming platforms.

PHOENIX HOSTING THE 2024 MEN'S FINAL FOUR
The 2024 Men's Final Four will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., with the national semifinals on Saturday, April 6 and the National Championship game on Monday, April 8, 2024. This is the second time the state of Arizona has hosted the Final Four, also doing so back in 2017. Arizona State will once again serve as the host institution as they did for the 2017 edition.

SUN DEVILS ON SOCIAL
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program, follow our Twitter/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilHoops), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilHoops/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com).

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