Men's Basketball Hosts Colorado in First Big 12 Home Game

ASU hosts Colorado in their first game in over a month at Desert Financial Arena.

Joson Sanon in shooting position

January 3, 2025

TEMPE - Sun Devil Men's Basketball hosts a Big 12 Conference game for the first time in program history.

When Arizona State (9-3, 0-1) welcomes Colorado (9-3, 0-1) to Desert Financial Arena, it will represent the beginning of a new era. It is the first Big 12 Conference home game for the program. Head Coach Bobby Hurley and his team will take the court in front of their own fans for the first time in over a month, with their last home game coming back on Dec. 3. The Maroon and Gold are 4-0 at home this season with a 15.8 average margin of victory.

The Matchup
The Big 12 home opener presents a familiar foe, as Colorado comes to Tempe for ASU's second conference game. Arizona State has faced the Buffaloes at home each of the past three years, including a 76-73 victory this past season. This is the first of two meetings between the two programs in 2024-25, as the Sun Devils return the trip in January.

How to Follow
The Arizona State and Colorado broadcast will be available on ESPN+, scheduled for a 4:00 PM MST tip-off with James Westling (play-by-play) and Corey Williams (analyst) on the call. Make sure to listen to Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd on ESPN 620 AM (KTAR).

Season Metrics (As of 1/2)
NET: 55
Ken Pom: 60
ESPN Strength of Record: 35
RPI (Warren Nolan): 12

NET Positive
The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) ranking is used in determining NCAA Tournament selections. Arizona State is 55th in the current edition. Coach Hurley's team is 3-3 in Quad 1 & 2 games and are undefeated in Quad 3 & 4 matchups. Their two losses are to NET #8 Gonzaga on the road and #4 Florida in Atlanta. ASU has a favorable average opponent NET ranking of 16, an indication of a challenging schedule.

Block Party
Freshman Jayden Quaintance has recorded 38 blocks thus far in the 2024-2025 season, which is the fifth-most of any player in the nation. He has already surpassed Pac-12 career blocks leader Jordan Bachynski on the ASU freshman single-season blocks list. Quaintance has the second-most blocks in a single season by a freshman in program history and has done it in only 12 games. He has two or more blocks in 11 of 12 games this year, including six 4+ block performances.

Sun Devil Freshman Blocks Record (1978-79-present)
55, Mario Bennett, 1991-92
38, Jayden Quaintance, 2024-25
33, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
31, Ike Diogu, 2002-03

We Will Block You
Arizona State is third in the Big 12 and 26th nationally averaging 5.3 blocks per game. Freshman Jayden Quaintance is a big reason why, contributing a league-best 3.2. Basheer Jihad, Shawn Phillips Jr., Alston Mason, and BJ Freeman each have four or more blocks this season.

Hitting the Glass
Not only has Quaintance solidified his status as a premier shot blocker nationally, he has also been outstanding on the glass. He is on pace to become the program's all-time leader in rebounds per game by a freshman, a record previously held by Ike Diogu back in 2002-03. Quaintance is fifth in the Big 12 with 97 rebounds.

Sun Devil Freshman Rebounds per Game Record (1978-79-present)
8.1 Jayden Quaintance, 2024-25
7.8, Ike Diogu, 2002-03
7.1, Romello White, 2017-18
6.8, Mario Bennett, 1991-92
6.2, Marcus Bagley, 2020-21
6.2, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
6.1, Jeff Pendergraph, 2005-06
5.8, Johnny Nash, 1976-77
5.4, Kyle Cain, 2010-11
5.3, James Harden, 2007-08

Trophy Case
Jayden Quaintance - Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (12/23)
Joson Sanon - Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week (11/18)

Don't Count Us Out
The Sun Devils have come back to win a game when trailing at halftime 47 times during the Bobby Hurley era, including three of the past six games. Since 2015-16, the Maroon and Gold are Top-25 in the nation in halftime comeback victories. Here is the full list of comebacks.

2024-25 (3)
(-2) UMass 33, ASU 31/Dec. 21, 2024/ASU 78, UMass 62
(-2) Saint Mary's 34, ASU 32/Nov. 29, 2024/ASU 68, New Mexico 64
(-3) New Mexico 37, ASU 34/Nov. 28, 2024/ASU 85, New Mexico 82

Comfortable when it is Close
Sun Devils is 19-8 in two-possession games over the past three seasons. Arizona State is 61-42 (59.2%) in close games in the Bobby Hurley era and 3-0 this season.

Sun Devils in Games of Six Points or Less
2024-25 (3-0)
ASU 68, Saint Mary's 64 (Nov. 29, 2024)
ASU 85, New Mexico 82 (Nov. 28, 2024)
ASU 93, Cal Poly 89 (Nov. 20, 2024)

Last Time Out
Sun Devil Men's Basketball fell in their Big 12 Conference opener on the road against BYU Tuesday afternoon. Arizona State (9-3, 0-1) dropped the contest to the Cougars (10-2, 1-0) in their league debut in front of 16,926 fans at the Marriott Center. Head Coach Bobby Hurley's team mounted several comebacks after falling behind early in the game, but eventually suffered a 76-56 defeat.

BYU jumped out to an early 26-10 lead in the first half, riding the momentum provided by their home court. The Sun Devils managed to cut the deficit to five points by halftime, including a 6-0 run to end the half. Another Cougar spurt to start the second half pushed the lead back to double digits, creating an insurmountable margin for the road team. In their first Big 12 game, the freshman trio of Jayden Quaintance, Joson Sanon, and Amier Ali showed flashes in a tough road atmosphere. Each finished with eight points on at least 50% shooting from the field. Senior guard/forward BJ Freeman led the way for the Sun Devils in the scoring column, finishing with 11 points thanks to a trio of three pointers.

Defending Demin
A group effort was responsible for holding Cougars' star freshman guard and projected first round pick Egor Demin to only four points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field of 0-of-5 shooting from three.

Sansational Start
Joson Sanon continues to emerge as one of the premier freshman in the country. He is averaging a team-best 13.5 points per game this season, which is the most among Big 12 freshman. Sanon is third in the Big 12 shooting 48.3% (28-of-58) from three-point range this season. Sanon is tied for 22nd nationally among freshman in points per game and is currently averaging the eighth-most points of any freshmen in program history.

Points per Game at Arizona State (Freshman Season)
19.0, Ike Diogu, 2002-03
18.5, Jahii Carson, 2012-13
17.8, James Harden, 2007-08
16.1, Luguentz Dort, 2018-19
15.4, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
14.3, Josh Christopher, 2020-21
13.6, Byron Scott, 1979-80
13.5, Joson Sanon, 2024-25

Ba-Sheer Force
In his first two games, Basheer Jihad combined for five points on 1-of-10 shooting. Over his past ten games, Jihad has accumulated 154 points (15.4 ppg) on 45-of-86 (52.3%) shooting . He is also 55-for-73 (75.3%) from the free throw line during that span. He leads the Big 12 in free throw attempts (75) and is second in free throws made (57).

Mr. Reliable
Alston Mason has been a steady presence in the lineup for Head Coach Bobby Hurley at point guard. Mason has led the team in minutes in nine of the 12 games. He averages 33.4 minutes per game, which is third in the Big 12 behind only UCF's Darius Johnson and West Virginia's Javon Small. Mason is also shooting a team-high 82.5% from the free-throw line, the seventh-best mark in the Big 12.

Double Doubles
Jayden Quaintance is one of only eight Big 12 players with three or more double doubles this year. He is the only freshman in the league that has accomplished the feat.

Getting Comfortable
Jayden Quaintance continues to show improvement throughout the season. Take a closer look at a comparison between his first four and last eight games.

Jayden Quaintance Statistical Breakdown
Last Eight Games: 11.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 55.7% FG
First Four Games: 5.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 38.9% FG

Milestone Watch
Basheer Jihad (1,021) and Adam Miller (1,029) recently surpassed the 1,000-point mark in their career. Alston Mason (995) is only 5 points away from reaching the mark. BJ Freeman (1,286) already reached the mark last year and is only 14 points away from 1,300 career points.

Non-Conference Start
Arizona State has won nine or more of their first 11 games for the fourth time under the Bobby Hurley era (2017-18, 2018-19, 2022-23, 2024-25). This is despite having played the fewest non-conference home games (4) of any Power 4 team. The 81.8% winning percentage is the seventh-best for the program in the non-conference since 1999-2000.

Best Non-Conference Winning % (1999-2000 to Present)
2017-18: 12-0 (1.000)
2008-09: 11-1 (.917)
2004-05: 11-1 (.917)
2013-14: 11-2 (.846)
2012-13: 11-2 (.846)
2007-08: 10-2 (.833)
2024-25: 9-2 (.818)
2022-23: 9-2 (.818)

Neutralizing the Opponent
Arizona State continues their success under Bobby Hurley at neutral sites. ASU picks up their fifth neutral site win of the season already, which is a new program record. The Sun Devils have defeated four teams that won 20+ games in neutral settings already in 2024-25 (Saint Mary's, Grand Canyon, Santa Clara, New Mexico). Three were 2024 NCAA Tournament participants. ASU has now won 18 games overall under Hurley in neutral games. That includes past wins over NC State, Kansas State, St. John's, Mississippi State, Xavier, Michigan, Utah State, New Mexico, Saint Mary's, Creighton, Santa Clara, and UMass.

2024-25 (5-1)
ASU 78, UMass 62 (Dec. 21, 2024) - MGM Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame Classic (Springfield, MA)
Florida 83, ASU 66 (Dec. 14, 2024) - Holiday Hoopsgiving at State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA)
ASU 68, Saint Mary's 64 (Nov. 29, 2024) - Acrisure Series (Palm Desert, CA)
ASU 85, New Mexico (Nov. 28, 2024) - Acrisure Series (Palm Desert, CA)
ASU 87 vs. Grand Canyon 76 (Nov. 14, 2024) - Hall off Fame Series at Footprint Center (Phoenix, AZ)
ASU 81, Santa Clara 74 (Nov. 8, 2024) - Hoopfest at Lee's Family Forum (Las Vegas, NV)

The Sun Devils are one of only four teams in the country that has at least five wins at neutral sites, joined by No. 2 Auburn, No. 6 Florida, and No. 14 Oklahoma. Those five wins have come by an average margin of 8.2 points, including double digit wins over UMass and Grand Canyon. The five neutral site wins are a program record.

The Hurley Era
Bobby Hurley has won 164 games at ASU and he is only the second coach in program history to reach the mark. With the win over Cal Poly, he passed Herb Sendek for the second-most victories in program history.

Career Wins at ASU
406, Ned Wulk (1957-82)
164, Bobby Hurley (2015-present)
159, Herb Sendek (2006-15)

Milestone Complete
Hurley earned the 200th win in his head coaching career between Arizona State and Buffalo in his 12th season at the Division I level when ASU defeated Grand Canyon. 164 of those wins have come with Sun Devil Men's Basketball. Hurley also earned his 150th career win when ASU beat Grand Canyon back in 2021.

About those Sun Devil Wins
Coach Hurley has notched 164 wins at Arizona State and has done it while scheduling aggressively and not being afraid to play on the road. He has won 103 games in Arizona, but also has won at least five games in California (16), Nevada (13), Oregon (six) and Washington (five). Four wins have taken place in Utah, three in New York, and two in Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Single wins have taken place in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Texas.

Constant Competition
Head Coach Bobby Hurley and his staff have once again constructed an extremely challenging slate that saw Arizona State hosting winning programs and taking on strong competition away from home. The 11-game schedule featured seven contests away from home and four at Desert Financial Arena in addition to the exhibition matchup with Duke prior to the season on Oct. 27. ASU faced 2024 NCAA Tournament participants Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, New Mexico, Saint Mary's, and Florida before Big 12 play has even started.

AP Top-16 (ASU game)
1. Tennessee
2. Auburn
3. Iowa State (Jan. 25 home game)
4. Duke (Oct. 27 road game; Exhibition)
5. Alabama
6. Florida (Dec. 14 neutral site game)
7. Kansas (Jan. 8 road game)
8. Marquette
9. Oregon
10. Kentucky
11. UConn
12. Oklahoma
13. Texas A&M
14. Houston (Feb. 18 home game)
15. UCLA
16. Cincinnati (Jan. 18 road game)
Arizona State plays six AP Top-16 teams.

Phenomenal Freshman
Head Coach Bobby Hurley put together a Top-10 recruiting class, the highest in program history. It was ranked No. 9 by 247 Sports and No. 8 by Rivals and features a five-star recruit alongside two high four-star prospects.

F Jayden Quaintance

The highest-rated recruit to ever sign with Arizona State.
Ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect in the entire class of 2024 and the No. 2 center prospect by 247 Sports
Rivals tabbed him as the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 1 center in the 2024 class
Consensus five-star recruit and No. 1 prospect out of the state of North Carolina among all the major recruiting services
2024 McDonald's All-American

G Joson Sanon

Third-highest ranked recruit to ever sign with Arizona State according to 247 Sports, trailing only Jayden Quaintance and Josh Christopher
Ranked as the No. 24 overall prospect in the entire class of 2024 and the No. 5 shooting guard prospect by 247 Sports
Identified as the No. 26 overall player and No. 8 shooting guard in the nation by Rivals
ESPN lists him as the No. 23 overall prospect in their Top-100 and the No. 6 shooting guard in the class of 2024

G/F Amier Ali

11th-highest ranked recruit to ever sign with Arizona State according to 247 Sports
ESPN lists him at No. 54 in their Top-100 prospect rankings
- No. 15 small forward prospect in the nation
- No. 3 prospect in the state of Arizona
No. 98 overall prospect in the nation according to 247 Sports
- No. 21 small forward prospect in the country
- No. 5 prospect in the state of Arizona
Tabbed by Rivals as the No. 104 overall prospect and No. 27 small forward in the class of 2024

Impact Transfers
A five-man transfer class immediately bolstered the Sun Devil Men's Basketball roster. It is one of the premier transfer classes in program history. BJ Freeman, Alston Mason, and Basheer Jihad join the fold after leading their teams in scoring a season ago. Brandon Gardner and Austin Nunez return to Arizona State after making strong connections with the staff in their previous recruitment process.

F Brandon Gardner, USC
G/F BJ Freeman, UW Milwaukee
G Alston Mason, Missouri State
F Basheer Jihad, Ball State
G Austin Nunez, Ole Miss

Youth movement
Arizona State freshman forward Jayden Quaintance enters the 2024-25 season as the youngest player in college basketball. He is over six months younger than the second-youngest on the list, which is Duke's Cooper Flagg.

Name	School	Birthdate
Jayden Quaintance	Arizona State	07/2007
Cooper Flagg	Duke	12/2006
Colt Langdon	Butler	11/2006
Bryce Heard	NC State	10/2006
Khaman Maluach	Duke	09/2006

Family Ties
The Sun Devil Men's Basketball roster features several connections through bloodline. Head Coach Bobby Hurley's son, Bobby Hurley, is a senior guard on the team. Senior guard Alston Mason's father, Alton Mason, played at Arizona State from 1998-2001. Senior guard Jordan Williams cousin is legendary Sun Devil guard James Harden.

Roster Snapshot (numerical)
#0 Brandon Gardner (Redshirt Freshman/Forward/USC/Waynesboro, GA)
#1 Alston Mason (Senior/Guard/Missouri State/Phoenix, AZ)
#2 Austin Nunez (Junior/Guard/Ole Miss/Garden Ridge, TX)
#3 Joson Sanon (Freshman/Guard/Saxton Rivers, VT)
#5 Amier Ali (Freshman/Guard/Forward/Little Elm, TX)
#6 Connor Braun (Graduate/Forward/Northeastern/Tempe, AZ)
#8 Basheer Jihad (Senior/Forward/Ball State/Detroit, MI)
#9 Shawn Phillips Jr. (Junior/Center/Dayton, OH)
#10 BJ Freeman (Senior/Guard & Forward/UW Milwaukee/Selma, NC)
#11 Bobby Hurley (Senior/Guard/Scottsdale, AZ)
#14 Chianti Clay (Senior/Guard/University of Fort Lauderdale/Milwaukee, WI)
#21 Jayden Quaintance (Freshman/Forward/Raleigh, NC)
#22 Quentin McCoy (Freshman/Guard/Chicago, IL)
#25 Jordan Williams (Senior/Guard/Los Angeles, CA)
#33 Brycen Long (Graduate/Guard/Gilbert, AZ)
#44 Adam Miller (Redshirt Senior/Guard/Peoria, IL)
5 returners; 7 transfers; 4 incoming freshman

Big 12 Play
The Big 12 embarks on its first season as a 16-team league, with league games starting December 30. The Conference schedule increases to 20 games, with teams playing five opponents twice and 10 foes once.

2024-25 Sun Devil Men's Basketball Big 12 Schedule
Dec. 31 (Tues.) - at BYU
Jan. 4 (Sat.) - vs. Colorado
Jan. 8 (Wed.) - at Kansas
Jan. 11 (Sat.) - vs. Baylor
Jan. 14 (Tues.) - vs. UCF
Jan. 18 (Sat.) - at Cincinnati
Jan. 21 (Tues.) - at West Virginia
Jan. 25 (Sat.) - vs. Iowa State
Jan. 28 (Tues.) - at Colorado
Feb. 1 (Sat.) - vs. Arizona
Feb. 4 (Tues.) - vs. Kansas State
Feb. 9 (Sun.) - at Oklahoma State
Feb. 12 (Wed.) - at Texas Tech
Feb. 15 (Sat.) - vs. TCU
Feb. 18 (Tues.) - vs. Houston
Feb. 23 (Sat.) - at Kansas State
Feb. 26 (Wed.) - vs. BYU
March 1 (Sat.) - at Utah
March 4 (Tues.) - at Arizona
March 8 (Sat.) - vs. Texas Tech

Big 12 teams in AP Top 25
3. Iowa State (Jan. 25 home game)
7. Kansas (Jan. 8 road game)
14. Houston (Feb. 18 home game)
17. Cincinnati (Jan. 18 road game)
25. Baylor (Jan. 11 home game)

Big 12 Matchups
Arizona (1 road; 1 home game)
Baylor (1 home game)
BYU (1 road; 1 home game)
Cincinnati (1 road game)
Colorado (1 road; 1 home game)
Houston (1 home game)
Iowa State (1 home game)
Kansas (1 road game)
Kansas State (1 road; 1 home game)
Oklahoma State (1 road game)
TCU (1 home game)
Texas Tech (1 road; 1 home game)
UCF (1 home game)
Utah (1 road game)
West Virginia (1 road game)

2024-25 Arizona State Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Oct. 27 - at Duke (Brotherhood Run Exhibition; Cameron Indoor Stadium)*
Nov. 5 - vs. Idaho State (Home/Regular Season Opener; Desert Financial Arena)
Nov. 8 - Santa Clara (Lee's Family Forum; Las Vegas, NV)
Nov. 10 - at Gonzaga (McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, WA)
Nov. 14 - Grand Canyon (Hall of Fame Series; Footprint Center in Phoenix)
Nov. 17 - vs. St. Thomas (Desert Financial Arena)
Nov. 20 - vs. Cal Poly (Desert Financial Arena)
Nov. 28 - New Mexico (Acrisure Classic; Palm Springs, CA)
Nov. 29 - St. Mary's or USC (Acrisure Classic; Palm Springs, CA)
Dec. 3 - vs. San Diego (Desert Financial Arena)
Dec. 14 - Florida (Holiday Hoopsgiving; Atlanta, GA)
Dec. 21 - UMass (Basketball Hall of Fame Classic; Springfield, MA)
*Exhibition contest

Season Tickets
Season tickets are available starting at just $180. Season tickets include all regular season home games in Desert Financial Arena.
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Mini Plans
6-game mini plans are available starting at just $150. Fans can choose any 6 home games to include in their plan.
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Single-game Tickets
Single-game tickets are on sale now. Visit Sun Devil Tickets for more information on how to purchase. If you are interested in learning more about any of our tickets and experience options, please call or text 480-727-0000 or email grouptickets@asu.edu to contact a Sun Devil ticket sales representative.

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.

Sun Devils on Social
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball program, follow our X/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilHoops), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilHoops/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com). Follow Coach Hurley on X (@BobbyHurley11).

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