Men's Hoops to Play BYU in Vegas Showdown

By: Connor Smith

LAS VEGAS - Sun Devil Men's Basketball will participate in the 2023 Vegas Showdown taking place Nov. 23-24 at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

ESPN officially announced the matchups on Tuesday after releasing the four teams that would make up the field back in May. Arizona State is joined by BYU, NC State, and Vanderbilt in the four-team event. Two semifinal contests will be held on Thursday, Nov. 23 leading to the consolation (losing teams) and championship games (winning teams) on Friday, Nov. 24.

The Sun Devils will take on BYU on Thursday, Nov. 23 at 9 PM AZT in the second of the two Vegas Showdown semifinals. Vanderbilt and NC State will play in the first matchup of the day, with both games broadcasted on ESPN2. 

Three of the four teams in the 2023 Vegas Showdown are coming off a postseason appearance, highlighted by 2023 NCAA Tournament participants Arizona State and NC State. The inaugural version of this event is shaping up to be extremely entertaining, featuring four teams generating plenty of preseason buzz. 

Not only is there plenty of star power on each team in the 2023 Vegas Showdown, the benches will feature former collegiate and professional standouts. Bobby Hurley (Arizona State), Jerry Stackhouse (Vanderbilt), and Mark Pope (BYU) combined to play 29 seasons in the NBA. Hurley (Duke, '91 & '92) and Pope (Kentucky, '96) each won NCAA Championships as a player.

FULL SCHEDULE
 

GET TICKETS
Tickets for each day of the Vegas Showdown can be purchased online starting Friday, August 11 at 10 am AZT at axs.com.

SUN DEVILS IN VEGAS
Head Coach Bobby Hurley and Sun Devil Men's Basketball are no stranger to competing in Las Vegas, as the program has had plenty of success in the city during his tenure. Arizona State went 3-1 in Las Vegas a season ago, picking up victories over Creighton, Oregon State, and USC. In previous years, Coach Hurley has guided ASU to neutral site tournament championships at the 2017 Continental Tire Invitational and the 2018 MGM Resorts Main Event. Here is a look back at some of the program's biggest triumphs in the Entertainment Capital of the World.  

2022 Jack Jones Hoopfest (Michelob Ultra Arena)
ASU 73, Creighton 71 - Dec. 12
Facing adversity and resisting several significant momentum shifts in the second half, Arizona State overcame a 21-point swing and downed Creighton 73-71 in their last appearance at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Desmond Cambridge Jr. was lethal, dropping his game-high 19 points in only 18 minutes. With ASU taking body blows in the form of a 16-0 Creighton run early in the second half, he drilled two threes in less than 30 seconds to silence the Bluejays faithful. The Sun Devils clamped down defensively - forcing Creighton to miss seven of its final nine shots in the final five minutes - resulting in the massive win.

2018 MGM Resorts Main Event (T-Mobile Arena)
ASU 87, Utah State 82 - Nov. 21
Luguentz Dort earned MVP honors of the MGM Resorts Heavyweight Bracket with a 33-point outing to lift Arizona State to an 87-82 win over Utah State. Dort's tally still is the third-best in program history for by a freshman, behind Mario Bennett (35 in 1992) and Jahii Carson (34 in 2013).

Arizona State moved to 5-0 on the season for only the third time in the past 33 seasons with the victory. This was part of an incredible stretch under Hurley in which the program won 19 straight non-conference games during the regular season.

ASU 72, #15 Mississippi State 67 - Nov. 20
For the second consecutive season, the Sun Devils captured a statement November victory in Las Vegas, NV with the 72-67 win over No. 15 Mississippi State. The Sun Devils broke the Bulldogs full-court press in the final seconds, leading to a slam by Kimani Lawrence that capped off ASU's 4-0 start.

Lawrence drilled a game-winning three from the corner, giving Arizona State a three-point advantage with just 29 seconds to play.  Lawrence tallied a career-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting Monday and snagged five rebounds. With Sun Devil Men's Golf legend Phil Mickelson in attedance, the Maroon & Gold advance to the championship game of the event.

2017 Continental Tire Invitational (Orleans Arena)
ASU 102, #15 Xavier 86 - Nov. 24
Arizona State, elevated by a career-high 40-point performance from Invitational MVP Tra Holder, defeated No. 15 Xavier 102-86 to capture the Continental Tire Invitational Championship. The victory was the program's first win over an opponent ranked in the Top-15 since knocking off then No. 6 Arizona, 81-78, on Feb. 7, 2015. It also marked Arizona State's largest margin of victory (16) over a ranked opponent in the Bobby Hurley era. ASU improved to 6-0, eclipsing the 90+ point-mark in all six games. Collectively Arizona State capped the outing shooting at impressive clips of 56 percent (33-of-59) from the field, 48 percent (13-27) from beyond the arc and 92 percent from the charity stripe (23-of-25).

ASU 92, Kansas State 90 - Nov. 23
Kodi Justice scored 19 of his 28 points in the second half to lead Arizona State to a 92-90 victory over Kansas State on Thanksgiving in the Continental Tire Invitational. ASU reached 90 points for the fifth straight game for the first time since February of 1960, moving to 5-0 for only the second time in 32 years. Justice hit from all over in making 9-of-10 field goal and 6-of-8 free throws. He was perfect in four three-pointers and added three assists and just one turnover in 37 minutes.

ABOUT THE ARENA
The Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is the location of the 2023 Vegas Showcase. The multi-purpose arena is home to World Championship Boxing, premier concerts and special events. With seating for as many as 12,000, the arena, which was recently renovated in 2018, offers excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art lighting and sound. The entertainment venue is home to the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, the city's first professional basketball team, and has hosted prominent events and concerts.

2023-24 SUN DEVIL MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Details on the Sun Devil Men's Basketball schedule will be released throughout the offseason. The Pac-12 Conference will announce the schedule for the 12 member institutions in September. Visit the following link for more information on how to renew season tickets. 

HALL OF FAME SERIES
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will take on Northwestern at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on December 20 as part of Jerry Colangelo's Hall of Fame Series Phoenix. Position Sports - in association with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame - announced the complete field today for the 2023 Hall of Fame Series, which includes premiere matchups in Phoenix at the Footprint Center on December 20. Arizona State is part of a four-game lineup down the road at the home of the NBA's Phoenix Suns, facing off with fellow 2023 NCAA Tournament participant Northwestern in the evening session.

Tickets to Sun Devil Men's Basketball's matchup with Northwestern in the Jerry Colangelo Hall of Fame Series went on sale to the public on July 12th at 10 AM AZT. Visit the following link for more information on how to purchase. 

HOW TO FOLLOW
Arizona State's matchup with BYU in the Vegas Showdown will air on ESPN 2 on November 23 at 9 PM AZT. 

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). Make sure you are following Coach Hurley on Twitter @BobbyHurley11.