The Arizona State Sun Devils enter their first Big 12 season trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Bobby Hurley.
The former national championship point guard with the Duke Blue Devils is entering his 10th season in Tempe, which is incredible longevity at any program.
But the Sun Devils are coming off a 14-18 season a year ago, one that saw them miss the NCAA Tournament.
In fact Hurley has missed the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons. Joining the gauntlet that is the Big 12 Conference is likely to make it more difficult to make it back to March Madness.
But, Hurley spent the offseason tapping the transfer portal and building a quality of recruiting class that could help the Sun Devils get things turned back around.
Here’s a preview of the Arizona State Sun Devils’ upcoming season.
Odds
BetOnline’s opening odds gave the Sun Devils +40000 odds to win the national title. The Big 12 coaches picked Arizona State to finish 12th in the preseason poll. Â
Three Players to Watch
G Adam Miller: One of only five returning players from last season, Miller played in 21 games, started 19 and finished the season averaging 12.4 points. The Sun Devils hope to get a full season out of Miller in 2024-25.
G BJ Freeman: The Milwaukee transfer is a dude. He played two seasons with the Panthers and was one of their top scorers both seasons. Last year he averaged 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists as he helped them to the Horizon League championship game.
F Jayden Quaintance: The crown jewel of Hurley’s recruiting class, the 6-9 forward was the No. 9 recruit in the country when he signed with Arizona State last fall. Given the roster configuration, there’s a chance he could start on opening night.
Biggest Strength
A clean slate. Aside from the conference change and the under-.500 record from a year ago, the Sun Devils probably needed some change. So they went out and got some. Six transfers dot the roster, and Freeman isn’t the only one that can make an impact. Quaintance probably isn’t the only true freshman that will play this season, either. The new-ness of this roster could be a good thing.
Biggest Weakness
Chemistry. With nine new players comes a lot of work to get these guys on the same page. That’s the nature of the transfer portal era. But Hurley also has five players with no college experience entering the season and some, as noted, will have to play. Much of the work in non-conference will boil down to learning which players work well together, which should start, which should come off the bench and he has two months to figure it out.
Season Prediction
Hurley is one of the few coaches in the conference that may have something to worry about when it comes to his job. Missing the NCAA Tournament four of the last five years would ordinarily put a coach like him in the crosshairs. That’s why finding chemistry with a nearly-new roster is critical. Project the Sun Devils for 15 to 18 wins before they make the trip to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
