Arizona State Basketball: Top 5 non-conference games for 2018-19
Arizona State Basketball has one of the best non-conference schedules in the country. What are their top 5 non-conference games?
Arizona State certainly had a memorable 17-18 season where they ascended to a top 3 ranking in the country before crashing down to Earth. The Sun Devils were able to sneak into the NCAA Tournament, but lost in the play-in round to Syracuse.
This season, most people are assuming that Arizona State is not NCAA Tournament-caliber after losing three senior standouts (Tra Holder, Kodi Justice, Shannon Evans) and after their unprecedented collapse, but this Sun Devils squad has the talent to surprise.
Arizona State has a tournament level roster and their non-conference schedule provides ample opportunities to pick up the highly coveted Quadrant 1 wins. Their complete non-conference schedule is listed below:
Mark your calendars. Our non-conference schedule is here ... 3 road tilts ... visiting two SEC schools ... hosting @KUHoops at the Bank Dec 22 ... in Vegas Nov. 19-21 ... opener Nov. 6 https://t.co/YRBwleKCa0 pic.twitter.com/veDhDChdLT
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) August 14, 2018
This article will rank Arizona State’s five most difficult non-conference games. Four of these games will almost assuredly qualify as Quadrant 1 while the fifth will likely be in the second quadrant. Games at San Francisco and either Saint Mary’s or Utah State on a neutral court will also be challenging, but do not crack the top 5.
5. Georgia (R), December 15
Georgia looks like a bottom four team in the SEC, but that does not mean the Bulldogs will be an easy out. Yante Maten may be gone, but first-year head coach Tom Crean has a roster overflowing with length and versatility. Sophomore combo-forward Rayshaun Hammonds is due for a breakout year and averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg last season. Three-point shooting is Georgia’s Achilles heel, but their size and athleticism really stand out. They are probably a Top-100 team nationally.