Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings: Arizona State, Oregon lead early season list
By Brian Rauf
1) Arizona State Sun Devils
No one was really sure what to make of the Sun Devils this offseason due to their poor performance in conference play and the amount of production they lost in their backcourt, but head coach Bobby Hurley has proven he’s building a solid program.
Arizona State needed double-overtime to get past Cal State Fullerton in their opener but have looked dominant since, blowing out McNeese State and Long Beach State before upsetting No. 15 Mississippi State in Las Vegas.
A small team that went with the “Guard U” mantra a year ago, the Sun Devils are now the 46th tallest team in the country and are extremely athletic.
6-4 freshman guard Luguentz Dort has been a revelation early this season, averaging 20.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while sophomore Kimani Lawrence (16.8 ppg) and San Diego State transfer Zylan Cheatham (13.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg) have taken major steps forward in their development.
A three-point centric team last year, the Sun Devils are shooting fewer shots from deep than almost every team in the country. However, they have been excellent on the glass, at attacking the basket, and at getting to the foul line.
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Look for that to be the recipe ASU uses as they try to sustain this early season success.