Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: 11 high-major teams exceeding expectations so far

By Lukas Harkins

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 13: Ohio State Buckeyes players celebrate with fans after the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Value City Arena on November 13, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Villanova 76-51. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 13: Ohio State Buckeyes players celebrate with fans after the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Value City Arena on November 13, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Villanova 76-51. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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TULSA, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 22: Coach Hurley of the Sun Devils yells. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
TULSA, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 22: Coach Hurley of the Sun Devils yells. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Arizona State Sun Devils

KenPom Rankings Movement: No. 88 -> No. 78

Efficiency Margin Change: +1.77

Arizona State did not enter this season with high expectations as the program started at just No. 88 in the preseason KenPom rankings. Considering the Sun Devils have reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two years, this ranking was a bit surprising but the team did have to wave goodbye to a ton of talented pieces this offseason. Most notably, Luguentz Dort took his talents to the NBA after just one season but he was not the only departure. The program also had to wave goodbye to the likes of Zylan Cheatham and De’Quon Lake.

With that said, though, head coach Bobby Hurley still returned his fair share of talent, including a pair of double-digit scorers in the backcourt. To begin this season, the Sun Devils have leaned heavily on those guards to carry the way for the team. Even though they lost their season-opener to Colorado, a nationally-ranked opponent, the team performed relatively well and they have followed that up with a pair of dominant wins in “tune-up” games. Remy Martin and Rob Edwards are leading the team in scoring as expected but Jalen House and Alonzo Verge Jr. have also stepped up.

Arizona State has clearly embraced their perimeter-oriented roster to begin this season while averaging offensive possessions of just 14.0 seconds (8th-fastest in America). This incredible tempo can be attributed to the Sun Devils’ tremendously opportunistic defense that is forcing turnovers at an insanely high rate. Additionally, it is important to mention that ASU is doing an exceptional job taking care of the ball even while operating at their frenetic pace.

Arizona State still has some questions that need to be answered but the team has definitely shown that they can be better than KenPom’s preseason ranking. The Sun Devils are also playing a favorable non-conference schedule over the next month as they could look to continue to increase their metric rankings.

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