9. Arizona State (8-2)
There have been some unforgettable moments during Bobby Hurley’s tenure at Arizona State, though there has also been disappointment. It’s not been rare to see his Sun Devils failing to live up to expectations and those expectations are certainly different nowadays. Arizona State transitions into this much tougher Big 12 after life in the Pac-12 came to an end, though this team might actually be exceeding the earliest expectations.
The leading scorer for the Sun Devils is one of those new faces in freshman Joson Sanon, as he’s averaging nearly 15 points per game and playing smart ball. Arizona State had a fantastic recruiting class that also included 5-star Jayden Quaintance. It’s not all freshman, as seniors like BJ Freeman, Basheer Jihad, and Alston Mason are all averaging double-digit points per game as Hurley has played a pretty thin rotation for the most part.
Picked to finish 12th in the Big 12, Arizona State almost made a statement early on, pushing Gonzaga to the limit in an 8-point loss in Spokane. They’ve won numerous games away from home that have value, including Santa Clara, Grand Canyon, New Mexico, and Saint Mary’s. These Sun Devils haven’t shied away from strong mid-major opponents, though they also suffered a tough 17-point loss to unbeaten Florida in another significant challenge last weekend.
Is that performance against the Gators what we can expect from this team or is that Florida squad just really great? It’s easy to imagine that the Sun Devils will only improve, especially as Sanon, Quaintance, and the other young talent continues to develop, though this isn’t a super deep team that can’t afford injuries or inconsistent play. Regardless, Arizona State is certainly playing like a team that’ll finish higher than 12th place and has put themselves in a nice position in the middle of December.