ASU MBB Hosts BYU at DFA – Arizona State University Athletics
Arizona State (13-14, 4-12) comes back to Tempe after securing their third conference road victory and eighth overall win away from home. The Sun Devils will face No. 25 BYU in their eighth game this season against a ranked opponent. ASU aims for its second Top-25 win of the season and its 14th under Head Coach Bobby Hurley.
The Matchup
The Sun Devils are set to play BYU for the second time during the 2024-25 season as the Cougars visit Tempe. Arizona State has a 16-5 all-time home record against BYU. The two teams have met 51 times, mostly during their years in the WAC. The last time the Cougars visited Tempe was in 2002.
How to Follow
Arizona State’s game against BYU will be streamed on ESPN+ on Wednesday at 7:30 PM MST. Roxy Bernstein will handle play-by-play, with Scott Williams providing analysis. You can also tune in to Tim Healey and Kyle Dodd on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
Season Metrics (As of 2/25)
NET: 60
Ken Pom: 58
ESPN Strength of Record: 63
Bart Torvik: 63
NET Positive
The NCAA’s NET ranking is a key factor in determining tournament selections. Arizona State ranks 60th in the current standings. Coach Hurley’s team has competed in 18 Quad 1 & 2 games, winning seven of them. Six of their losses have come against teams currently in the NET Top-10 (#8 Gonzaga, #4 Florida, #9 Arizona, #3 Houston, #7 Texas Tech, #10 Iowa State). ASU’s opponents have an average NET ranking of 4, highlighting their challenging schedule. ASU has the highest NET ranking among teams with a losing record in the nation. Butler (13-14) is the next highest-ranked team under .500, at 76th.
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist
Freshman forward Jayden Quaintance has earned a spot on the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist, making him one of only 15 players to be included. Quaintance is one of two freshmen on the list, along with Duke’s Cooper Flagg. The Big 12 is well represented, with three players, including Quaintance, Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey, and Houston’s Joseph Tugler.
Trophy Case
Jayden Quaintance – Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (12/23)
Joson Sanon – Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week (11/18)
First Meeting
The Sun Devils lost to the Cougars 76-56 in their Big 12 debut at the Marriott Center in front of 16,926 spectators on December 31. Head Coach Bobby Hurley’s squad battled back from an early deficit but was ultimately outmatched. BYU took an early 26-10 lead, fueled by the momentum of their home crowd. Arizona State cut the deficit to five by halftime, finishing the half with a 6-0 run. However, a strong second-half start for BYU pushed their lead back to double digits, sealing the game for the Cougars.
Freshmen Jayden Quaintance, Joson Sanon, and Amier Ali showed promise in the challenging road atmosphere, each contributing eight points with at least 50% shooting from the field. Senior guard/forward BJ Freeman led the Sun Devils with 11 points, hitting three three-pointers. ASU’s defense was aggressive, accumulating 10 steals, and forcing BYU into 14 turnovers while limiting them to 31.2% shooting from beyond the arc. ASU held BYU’s star freshman guard Egor Demin to just four points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 0-of-5 from three.
Last Time Out
The Sun Devils played a seven-man rotation in their 66-54 victory at Kansas State on Sunday. Arizona State delivered a strong defensive performance, holding the Wildcats to just 1-of-17 shooting during a critical second-half stretch. ASU’s defense limited KSU to a season-low 22-of-66 shooting (.333) and 5-of-26 (.190) from three-point range. The 54 points scored by Kansas State was their lowest of the season, and the Sun Devils’ defensive effort was key in holding KSU to its worst performance after recent victories over No. 16 Kansas and No. 13 Arizona.
Freshman Jayden Quaintance led ASU with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, along with seven rebounds. Amier Ali added 11 points. The Sun Devils controlled the game, leading for 38 minutes and only trailing for 29 seconds. ASU maintained a 57-43 lead heading in to the under-eight media timeout.
