Arizona State Basketball: Top 25 Material?

by Cory Williams on Nov 27, 2009 2:36 PM MST in ASU Basketball

Before the season began, most experts and fans were in complete agreement about ASU basketball: it was going to be a very mediocre campaign.

But here we are, 6 games into the schedule, and the Sun Devils are 5-1 after a resounding win over LSU in the 3rd place game of the NIT Preseason Tournament.

ASU is playing textbook basketball, led on the court by the experienced Derek Glasser, who is doing a great job finding open men near the basket. Glasser is responsible for the meteoric rise of Eric Boateng, who has contributed heavily to the successes of this squad.

The Sun Devils have blown out several mediocre teams at home this season. They rallied as a team to come back and beat TCU, which looked improbable at the time.

When tasked with the very talented Duke Blue Devils, ASU gave it their best shot and nearly came out of Madison Square Garden with the win. Instead of mailing in the consolation game, they came out after haltime and blasted LSU to the tune of 44-18 in second half scoring.

This is a team that knows what it takes to win, and has good leadership in Herb Sendek. They may run into some serious resistance once conference play begins, but for right now, this team deserves a little national recognition.

With 25 games left in the season before the Pac-10 tournament tips off, a little optimism about this team's capabilities is deserved. Realistically, this team can win 14-16 more games if they continue to play as hard as they have been.

With a 19-21 win season, ASU may be destined for another NCAA Tournament. At the very least, one thing is certain: Arizona State basketball is back in business, and it doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.

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Comments

It's a down Pac for sure

Especially with UCLA getting smoked by Portland (although Portland is a quality team and may even qualify for an at-large). However, LSU is not a quality team and likely won’t be a tourney team. Duke is highly over-rated and we struggled to knock off TCU.

I’m not saying we aren’t good. I am just saying that we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves.

When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome again. True story.
-Barney Stinson

by Red Reign on Nov 27, 2009 2:59 PM MST reply actions

i agree

that’s why i think for now, we deserve a little love. we’re a long way off from anything concrete.

House Of Sparky: An Arizona State Sun Devils blog

by Cory Williams on Nov 27, 2009 3:55 PM MST up reply actions

although duke is kicking the snot out of uconn

right now. As a BEast fan, that’s impressive.

When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome again. True story.
-Barney Stinson

by Red Reign on Nov 27, 2009 4:58 PM MST up reply actions

all that means

is that Duke took us really lightly, or our defense was solid. Could very well be both.

House Of Sparky: An Arizona State Sun Devils blog

by Cory Williams on Nov 27, 2009 6:27 PM MST up reply actions

Lovin this team so far...

I agree that we can’t get ahead of ourselves, but all good college basketball teams are marked by solid guard play. It’s obvious that we are going to get this from Glasser. Boateng worries me, but with there not being many big men in the PAC this year he may not be as big of a liability. I’m impressed with Lockett and am looking forward to seeing how he develops. Hopefully he can cut out the silly fouls. However, I do think that we have a lot to be excited about for this coming season.

by SD Sun Devil on Nov 27, 2009 8:28 PM MST reply actions

Receiving Votes

We are receiving votes in the AP poll… sitting just outside the top 25 is a good place for us right now. Games against Baylor and BYU coming up should help move us up some.

by mlev811 on Nov 30, 2009 11:41 AM MST reply actions