We continue our best teams from ASU ever this summer with our next matchup. No. 8 2008-09 WBB vs. No. 9 2013 Softball in our last matchup. Now it’s No. 7 1973 Baseball vs. No. 10 1972-73 MBB.
Here’s the current bracket:
No. 7 1973 Baseball
Record: 59-8, College World Series runner-up
Head coach: Jim Brock
Notable players: Jim Umbarger, Jim Otten
The rundown: The 1973 squad, led by head coach Jim Brock, lost just eight games the entire season en route to a second-place finish at the 1973 College World Series. This was only Brock’s second year with the team, and he would eventually be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. Arizona State went 16-1 during WAC play (good enough to win the 1973 WAC regular season title), and cruised all the way to the 1973 CWS championship game where they lost to Southern California 3-1. Four Sun Devils were named to the All-Tournament team (Eddie Bane, Clint Meyers, Clay Westlake and Bill Berger), the most out of any team competing in the 1973 CWS.
No. 10 1972-73 MBB
Record: 19-9 (1st in WAC, 10-4) Reached Sweet Sixteen
Head coach: Ned Wulk
Notable players: Mike Contreras, Jim Owens
The rundown: This version of the Sun Devil team reached the semi-finals of West region of the NCAA Tournament. Ned Wulk’s team finished first in the WAC including a pair of wins over Arizona. Four players; Mike Contreras, Jim Owens, Gary Jackson and Ron Kennedy all averaged over 10 points a game. The Sun Devils won their first tournament game against Oklahoma City before falling to the eventual champion UCLA the next round.
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— House of Sparky (@HouseOfSparky) June 16, 2019