TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State men’s basketball is making its final trip to Seattle for a Pac-12 meeting with Washington on Thursday. Head Coach Bobby Hurley and his team are off to a perfect 4-0 start in conference play with a 10-5 overall record. A win over Washington (9-6, 1-3 Pac-12) would give the Sun Devils their first 5-0 start in league play since the 1979-1980 season.
“If you could gain an edge early, it's important. It helps with your confidence, it helps with your belief and you're not chasing,” Hurley told reporters on Wednesday. “If you get down under .500 in this league, you feel like you’re chasing just to get above water. So, it's good to have that cushion.”
ASU has emerged as the nation's most successful team and close games over the past five seasons with a 40-19 record in games decided by six points or less. Guard Frankie Collins is currently third in the country in steals per game, averaging just over three per contest. Defense has been part of ASU’s identity for the past several seasons and the new players in the program, like LSU-transfer Adam Miller, are embracing the challenge in clutch time.
“Defense has been a big emphasis and that's what we're going to continue to do. We get a lot of buckets off that, so we got to fun on that end,” Miller said after ASU’s win over Colorado. “For me, I just try to be a junkyard dog out there honestly. Like, be the big brother who’s going to punk everybody who thinks that they're going to come in here and play and it’s just going to be soft or easy.”
Arizona State and Washington tip off at 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, at Alaska Airlines Arena.
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.