Arizona State back on NCAA tournament bubble

The Sun Devils have a huge game this weekend with March Madness implications
Arizona State Sun Devils freshman Jayden Quaintance (21).
Arizona State Sun Devils freshman Jayden Quaintance (21). / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Thanks to the strength of the Big 12, it only took one game for Arizona State to get back into the NCAA tournament picture.

Tuesday's 65-57 road victory over West Virginia was a Quadrant 1 victory that vaulted the Sun Devils eight spots in the NCAA NET Rankings — from No. 64 to No. 56. A Quad 1 win is a home win over a top 30 team in the NET, or a road victory over a top 50 team in the NET.

Since the Big 12 has nine teams in the top 50 of the NET, Arizona State will have multiple opportunities to play their way into the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Updated March Madness Predictions

The West Virginia victory moved the Sun Devils back onto the March Madness bubble, according to the latest Bracketology update from ESPN's Joe Lunardi.

Lunardi has ASU listed among his "Next four out" which means a win over Iowa State on Saturday would put the Sun Devils into the field of 68.

Arizona State (11-7, 2-5) is 2-6 in Quad 1 games; a win over Iowa State would give them the same Quad 1 record (3-6) as rival Arizona — and the Wildcats are currently projected to be a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Quad 1 wins and NET Rankings are important because the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee uses the NET as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the NCAA tournament.

The Sun Devils have at least six Quad 1 opportunities remaining on their schedule. Getting to six Quad 1 victories should be enough to get them into the NCAA tournament.

Joson Sanon Update

Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said 5-star freshman shooting guard Joson Sanon will be back in the lineup Saturday against Iowa State.

"He's excited to play and we're excited to have him back," Hurley said on Friday.

Sanon suffered a high ankle sprain against BYU on New Year's eve and has missed five of the last seven games. He's averaging 12.8 points and was ASU's leading scorer when he went down with the injury.

More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis


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Ben Sherman
BEN SHERMAN

Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.