ASU Basketball: Lands at 14 on PreSeason Rankings
In a year full of uncertainty, one thing is true: basketball in Tempe this year is going to be unreal. Head coach Bobby Hurley has assembled one of the best squads in ASU basketball history with returning senior guards Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge Jr. about to be joined by incoming freshman guard Josh Christopher and forward Marcus Bagley; the Sun Devils are already Pac-12 favorites. With a core that strong, national attention will be coming and is already on the way, as NCAA correspondent Andy Katz has put Arizona State all the way up to number 14 on his preseason rankings.
Arizona State has only been in the AP preseason top-25 four times since the poll was first used in 1949. The last time was the 2008-2009 season that featured a team of Jeff Ayres, Rihards Kuksiks, and a baby bearded James Harden. If the 14th overall rating holds in the AP voting, it would be the highest rating since the 1963-64 season, where they ranked 6th overall thanks to jumpin’ Joe Caldwell and Arthur Becker and tied for first in the Western Athletic Conference.
It is still unclear when Martin and the Sun Devils will be taking the court as the Pac-12 is still undecided about when to begin play. The plan originally was for the season to start January 2021, but with the NCAA set to resume game play the 25th of November, it is unclear what actions the Pac-12 will take to either keep up with other Division I conferences or forge their own path. To qualify for the NCAA tournament at the end of the year, a school must play at least 13 games against other D1 schools, so a January starting date does not mean disqualification from the tournament either.