Updating Arizona State's Perception Heading Into Non-Conference Finale

The Sun Devils are set to close out non-conference play on Sunday afternoon.

Dec 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Anthony Johnson (2) drives past UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) for a basket in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (9-3) are set to enter the final game of non-conference play on Sunday afternoon against their former Pac-12 rival in Oregon State (6-6) - a team that Bobby Hurley has had marked success against during his tenure in Tempe.

Arizona State is heading into the dawn of Big 12 play with a profile that looks to be the part of an NCAA tournament squad, but more work must be done after falling to UCLA on Wednesday night.

ASU on SI explores where Arizona State stands going into the game below.

NET: 57

The NET rankings are the metric that are most closely followed as far as the NCAA tournament selection process is concerned.

The Sun Devils currently rank as the number 10 team in the Big 12 - behind Arizona, Iowa State, BYU, Houston, Kansas, Texas Tech, UCF, Baylor, and Kansas State.

Arizona State must avoid a loss to Oregon State, who is ranked number 197 in the NET - this would be the first "bad" loss of the season according to the metric.

KenPom: 63

KenPom is still a metric that is popular amongst fans of college basketball after being created in 2002.

The Sun Devils are viewed in a slightly lower light here, as they come in at number 63 and as the 11th team in the Big 12 - trailing the same teams as they are behind in NET, as well as Oklahoma State. Arizona State is currently being propped up by a solid strength of schedule, a top 50 offensive rating nationally, and other factors that positively reflect on them as a team.

ASU Sun Devils forward Allen Mukeba (23) drives in to the lane against the Oklahoma Sooners at Mortgage Matchup Center on Dec. 6, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rothstein 45: 34

Jon Rothstein is one of the most influential voices in the modern day landscape of college basketball media - and has been an avowed fan of coach Hurley over the years.

The respected media figure updates his top 45 teams in the nation on a daily basis - having Arizona State within reach of a top 25 spot despite the loss to UCLA several days ago.

Rothstein attended an Arizona State practice in September - being impressed by guards and bigs, while also having reservations about the squad on the wings. It appears as if some of those questions have been quelled as far as Rothstein is concerned - now the real test is a Big 12 conference that features numerous national title contenders.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.

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