@SunDevilHoops Hosts Harvard Sunday At Noon
(PDF OF THE NOTES WILL BE AVAILABLE HERE LATER)
The Arizona State men's basketball team (7-5) has one more home game before starting Pac-12 play in Tucson on Sunday, Jan. 4. ASU hosts hosts Ivy League champion Harvard on Sunday, Dec. 28 at noon, with the game on the Pac-12 Network. Harvard is favored to win the league again and has been to the past three NCAA Tournaments, beating Cincinnati in 2014 and New Mexico in 2013.
ACADEMICS: While Harvard produced the most Fulbright scholars last year with 39, ASU ranked third nationally with 26 and boasted the highest rate of success, with 43 percent of its applicants selected (29 percent for Harvard). The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of highly competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the Fulbright Program, competitively selected U.S. citizens may become eligible for scholarships to study, conduct research, or exercise their talents abroad; and citizens of other countries may qualify to do the same in the United States. The Fulbright Program is one of the most prestigious awards programs worldwide, operating in more than 150 countries.
MORE ACADEMICS: ASU ranked No. 2 in the nation for innovation on a recent US News & World Report ranking. Harvard didn’t make the list...ASU’s athletes have a strong history of success academically. Since 2000, ASU has earned 70 academic All-American honors. Harvard athletes have earned the honor 36 times since 2000.
NUMBERS TO KNOW ON SOME SUN DEVILS: Savon Goodman is averaging 23 points, 11.5 rebounds and shooting 17-of-23 (.739) from the field in the past two games...Gerry Blakes is 24-of-26 (.923) from the free throw line on the year...Eric Jacobsen is shooting .688 (44-of-64) from the field...after shooting 22-of-67 (.328) from the three-point stripe last year, Shaq McKissic is 14-of-35 (.400) this year from long range...in his career Jon Gilling has made 232-of-565 (.411) three pointers in 110 games...ASU has made 34 more three-pointers than its opponents (98-34)...
HOME NUMBERS: In home games, ASU is 15-1 in past 16, 41-6 in its past 47 and 23-2 in past 25.
SAVON NUMBERS: On Tuesday Dec. 16 in a 78-71 loss at Marquette Savon Goodman made his Sun Devil debut with seven points. The 6-6 forward transferred from UNLV and attended Indian Hills Community College but did not play in 2013-14. His last game played was March 21, 2013, so it was first collegiate action in 635 days when he checked into the game. The past two games have been eye-openers as to what he can provide. In his first start on Dec. 23 vs. Detroit, Goodman had 22 points (19 in first half) and 11 rebounds. Against Lehigh on Dec. 20, he had 24 points and 12 rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting and played 38 minutes in the triple-overtime loss. It is the most points by a Sun Devil off the bench since Steve Moore had 31 at UCLA on Feb. 10, 2005, and the sixth-most off the bench at ASU since the 1989-90 season.
MOST SUN DEVIL POINTS OFF THE BENCH (1989-90 TO PRESENT)
31-Steve Moore, Feb. 10, 2005 (@UCLA 96, ASU 76)
29-Shawn Redhage, Feb. 8, 2003 (ASU 79, @Washington 77, OT)
27-Lester Neal, Dec. 28, 1992 (ASU 103, Duquesne 81)
25-Stevin Smith, Dec. 28, 1992 (ASU 103, Duquesne 81)
25-Stevin Smith, Dec. 29, 1992 (ASU 100, Detroit Mercy 84)
***24-Savon Goodman, Dec. 20, 2014 (Lehigh 84, ASU 81, 3 OT)***
24-Isaac Austin, Dec. 19, 1989 (ASU 66, Dartmouth 55)
24-Tommy Smith, Feb. 10, 2001 (ASU 89, Washington 57)
24-Tanner Shell (Fr.), Jan. 20, 2000 (@USC 95, ASU 92, OT)
BALANCED SCORING: ASU has had seven players lead it in scoring. Shaq McKissic (20 vs. Chicago State and 22 vs. Pepperdine), Eric Jacobsen (13 vs. Bethune Cookman and 16 vs. UNLV), Chance Murray (12 vs. LMU off the bench) and Jon Gilling (21 vs. Maryland off the bench) all did it prior to Gerry Blakes scoring 21 vs. Alabama and 23 vs. Colgate in late November, and then Blakes had 20 at Marquette. Tra Holder then had 14 off the bench at Texas A&M on Dec. 6, while Savon Goodman had 24 off the bench vs. Colgate on Dec. 20 and 22 vs. Detroit. Last year ASU had five players lead it in scoring.
ERIC IMPROVEMENTS: Entering this year, junior Eric Jacobsen had played in 64 games and averaged 8.8 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds. He is averaging 31.8 minutes, 10.6 points, 7.4 boards and is 44-of-64 (.688) from the field. After posting 16 blocks in his first two seasons, Eric has 19 blocks in this year. He has 44 buckets this year. He had 46 buckets in 64 career games entering the season.
BENCH: ASU’s bench is averaging 30.3 points per game, led by Jon Gilling (8.8 ppg) and Bo Barnes (7.0) who have come off the bench in every game this year. Four times this season a player has come off the bench to lead ASU in scoring. Chance Murray had 12 vs. LMU on Nov. 20, Jon Gilling had 21 vs. Maryland on Nov. 24, Tra Holder had 14 at Texas A&M on Dec. 6 and Savon Goodman had 24 vs. Lehigh on Dec. 20. In the LMU game on Nov. 20, the bench had 45 of ASU’s 68 points, while ASU's bench had 58 of ASU's 81 points in the Lehigh loss on Dec. 20. ASU’s bench has outscored the opposition in all but two games this year (Alabama and Marquette).