GAME THREE @SUNDEVILHOOPS NOTES VS. LMU
ASU VS. LMU: The Sun Devil men's hoops team (2-0) hosts West Coast Conference foe Loyola-Marymount on Thursday, Nov. 20, on the Pac-12 Network at 7 p.m. MT, before traveling to Kansas City for a pair of games next week. The Sun Devils have a roster that includes six lettermen, three highly rated junior college transfers, a mid-year transfer from UNLV (eligible Dec. 16 vs. Marquette), and three true freshmen.
WE LIKE THIS NOTE: ASU is 36-5 in its past 41 home games and has defeated the eventual Pac-12 champion in each of the past two seasons at home. It topped UCLA in 2012-13 and Arizona in 2013-14.
GREAT NOTE ON LMU SERIES: ASU leads the series with Loyola-Marymount 10-9, but the teams have not met since ASU beat LMU 99-71 on March 7, 1980, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament that was held in Tempe in Wells Fargo Arena...ASU's starting five in 1979-80 had a few decent players named Kurt Nimphius, Sam Williams, Alton Lister, Fat Lever and Byron Scott. Lister, Lever and Scott were eventually first-round NBA picks, while Williams was the 33rd overall pick (second round) in 1981 and Nimphius was the 47th overall pick in the third round in 1980.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE NUMBER IMPROVEMENTS: Junior Eric Jacobsen, playing around 255 pounds, is off to solid start in his junior season. Entering this year, Eric had played in 64 games an averaged 8.8 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds. It is early, but he is averaging 10.5 points, eight boards and is 7-of-9 (.778) from the field and the free throw line.
QUICKLY ON LAST YEAR: The Sun Devils notched their fifth 20-win season under Coach Sendek in his eight years in 2013-14 (21-12; 10-8/tied for 3rd in Pac-12), something that ASU did just three times in the prior 25 seasons to his arrival in spring of 2006. The Sun Devils advanced to the NCAA Tournament and went 16-1 at home, ASU’s best home mark since the 1974-75 team under Brooklyn Nets head coach Lionel Hollins opened Wells Fargo Arena with a 14-0 home mark.
EVERYONE CHILL, WE GOT THIS: It is a rite of passage for a team that lost its top scorers to have media ask a player if they are surprised a team is ranked low in preseason rankings, and then write about the losses of last year. They sort of go together right? Well for what it’s worth ASU has finished higher than predicted in each of the past two seasons, as short memory people forget the Sun Devils were picked seventh last year en route to getting the third seed in the Pac-12 Tournament. ASU also under-promised and over-delivered in 2012-13 (picked for 11th and tied for sixth) and in 2007-08 (picked for ninth but tied for fifth) under Coach Sendek. In 2008-09 the Sun Devils lost the third pick in the draft and the Pac-10 Player of the Year (bearded guy) and the nation’s top field goal maker and first pick of the second round (Jeff Pendergraph) coming off its best season in decades. The collapse of the program was predicted with a seventh-place finish. Luckily, guys like Derek Glasser and Ty Abbott decided to still play and the Sun Devils went 12-6 in the Pac-10, finished second in the loop, won 22 games, and Herb Sendek took home Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors.
DON'T BLAME US: Scoring in DI men's hoops was at its lowest since 1951-52 in 2012-13 (67.5 ppg), but did increase to 71.0 ppg last year. Meanwhile in Tempe, ASU went from averaging 61.0 ppg in 2011-12 to 71.8 ppg in 2012-13, and then followed that up with 75.3 points per game last year, its best mark since averaging 76.0 in 2004-05.
COACH OF THE YEAR: The Pac-12 in 2014-15 will have five current coaches who have earned Pac-10/12 Coach of the Year. Herb Sendek earned it in 2009-10, while Dana Altman (2012-13), Sean Miller (2010-11 and 2013-14) and Lorenzo Romar (2011-12, 2008-09, and 2004-05) also earned kudos at their respective schools. Washington State head coach Ernie Kent earned the honor at Oregon in 2001-02.
GILLING AND ABLE: Senior Jon Gilling (who by the way speaks Danish, English, Swedish, and German) over his three-year career has proven he can shoot the three-ball. enters his senior year having made 207-of-517 (.400) from beyond the arc, and he led the Pac-12 at 2.40 three-pointers made per game (84 in 35 games) in his sophomore year (2012-13) ... posted the fourth 20-point game of his career on March 8, 2013, at Oregon State with a season-best 20 as he matched a career-best with six threes...posted double digits in 13 games in 2013-14...had 15 vs. Texas in NCAA Tournament on March 20, vs. California on March 1, and vs. College of Charleston on Nov. 29...team was 7-3 when he scored 12 in 2013-14...seventh Sun Devil to notch 200 career three-pointers ... only one player in Sun Devil history shot it better than Jon last year with at least 150 three-point attempts (66-of-152/.434), and that was Rihards Kuksiks in 2008-09 (93-of-210/.443).
JON GILLING TOP SCORING GAMES
22 at Washington (2/2/13)
21 vs. Arizona (3/4/12)
20 at Oregon State (3/8/14)
20 vs. Washington (1/26/12)
SUN DEVIL SEASON THREE-POINTERS MADE
1. 113 – Stevin Smith, 1993
2. 96 – Stevin Smith, 1994
3. 93 – Rihards Kuksiks, 2009
4. 84 – Jonathan Gilling, 2013
CAREER THREE-POINT GOALS
1. 323 – Stevin Smith, ’90-94
2. 280 – Rihards Kuksiks, ’07-11
3. 273 – Ty Abbott, ’07-11
4. 263 – Ron Riley, ’92-96
5. 250 – Eddie House, ’96-2000
6. 224 – Jeremy Veal, ’94-98
7. 207 – Jon Gilling, ’11-15
CAREER THREE-POINT ATTEMPTS
1. 891 – Stevin Smith, ’90-94
2. 831 – Ron Riley, ’92-96
3. 757 – Ty Abbott, ’07-11
4. 696 – Rihards Kuksiks, ’07-11
5. 683 – Eddie House, ’96-2000
6. 564 – Jeremy Veal, ’94-98
7. 520 – Jon Gilling, ’11-15
WHEN ASU FACES MARYLAND: Arizona State and the Terrapins have met just twice, but the most recent meeting was a great one in Arizona State history. Unranked Arizona State entered the 1994 Maui Invitational under Bill Frieder and beat Texas A&M 103-73 and upset No. 13 Michigan 79-62 in the first two rounds. The Sun Devils then topped seventh-ranked and Joe Smith-led Maryland 97-90 in the final on Nov. 23. The Sun Devils shot .604 from the field, while Mario Bennett earned Maui Invitational MVP honors. It marked ASU’s first tournament title outside Arizona since the 1970-71 season, and shot the Sun Devils to 12th in the Associated Press rankings the next week. ASU won seven games against ranked opponents that year en route to a Sweet Sixteen appearance for the first time since the 1974-75 season. Bill Frieder also became first coach to win three Maui Invitational titles, as he won it in 1985 and 1988 at Michigan. Maryland beat ASU 65-50 in the other meeting in the 1953-54 season. Sun Devil head coach Herb Sendek posted seven wins vs. Maryland in his time at North Carolina State.
PRESEASON TOURNAMENTS UNDER COACH SENDEK: ASU has played in Anaheim (Wooden Legacy in November of 2013 and 76 Classic in 2008), Las Vegas Invitational (2012), Orlando (Old Spice Classic in 2011), Anchorage (Great Alaska Shootout in 2010), New York City (Preseason NIT in 2009) and the Maui Invitational (November of 2007) under Coach Sendek in his eight years.
ASU OPPONENT’S LOWEST SCORES (40 AND UNDER SINCE 1950-51)
Arizona State 76, Delaware State 34 (Dec. 12, 2009)
Arizona State 87, Western Illinois 35 (Nov. 13, 2009)
Arizona State 52, Colgate 36 (Dec. 19, 2006)
Arizona State 49, @Oregon State 38 (Feb. 7, 2009)
Arizona State 69, Oregon State 38 (Jan. 8, 2009)
Arizona State 77, Delaware State 38 (Dec. 5, 2007)
Arizona State 49, Bethune-Cookman 39 (Nov. 17, 2014)