The Arizona State men’s basketball team has finally released its full 2023-24 non-conference schedule.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Schedule is a Slam Dunk 😁@SunDevilHoops officially announces a challenging 2023 non-conference slate 🔱 pic.twitter.com/cZ8WxxYtaJ
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) September 6, 2023
The full schedule (starred is a tournament team last year and bold is a home game):
Nov. 8 (Barstool Sports Invitational): * Mississippi State (Chicago, IL)
Nov. 11 (Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series): * Texas Southern (Tempe, AZ)
Nov. 16: UMass Lowell (Tempe, AZ)
Nov. 23 (Las Vegas Invitational): BYU (Las Vegas, NV)
Nov. 24 (Las Vegas Invitational): * NC State/Vanderbilt (Las Vegas, NV)
Nov. 29: Sam Houston State (Tempe, AZ)
Dec. 3: San Francisco (Tempe, AZ)
Dec. 6: Southern Methodist (Tempe, AZ)
Dec. 9: San Diego (San Diego, CA)
Dec. 20 (Jerry Colangelo Hall of Fame Series): * Northwestern (Footprint Center)
This is one of the tougher non-conference schedules the Sun Devils will have played, so it’ll be interesting to see how they fare. In addition to the 4-5 tournament teams, the Sun Devils have a chance to avenge last season’s losses to Texas Southern, San Francisco and TCU.
When the Sun Devils take the court on Nov. 8, the team will only feature three returning rotation players – Frankie Collins, Jamiya Neal and Alonzo Gaffney.
ASU figures to be an intriguing team to watch this season coming off a heartbreaking Round of 64 loss to TCU last season and with how many news faces the team has.
Arizona State basketball to open season against Mississippi State
ASU Roster Tracker
Returning players (3): G Frankie Collins (removed name from NBA Draft), G/F Jamiya Neal (removed name from portal), F Alonzo Gaffney
Players lost to the portal (7): F/C Warren Washington (Texas Tech), G Austin Nunez (Ole Miss), F Devan Cambridge (Oregon), F Duke Brennan (GCU), G Malcolm Flaggs (GCU), G DJ Horne (NC State), F/C Enoch Boakye (Fresno State)
Players gained from the portal (6): G Brycen Long (Houston Christian), F Bryant Selebangue (Tulsa), F Shawn Phillips (LSU), F Zane Meeks (USF), G Adam Miller (LSU), F Kamari Lands (Louisville)
JUCO transfer added (1): G Malachi Davis (Tallahassee CC)
Players lost to eligibility (2): G Desmond Cambridge Jr., G Luther Muhammad
Players who left to NBA (1): F Marcus Bagley
Incoming freshmen (2): Four-star G Braelon Green (CA), four-star PF Akil Watson (NJ)
My Predicted Rotation As of Now
1. Collins (6-1) / Long (6-2) / Davis (6-4) / Green (6-3) / Neal (6-6) / Miller (6-3)
2. Miller / Davis / Green / Neal / Long
3. Neal / Lands (6-8) / Watson (6-8)
4. Meeks (6-9) / Selebangue (6-8) / Lands / Watson / Gaffney (6-9)
5. Gaffney / Phillips (7-0) / Selebangue / Meeks
The Sun Devils can mix up these positions, as we saw them do several times last season. They still can look for a starting-caliber center without Washington, as they certainly have length but only one true center in Shawn Phillips. They like to play a lot of three-guard lineups, so there is a role for all of the guards on the team right now, and they appear to be set on guards. However, they could potentially seek out another small forward.
Despite all of the departures, Hurley has done a terrific job of retooling the roster, going out and getting players from the transfer portal that fit ASU perfectly and have either proven themselves with experience or are young but were highly-rated recruits out of high school.
Depth was a huge key for ASU’s success last season, and the Sun Devils will have it once again next season. Now, it is about trying to get these new players to gel together, as we saw them do terrifically last season.
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Brendan Mau is a Phoenix Suns insider and college sports reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
