Arizona State faces one final test before Big 12: Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
In its final tuneup before Big 12 Conference play starts, the Arizona State men's basketball team is heading to the East Coast to face Massachusetts on Saturday.
The Sun Devils (8-2) are coming off an 83-66 loss to No. 7 Florida (11-0) in Atlanta last Saturday. A victory would have propelled ASU into the top 25 national college basketball rankings, but Bobby Hurley's team struggled with Florida's length and was outrebounded 47-27.
ASU will try to get back on track against a UMass team that is better than its 5-7 record indicates. The Minutemen lost 75-69 to West Virginia on the road, but outscored the Mountaineers 41-30 in the second half. They're led by 6-foot sophomore guard Jaylen Curry, who is averaging 14.3 points, 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds.
The Sun Devils are led by freshman guard Joson Sanon, who is averaging 14.8 points and shooting 52% from the 3-point line. Sanon struggled against Florida, scoring 5 points and shooting just 2-of-9 from the field.
Fellow 5-star freshman Jayden Quaintance had his best game of the season against the Gators, racking up 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks and 2 assists. Quaintance is second in the country in blocked shots at 3.4 per game.
Transfers Basheer Jihad, BJ Freeman and Alston Mason, as well as senior guard Adam Miller, are all averaging in double figures for ASU. Miller led the Sun Devils in scoring against Florida, dropping in 18 points on 3-of-5 shooting from downtown.
The UMass vs. ASU game is being played as part of the 2024 MGM Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass. The Sun Devils and Minutemen will play the first game Saturday at 2 p.m. MST, followed by Temple vs. Rhode Island in the second game at 4:30 p.m. MST.
After that, ASU has 10 days to prepare for its Big 12 opener at BYU (8-2) on New Year's Eve.
Here are details on how to watch, stream and follow Arizona State's matchup vs. Massachusetts on Saturday:
Arizona State vs. Massachusetts TV Channel, Live Stream, Predictions
Who: Arizona State vs. Massachusetts in the 2024 MGM Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
When: 2 p.m. MST | Saturday, December 21
Where: Mass Mutual Center | Springfield, Massachusetts
Live Stream: Watch Arizona State-UMass live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)
TV Channel: CBSSN
ESPN FPI Prediction: Arizona State has an 82.8% chance to win
Our Prediction: Arizona State 79, UMass 68
Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Arizona State On SI for live updates, in-game analysis and big-play highlights throughout Saturday's matchup
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.