(Scotty Bara/WCSN)
The Pac-12 conference released its men’s basketball schedules on Tuesday, a benchmark signaling the imminent start of the 2017-18 season for the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Arizona State went 15-18 (7-11 in Pac-12) last season, Bobby Hurley’s second as the program’s coach. This season, Hurley has continued a trend of setting up high-profile opponents in the non-conference season, giving the team some exposure and preparing them for what once again looks to be a challenging conference season.
The Devils will open the season facing Idaho State in Friday, Nov. 10, beginning a 12-game non-conference schedule. After that, they will face San Diego State before beginning the Continental Tire Invitational against Northern Arizona on Nov. 17.
The team will face at least one squad that made the big dance last year in that tournament, possibly two. The Kansas State Wildcats, who went 21-14 with an NCAA Tournament appearance, clash with ASU in Las Vegas on Nov. 23. The Devils will then play either George Washington or Xavier to close out the tournament. Last season, Xavier defeated Arizona as an 11th seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Likely the greatest test of the early season will be Kansas, whom the Sun Devils will visit on Dec. 10, a game that will be broadcast on ESPN. ASU has not met the Jayhawks on the court since losing to Kansas in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
Pac-12 play opens for ASU on Dec. 30 in Tucson against Arizona. It marks the third time in four years ASU has opened conference play against its southern rival, last season’s opener at Stanford being the exception. The Devils will get their home game versus the Wildcats on Feb. 15.
ASU will not host make the trip to Los Angeles during the conference schedule, with USC and UCLA instead coming to Tempe, although though they will face St. John’s at the Staples Center on Dec. 8. The final game of the regular season is scheduled for March 3 against Stanford.
With several new faces being added during the offseason and a schedule with several big-name programs both in and out of the Pac-12, the Sun Devils will, if nothing else, be a team to keep an eye on.
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