Arizona State basketball takes on New Mexico on Thanksgiving night in the Acrisure Classic.
Sun Devil fans have a lot to be thankful for, including their men’s basketball team’s performances this season. It looks to continue the great start against a fellow 5-1 team in New Mexico in the first of two games in Palm Springs.
Depending on the result, the Maroon and Gold will take on either USC or Saint Mary’s on Friday night. This will be their third all-time matchup against New Mexico, with the Lobos taking the past two meetings in the early 2010s.
General Information:
Teams: Arizona State (5-1) and New Mexico (5-1)
Tip Time: 9:30 p.m. MST (11:30 p.m. EST)
Watch: TruTV
Listen: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP)
What to know about New Mexico:
The Lobos have started the 2024-25 campaign looking to continue the energy from last season. They won a tightly contested Mountain West tournament as the No. 6 seed to advance to the NCAA tournament, losing 77-56 to sixth-seeded Clemson.
Richard Pitino’s side have picked up commanding victories against mid-major sides, while also beating then-No. 22 UCLA in Las Vegas. The only blemish to their record is an 85-71 loss at St. John’s, who is coached by Pitino’s father, Rick. They head to Palm Springs fresh off a two-game home stand with wins over Grambling State and Texas Southern.
New Mexico’s top two scorers from last year left the program, so a couple starters from last year now spearhead the Lobos’ attack. Junior guard Donovan Dent leads the team in minutes, averaging 17 points and eight assists per game. Redshirt senior center Nelly Junior Joseph is currently averaging a double-double, with 14.2 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Additionally, some bench players have been promoted to starting roles. This includes redshirt senior forward Mustapha Amzil, who averages 12.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and sophomore guard Tru Washington, a Phoenix native, who averages 12.2 points per game.
Latest on Arizona State basketball:
The Sun Devils come into the Acrisure Classic eight days removed from a 93-89 win over Cal Poly to wrap up a two-game home stand. All five starters, and freshman guard Joson Sanon, ended the night in double figures. It was a game that saw 61 three-point shot attempts, 46 personal fouls, and 56 free-throw attempts, with 41 coming from the hosts.
“Our defense took a step back,” Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley said after the game. “We didn’t really guard them individually off the dribble. We didn’t really guard the line. One on one, they made some difficult shots. Overall, that end of the floor hurt us.”
Hurley said on an interview with Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that junior guard Austin Nuñez is still dealing with ankles/achilles problems and is questionable for the game. Nuñez, who transferred back to Arizona State from Ole Miss, has missed the past two games. Hurley also said that junior center Shawn Phillips Jr. has a calf strain, but is looking better. He did not play against Cal Poly.
The Maroon and Gold received recognition for the AP Top 25 for the first time this season on Monday with five votes. They will need much more to crack the rankings, as No. 25 Mississippi State has 86 votes.
Hurley now has 160 wins as the head coach of the Sun Devils, the second most in program history.