Arizona State basketball takes on Saint Mary’s in the Acrisure Classic championship game on Friday night.
A Black Friday blockbuster descends upon Palm Springs, as the Sun Devils take on the undefeated Saint Mary’s for the Acrisure Classic trophy. It will be the second all-time meeting between the two sides, with the Gaels winning the Dec. 18, 2019 matchup 96-56. Alonzo Verge had 43 points off the bench for the Maroon and Gold in the contest.
General Information:
Teams: Arizona State (6-1) and Saint Mary’s (7-0)
Tip Time: 7:30 p.m. MST (9:30 p.m. EST)
Watch: TruTV
Listen: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (KMVP)
What to know about Saint Mary’s:
The Gaels are the two-time defending WCC champions, and enter the weekend projected to make the NCAA tournament in March as a No. 9 seed according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. They are hoping to make it for the fourth consecutive season.
The No. 31 team in the nation, according to KenPom, routed USC 71-36 on Thursday night in their first game of the Acrisure Classic. Friday night’s matchup will be their second of three games against former Pac-12 teams, as they will visit Utah on Dec. 7.
Saint Mary’s is led by a couple of Lithuanians. Senior guard Augustus Marciulionis, the 2023-24 WCC player of the year, averages 14.1 points per game. Sophomore forward Paulius Murauskas, who transferred from Arizona, averages 13.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Jordan Ross, the Arizona Compass prep product, had 15 points against USC on Thursday night.
The Gaels have a tall lineup that is known for their rebounding. They have won that battle by about 16 boards on average.
Latest on Arizona State basketball:
The Sun Devils enter Friday’s contest after a thrilling opening win in the Acrisure Classic, beating New Mexico 85-82. While they succumbed to a 16-1 run at the end of the first half, the maroon and gold rallied in the second half, holding the edge as the game came to a close.
Senior forward Basheer Jihad led the team with 20 points, going 3-for-4 from three-point land in his first game with multiple triples this season. Freshman guard Joson Sanon followed with 19 points off the bench. Senior guard/forward BJ Freeman had 16 points, including a clutch triple to give the Sun Devils an 80-75 lead with 1:25 remaining.
“I thought we should a lot of determination to stay in the game,” Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley told reporters after the game. “They really ramped up their pressure. We weren’t really ready for it and had a couple of bad turnovers and allowed them to get back in it. But, just proud of how we competed and the plays we made down the stretch.”
A win on Friday night would be the Sun Devils’ first regular season tournament championship since 2022, when they beat VCU and then-No. 20 Michigan in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn.