Here are the previous teams ranked in our 82 in 72 series:

55. Utah State Aggies

56. Colorado State Rams

57. Seton Hall Pirates

58. SMU Mustangs

59. South Carolina Gamecocks

60. Nevada Wolfpack

61. TCU Horned Frogs

62. Villanova Wildcats

63. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

64. Saint Louis Billikens

65. Syracuse Orange

66. Nebraska Cornhuskers

67. Pittsburgh Panthers

68. Iowa Hawkeyes

69. NC State Wolfpack

70. Butler Bulldogs

71. Princeton Tigers

72. Virginia Cavaliers

73. Saint Joseph’s Hawks

74. Oklahoma Sooners

75. West Virginia Mountaineers

76. Georgia Bulldogs

77. UAB Blazers

78: Wisconsin Badgers

79. San Diego State Aztecs

80. Missouri Tigers

81. Northwestern Wildcats

82. Loyola Chicago Ramblers

Here’s where each of our analysts had Arizona State ranked:

Steven	Maxwell	Kam	Cody
54	51	74	52

If we’re looking at rosters from a talent perspective on paper, Arizona State is an NCAA tournament shoo-in. However, sometimes things are not that simple. Bobby Hurley will likely be looking to create at least something slightly resembling the extraordinary success his brother Danny has had at UConn over the years. Still, it’s going to take some real coaching to get this team to where it needs to be in the treacherous Big 12. 

Let’s start with youngsters and notable returners. The Sun Devils underwent a full sail line change this offseason, with Adam Miller as their only returning rotation player. The Sun Devils brought in 3 big-name recruits this offseason: Amier Ali, a 6’8″ wing; Joson Sanon, a 6’5″ guard; and my personal favorite, 7’0″ Jayden Quaintance. Out of the 3, Quaintance and Sanon are the most likely to see the floor, with Sanon being able to create opportunities off the dribble and Quaintance possessing grab-and-go ability, along with some seriously intriguing passing flashes. While these three could be helpful pieces for this revamped ASU squad, the brunt of the work will fall on the experienced transfers and returning starter Adam Miller to run the show. The only other intriguing returner on the roster is Shawn Philips, a 7-footer who saw minutes off the bench last season and will likely earn the early season minutes over Quaintance unless Quaintance can beat him out in training camp.

It would be interesting to see what Miller’s shot diet looks like if he obtains a more prominent role. He played as sort of a combo guard for Hurley last year, either bringing the ball up to initiate the offense or having plays drawn up for him to initiate his own looks. Much of his involvement will likely depend on his ability to be efficient and take care of the ball. Given the tendencies of some of the other big incoming names, Miller seems to be the most likely option in that regard.

Now, to address some of those incoming names, let’s start with BJ Freeman. The Milwaukee transfer was an electric 21 PPG scorer last season and was the Panthers’ heart and soul. He’s a massive name for the Devils to bring in, and at 6’8″, he should fit seamlessly alongside a backcourt that will likely feature Miller and fellow transfer Alston Mason, another former star from Missouri State. Austin Nunez is at least interesting to note as a boomerang transfer who averaged 16 minutes per game for Hurley during his freshman season before a disappointing drop-off last year at Mississippi. Given his familiarity with Hurley’s system, he may receive some minutes early in the season.

Freeman will likely be paired with one of the other incoming forwards, the highly touted Brandon Gardner, a former 4-star prospect coming off of a redshirt season at USC, and another high-value transfer in, Basheer Jihad from Ball State. Add either Philips or Quaintance into the mix, and this Arizona State starting five looks to potentially pack a real punch with some serious talent off the bench. 

That said, there are certainly a few concerns. The most troubling is the use of the old adage “too many cooks in the kitchen.” While there are a lot of benefits of creating a mid-major all-star team and pairing it with some high-level recruits, it will create a bit of a feeling-out process as to which of these guys becomes Hurley’s go-to. The arduous nature of the current Big 12 landscape with all of its recent additions, such as Houston and BYU, alongside fellow former Pac 12 members Arizona, Utah, and Colorado, will mean that the Devils will need to be clicking at full force by Big 12 play.

The other major red flags when looking at this ASU roster are inefficiency and turnovers. Just amongst the three big-name transfers, Freeman, Mason, and Jihad, ASU is adding a whopping nine turnovers per game to their rotation with players whose FG% are in the low-mid 40s. If they want to make a name for themselves in conference play, especially with some notoriously stingy defensive teams, they’re going to have to take care of the ball and be efficient in the half court. 

If they don’t waste possessions and keep their turnovers down, this ASU team has a chance to make a noteworthy entrance into their new conference. However, Hurley could be in trouble if old habits die hard and their transfers can’t quite make the leap to power five play.