Arizona State Sun Devils: 22-10, 12-6 in the Pac-12 Conference
Head coach: Bobby Hurley (4th season)
Players to watch: Luguentz Dort (16.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG); Zylan Cheatham (11.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 53.9 FG%); Remy Martin (13.4 PPG, 5.1 APG)
Season recap: Led by Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Luguentz Dort and first-team all-conference forward Zylan Cheatham, Arizona State snuck in off the bubble for the second straight season. There weren't many quality wins to be had in a weak Pac-12, and an overtime loss to Oregon in the conference tournament semifinals made the Sun Devils sweat out Selection Sunday.
Arizona State had an up-and-down nonconference season that included losses to Princeton and Vanderbilt, which wound up winless in SEC play, but victories against then-No. 1 Kansas, then-No. 15 Mississippi State and on the road at Georgia helped demonstrate the Sun Devils' potential. In conference play, Arizona State beat regular-season champion Washington and won just enough games to get the seal of approval from the committee.
How they make a run: Cheatham manhandles opposing forwards on the glass with offensive rebounds and second-chance points as the fifth-year senior tries to extend his career, and the Sun Devils get enough contributions and balanced scoring from their supporting cast to pull a massive second-round upset and advance to the second weekend.
How they falter: Arizona State isn't particularly impressive at any individual facet of the game, and a poor shooting night featuring a lot of ill-advised attempts by Luguentz Dort and missed free throws leads to an exit in its first game.
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