Arizona State men's basketball team makes home debut against Texas Southern
The Arizona State men's basketball team will play on its home floor for the first time in the new season Saturday afternoon against Texas Southern. Both teams are coming off losses in their season openers with poor shooting and rebounding significant factors.
While the teams played last season, a Texas Southern win, both have had significant roster turnover with ASU returning only three players from a team that went 23-13.
Let's take a closer look at the matchup:
Texas Southern (0-1) at Arizona State (0-1)
Time/date: 1:30 p.m. Saturday
Site: Desert Financial Arena
TV: Pac-12 Arizona. Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
About the matchup: The game is part of the Legacy series which pits Pac-12 schools against those from the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The teams played last season in Texas and it was the Tigers prevailing 67-66 on a tip-in at the buzzer of overtime. It was a bad loss that served as a big reason why the Sun Devils had their backs to the wall the last three weeks of the season in trying to make it into the NCAA Tournament field.
About the Tigers: For the fourth straight season, the Tigers were picked to finish first in the Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason poll, with senior guard PJ Henry picked as the 2023-24 SWAC Preseason Player of the Year. Texas Southern lost its opener at New Mexico 92-55, shooting just 29.4% (20-for-68) from the field which included a 5-for-25 from long distance. It also made just 10 of 19 free throws. Senior forward Jonathan Cisse, a transfer from Incarnate Word, led the team in scoring with 11 points but made only three of 15 shots from the field. Junior guard Jaylen Wysinger came off the bench and contributed 10 points and five rebounds. Henry manage just seven points and was 3-fo-14 from the field in the loss.
About the Sun Devils: ASU dropped its opener in ugly fashion to Mississippi State 71-56 Wednesday in Chicago. The game was not as close at that score indicates as they trailed by as many as 25 points. ASU shot 32% (17-for-53) for the game. Kamari Lands, a transfer from Louisville, led the Sun Devils with 13 points and four rebounds but he was just 4-for-10 from the field. Frankie Collins was also in double figures with 10 points to go with three assists and three rebounds. Tulsa transfer Bryant Selebangue snagged a team-high six rebounds but ASU was beaten on the boards 44-31.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State men's basketball team makes home debut against Texas Southern
