ARIZONA STATE BASKETBALL

ASU in, Arizona out of most NCAA Tournament brackets after L.A. trip

Jan 28, 2019, 8:53 AM | Updated: 9:45 pm

Follow @kzimmermanaz...

By Thursday night, after the Arizona State Sun Devils and Arizona Wildcats meet in Tempe, both teams will have played half of their Pac-12 schedules.

The impact of that game will weigh heavily on each of the rivals’ NCAA Tournament hopes.

They are fighting for their postseason lives in a maligned conference that is legitimately at risk of sending just the conference champion to the Big Dance. The Arizona schools find themselves squarely on the bubble heading into their matchup after the Sun Devils split visits to the Los Angeles schools. Meanwhile, the Wildcats were thoroughly blown out by each of USC and UCLA.

Both Arizona State and Arizona are 5-3 in conference play and 2.5 games back of the Pac-12-leading Washington Huskies, who at 7-0 also sit ahead of the USC Trojans and Utah Utes (5-2 Pac-12 records).

Once again, the formula for NCAA Tournament selection has changed with RPI out and NET rating in, joining the quadrant system to help the committee make its picks. Read more about the selection process here.

With the help of BracketMatrix.com and the NCAA’s website, here’s a look at the NCAA Tournament résumés for ASU and Arizona, and where they are being projected heading into their game at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The rivalry game will be simulcast on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station and ESPN 620 AM. Pregame coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN 620 AM.

Arizona State NCAA Tournament résumé

Overall record: 14-6

# of brackets included in BracketMatrix.com brackets (out of 86): 64

BracketMatrix.com composite seed (average seeding): 11 (10.92)

Highest seed: 9

NET ranking: 62nd

Strength of schedule: 59th

Quadrant 1 record: 3-2

Quadrant 2 record: 3-2

Quadrant 3 record: 2-1

Quadrant 4 record: 6-1

Arizona NCAA Tournament résumé

Overall record: 14-7

# of brackets included in BracketMatrix.com brackets (out of 86): 32

BracketMatrix.com composite seeding (average seeding): First four out (10.81)

Highest seed: 6

NET ranking: 67th

Strength of schedule: 88th

Quadrant 1 record: 1-4

Quadrant 2 record: 2-3

Quadrant 3 record: 6-0

Quadrant 4 record: 5-0

Arizona State Basketball

Caitlin Clark celebrates...

Associated Press

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is inspiring a younger generation of players

Caitlin Clark's deep range has expanded the scope of possibilities for up-and-coming women's basketball players.

23 hours ago

Frankie Collins #1 of the Arizona State Sun Devils drives the ball against Pelle Larsson #3 of the ...

David Veenstra

Arizona State basketball guard Frankie Collins to enter transfer portal

Arizona State guard Frankie Collins announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

2 days ago

Darian DeVries...

Associated Press

West Virginia basketball hires Darian DeVries to be new coach after 6 years at Drake

West Virginia tapped Drake coach Darian DeVries on Sunday to move the Mountaineers past one of the ugliest years in school history.

4 days ago

Akil Watson defends...

Arizona Sports

Report: ASU’s Akil Watson entering transfer portal

Arizona State forward Akil Watson is reportedly planning to enter the transfer portal following a season with the Sun Devils.

7 days ago

Deivon Smith #5 of the Utah Utes handles the ball against Braelon Green #2 of the Arizona State Sun...

Arizona Sports

Arizona State basketball’s Braelon Green heads to transfer portal

Arizona State freshman shooting guard Braelon Green told 247 Sports' Travis Branham he's submitting paperwork to enter the transfer portal.

8 days ago

Jamiya Neal #5 of the Arizona State Sun Devils brings the ball up court against the Utah Utes durin...

Kellan Olson

Arizona State guard Jamiya Neal enters transfer portal

Arizona State guard Jamiya Neal announced on Tuesday he is entering the transfer portal after his third season with the Sun Devils.

9 days ago

ASU in, Arizona out of most NCAA Tournament brackets after L.A. trip