ASU head coach Herb Sendek: Team will play ‘more difficult’ schedule in 2014-15

While it’s anyone’s guess as to how the Arizona State men’s basketball team will look when it takes the floor in 2014-15 given the departures of Brandon Kearney, Caelen Robinson, Egor Koulechov, Jahii Carson, Jermaine Marshall, Jordan Bachynski and potentially Shaquielle McKissic, the same cannot be said for the upcoming schedule.

At an open forum with local media members Wednesday, head coach Herb Sendek officially unveiled the Sun Devils’ non-conference slate for next season, which features a tournament appearance (CBE Classic) and potential matchups with Big Dance teams like Harvard and Iowa State.

“Looking at the selection committee, they seem to put more and more emphasis on who do you play in the non-conference,” Sendek said. “So, even though we’re going to have to reinvent ourselves a little bit with a number of new players, I think it’s essential that we once again play a really tough non-conference schedule.

“If you look at the numbers and RPIs, if you look at the teams we’re playing this coming season, our schedule is even more difficult than it was last year.”

Also as part of the non-conference schedule, ASU will play at Texas A&M in early December in the first half of a home-and-home to be completed in 2015-16.

In 2013-14, the Sun Devils played only one non-conference game against an eventual NCAA tournament team (Creighton).

List of ASU’s non-conference opponents:

Alabama*

Bethune-Cookman*

Chicago State*

Colgate

Detroit

Harvard

Iowa State*

Lehigh

Loyola Marymount

at Marquette

Maryland

Pepperdine

UNLV

at Texas A&M

* Denotes games that will be played as part of the CBE Classic. Contests against Bethune-Cookman and Chicago State are guaranteed and will be played in Tempe. However, ASU will play only two games against Alabama, Iowa State or Maryland as part of the second half of the tournament. Those games will be played in Kansas City.