ARIZONA STATE BASKETBALL

Arizona State earns first NCAA Tournament bid since 2014

Mar 11, 2018, 3:11 PM | Updated: 5:31 pm

Arizona State guard Tra Holder (0) reacts after scoring against UCLA in the second half during an N...

Arizona State guard Tra Holder (0) reacts after scoring against UCLA in the second half during an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State defeated UCLA 88-79. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Arizona State will be dancing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.

The Sun Devils were selected into the tournament as a No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region.

Arizona State will face fellow No. 11 seed Syracuse in a play-in game on Wednesday, March 14 in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner advancing to face TCU in the round of 64.

The NCAA revealed the entire field of 68 teams during TBS’ NCAA March Madness Selection Show on Sunday to the delight of head coach Bobby Hurley.

“We started our journey this year, our goal, our mission was to try to get into the NCAA Tournament,” Hurley said.

The Sun Devils (20-11) began the season as one of the hottest teams in the nation. They burst onto the scene with a 102-86 win on a neutral court over then-No.15 Xavier to move to 6-0. That win only looked more impressive as the season went on, as the Musketeers entered Selection Sunday with a No. 3 ranking.

Just more than two weeks later, ASU upset No. 2 Kansas on the Jayhawks’ homecourt, 95-85.

Finishing the nonconference slate at 12-0 and earning a No. 3 ranking, ASU suffered its first loss to No. 17 Arizona to open Pac-12 play and went 8-10 to finish ninth in the conference before losing to Colorado in the Pac-12 Tournament opener on Wednesday. That gave the Sun Devils their fifth loss in the final six games.

Under the selection committee’s new quadrant system, which doesn’t weight recent results more than the games in the first few months of a season, ASU went 3-4 in quadrant 1 games. It also went 5-5 in quadrant 2 games, 7-2 in quadrant 3 games and 5-0 in quadrant 4 competition.

Arizona State is ranked 57th by an average of three results-based metrics and 46.3 by an average of three predictive-based metrics.

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.

17 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

Arizona State earns first NCAA Tournament bid since 2014