Report: ASU basketball replacing Michigan in 2020 Empire Classic
Oct 6, 2020, 1:02 PM
Arizona State guard Remy Martin celebrates a score against Arizona during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State defeated Arizona 66-65. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Arizona State Sun Devils men’s basketball team has added a tournament to its schedule.
The Sun Devils are reportedly replacing the Michigan Wolverines in the 2020 Empire Classic tournament, per CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.
The tournament is scheduled to run Nov. 25-26 and will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.
Michigan was slated to play Villanova in the first round of the tournament, meaning that’s most likely ASU’s first opponent barring any changes to the schedule.
The Sun Devils will have a tall task in the Wildcats, as Villanova enters 2020 after being ranked 10th by the AP poll in August. NCAA.com’s Andy Katz has the Wildcats as the No. 3 team in the nation behind only Baylor and Gonzaga.
Luckily for the Sun Devils, point guard and leader Remy Martin is back in the fold for his senior season. He’s joined by fellow senior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. and freshmen Josh Christopher and Marcus Bagley.
Martin averaged 19.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 31 starts last season. Verge chipped in 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists as the team’s one-two punch in the backcourt.
Christopher and Bagley enter ASU’s program as the 12th-ranked and 29th-ranked guard and small forward, respectively, per 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
Joining ASU and Villanova in the tournament are Baylor and Boston College. Boston College replaced North Carolina State in the tournament on Sept. 24 after the Wolf Pack opted out.
