Maybe it was fitting that the Pac-10's team of tomorrow had its season ended by the nation's powerhouse of yesterday.
Florida, which won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and '07, halted Arizona State's run through the NIT with a 70-57 victory at Wells Fargo Arena.
The game itself didn't matter much. This season really has been about preparing for next year and beyond for the Sun Devils.
And they came a long way.
The Pac-10's last-place finisher just a year ago, ASU zoomed to the middle of the pack and gave everyone fits.
The Devils' loss to confirmed a few things:
--The ASU community has embraced this team on the rise. A crowd of 12,306 watched an NIT third-round game in a town that often has yawned when the Sun Devils play.
--ASU still must get better offensively. Heavily reliant on the 3-point shot, the Devils converted only 29 percent from beyond the arc against the Gators.
"You can be as much of a mad scientist as you want," coach Herb Sendek said. "You can X-and-O all over a napkin. But you still have to make shots."
ASU should improve there, too, by next season. Incoming freshman Johnny Coy, a 6-foot-7 wing from St. Joseph, Mo., is regarded as an excellent deep shooter.
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ASU fans got to see this guy a lot more closely than I did, and I'm wondering what they think about Shanahan's comments that he believes the kid has first round talent. Do you agree or disagree with Shanahan?
This is for any of you ASU fans still bummed about missing the Dance. It shows the complete and thorough domination the Devils have had over the Rats this year.
ASU has beaten UA (the 4 year college) head-to-head in each of the following:
Hey guys, I'm trying to set up a sim league starting next season, where a simulator plays out the game and gives you realistic scores and stuff, and your Sun Devils are still available! If you are interested or have any questions feel free to e-mail me at dosegorillaz@aim.com.
Before the game I said (on the Florida board) That ASU was the Florda State of the Western US. Boy was I wrong. While we won the game by 13, the most impressive thing was the fans in the stands. While Florida State had 500 people watching their game aginst Akron, you guys looked like fans were falling out of the rafters. Even the TV guys commented about 3 or 4 times how
It's not the NCAA tournament -- their postseason event of choice -- but the Devils won their first two games in the NIT and now stand one victory away from reaching the tournament's semifinals at Madison Square Garden .
Wins over Alabama State and Southern Illinois set up a quarterfinal match
Dick Vitale ranted a bit this morning on sports center, saying the one team that really got screwed was ASU. So first the Sun Devils get screwed in the first round of the Pac Ten tourny by a horrible call, and then, the j.o. committee throws the rpi bs at ASU as the reason they don't get in. Unbelievable. I was really looking forward to watching ASU in the tournament this y
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