ASU can thanks its membership in Crown so-organizer Big XII for being invited to this event in Vegas. The Sun Devils don't deserve a postseason bid after losing 11 of their last 12, as deterioration was rapid after top scorer G BJ Freeman was dismissed from the team in mid-February, and now G Joson Sonon (12 ppg) has hit the portal and inked with St. John's. Bobby Hurley supposedly has only seven scholarship players available on Monday. Nebraska looks one of the favorites, though Fred Hoiberg will be minus G Rollie Worster. Still, G Brice Williams (20 ppg) and F Juwan Gary (14 ppg) have chances to end their college careers on high notes. Play Nebraska (Crown at MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas)

Las Vegas will hold their first postseason tournament in college basketball in quite some time. The field will have a chance to win money, just like the tournament that was played at T-Mobile Arena in non-conference play. Arizona State is one of the more interesting teams in the field. Injuries and opt outs resulted in losing eleven out of twelve games. But there’s a hunger when it comes to prize money, and Arizona State has had a couple of weeks to practice with their new group. Take ASU plus the points against a Nebraska team that lost their focus at the end of the season.

Defections are affecting several teams in this tournament, perhaps none more so than Arizona State. The Sun Devils are expected to take the floor without three of their top six scorers and could be down to seven scholarship players. They surely assumed the season was over with a defeat on March 11, their 11th in the past dozen outings. Nebraska also closed poorly with five straight-up setbacks in a row. But with a decent 18-15 SU record, in contrast to ASU’s pathetic 13-19, the Cornhuskers likely anticipated their season was not over.