Arizona State Begins Randy Bennett Era Against East Tennessee State

Arizona State starts its season and the Randy Bennett coaching era at home against East Tennessee State on November 2. The 8 p.m. game at Desert Financial Arena will be shown on ESPN+; the Sun Devil Radio Network will also carry the broadcast on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, ESPN 620 AM and the Arizona Sports App.

The Sun Devils come in after beating New Mexico 91-86 in an exhibition. Paulius Murauskas scored 31 points and Dillan Shaw added 22. The pair, both captains, transferred from Saint Mary’s. Bennett said their familiarity with his approach and his confidence in them were valuable to the team.

East Tennessee State finished last season with a Southern Conference regular-season title and a 23-11 overall record, but lost to Furman in the conference tournament final and missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth. The Buccaneers have eight newcomers, while four players return, including forward Jordan McCullum, who averaged 8.3 points last season.

Guard BJ Ward, a preseason All-SoCon selection, is a player to watch. He averaged 10.9 points and 3.7 assists last season. The Buccaneers are expected to emphasize patient half-court offense, defense and rebounding, a style that could make for a slower matchup than Arizona State’s exhibition against New Mexico.

Arizona State may have an advantage in height, but Bennett said his team was outplayed at center and lost the rebounding battle against New Mexico. Guard Emmanuel Innocenti, who limited New Mexico’s Jake Hall in the exhibition, could take on East Tennessee State’s leading threat. The game is listed with Arizona State favored by 17.5 points and a total of 145.5.