Arizona State @ Kansas preview

No. 17 Arizona State is off to its best start since the 1974-75 season, and coach Bobby Hurley’s team can validate that early success when it visits second-ranked Kansas for a showdown on Sunday afternoon. The Sun Devils have knocked off Kansas State, Xavier and St. John’s en route to an 8-0 record and can match the 1974-75 squad’s 9-0 start with a victory over the Jayhawks, who are coming off a surprising setback against Washington on Wednesday.

“Just with them coming off the loss to Washington, I know they’ve had some really stiff, tough practices and I know coach (Bill) Self has motivated them,” Hurley told reporters. “And then you have Allen (Fieldhouse) and the advantage that that building is, it’s going to be something for our players to experience.” Arizona State has won seven of eight games by double figures and averages 91.4 points - seventh in the country entering Saturday - while Kansas has scored at least 90 five times in its first eight contests. Self said after the 74-65 loss to Washington that his team played “horrendous” defense and the Jayhawks had just one player score more than 10 points in a disappointing effort. “When we’re energized and moving the ball, and everybody’s playing with energy, I think we’re really a nice team,” Self told reporters. “But when we’re not, we get average real fast because we’re not extremely quick and we’re not very big. Those are facts.”

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

ARIZONA STATE (8-0): The Sun Devils boast five players averaging in double-figure scoring, four contributing at least 15 points per game and three with more than 20 made 3-pointers. Senior guard Tra Holder (20.3 points, five assists per game) leads the way despite scoring a season-low seven points in the 82-70 win over St. John’s on Friday and going 5-for-22 from the field the last two contests. Senior guard Shannon Evans II (18.6 points, 5.3 assists) and freshman forward Romello White (16.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 71.2 percent from the field) have also put up big numbers.

ABOUT KANSAS (7-1): Junior guard Lagerald Vick recorded a career-high 28 points in Wednesday’s setback, but Washington clamped down on the rest of the lineup and made 48.3 percent from the field - including 9-of-21 from behind the arc. “If we don’t play with a chip on our shoulder and play scrappier than our opponents, we’re going to have more nights like this,” Self told reporters after the loss. Vick tops the team in scoring (17.9) while senior guard Devonte’ Graham (16.6 points, team-high 7.6 assists) and senior guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (16.0 points, 26-of-54 from 3-point range).

TIP-INS

1. Kansas sophomore C Udoka Azubuike is averaging 14 points and 7.3 rebounds and leads the nation in field goal percentage (77.6).

2. Arizona State senior G Kodi Justice is 13-of-24 from 3-point range over the last four games and scores 15 per contest overall.

3. The Jayhawks have won five of the nine meetings all-time, including the last matchup in the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

PREDICTION: Kansas 78, Arizona State 72