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Chester’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (23) shoots over Constitution’s Savon Goodman (5) in a Philadelphia-area hoops game on Dec. 2011 (Click on photo to access video)
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TOP 5 PRODUCTIVITY LEADERS EACH TEAM
*Starters.
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WHAT IS PRODUCTIVITY RATING?:
PP: Productivity Points (Points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocked shots, FGs made, FTs made added together and then subtracted by missed FGs, missed FTs, personal fouls and turnovers)
MIN: Minutes played overall
PR: Productivity rating per minute played (Productivity points divided by minutes played)
Top three storylines for today’s game:
1. Savon Goodman vs. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Part II.
A Herb Sendek team is averaging 73.5 points a game? A former Running Rebel is helping the Sun Devils run.
Savon Goodman, a former UNLV forward, has added a new dimension to ASU’s attack of late. Since becoming eligible after his transfer four games ago, Goodman leads the team in scoring (15.8 points per game) and rebounding (8 a game).
Goodman is 6’6″ and 215-pound forward who can mix it up within the three-point line similar to fellow Philadelphia product Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of Arizona. Goodman has yet to attempt a shot beyond the arc. He has made 24 of 38 shots from the field, including a 17-for-23 stretch between the Lehigh and Detroit games on Dec. 20 and 23.
Goodman transferred from UNLV in October 2013, before the 2013-14 season started, after he was suspended for the year after facing felony burglary charges. He allegedly stole $500, a pair of shoes and several video games from the apartment of an acquaintance in May.
Since he already attended classes in the fall of 2013-14 at UNLV, he had to sit out a full year and not become eligible until after this fall semester concluded.
Goodman and Hollis-Jefferson met before three years ago when Goodman was a senior at Philadelphia Constitution High School. Hollis-Jefferson’s Chester (Pa.) High School team beat Constitution 70-46 on Dec. 10, 2011. Check out this video for highlights from that game, which includes commentary by Hollis-Jefferson’s sister.
2. ASU has many Arizona players on its roster — A good thing?
It’s good to see Sendek give some Arizona talent a chance to play with ASU. On the other hand, Arizona is not considered a hotbed of talent. Sendek has two Arizonans of note on his roster — center Eric Jacobsen (Chandler) and shooting guard Bo Barnes (Scottsdale) — and five others who are part of a 16-player group.
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ASU (8-5, 0-0) VS. NO. 8 ARIZONA (12-1, 0-0)
Tip Time: 5:01 p.m. MST
TV: FOX Sports 1 (Gus Johnson/Bill Raftery)
Radio: Arizona IMG Sports Network (Brian Jeffries/Ryan Hansen)
THE SERIES
Overall: Arizona leads, 145-81
In Tucson: Arizona leads, 84-49
Current Streak: Arizona State won 1
Last Meeting: Arizona State won, 69-66, on Feb. 14, 2014
Sean Miller vs. Arizona State: 8-4
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Don’t forget to vote. Championship matchup of the Arizona Wildcats Best Play Bracket:
CHAMPIONSHIP
For mobile devices, PLEASE CLICK HERE to access poll.
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HOW ARE THEY DOING?
Present RPI ranking of Arizona’s non-conference opponents. Arizona is No. 11 with a strength-of-schedule ranking of No. 81.
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Sean Miller’s only Arizonan is reserve center Matt Korcheck of Sabino High School. The Wildcats also list 16 players comprised of scholarship athletes, walk-ons and transfers.
Sendek also has gone the junior college route more than Miller to get immediate reinforcements for players transferring, leaving early or exhausting their eligibility.
ASU has five players who at one time played in junior college — Guards Roosevelt Scott and Gerry Blakes and forwards Willie Atwood, Sai Tummala and Shaquielle McKissic.
Arizona has the reigning junior college player of the year, guard Kadeem Allen, on the bench redshirting.
ASU’s significant roster composition of Arizona and junior college players is similar to that of Arizona’s in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s when Fred Snowden coached the Wildcats from the WAC to the Pac-10. That did not translate into success.
Lute Olson was immediately successful in both areas, luring JC studs Pete Williams and Eddie Smith and Tucson’s own Sean Elliott after that.
Olson then went into ASU’s backyard and attracted the Phoenix-area’s best players over the last two decades (Mike Bibby, Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Jerryd Bayless).
Miller signed Nick Johnson, a Gilbert product who played at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev.
3. At stake: The Territorial Cup.
Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne makes it be known at the beginning of every school year with his coaches and support staff that beating ASU is one of the program’s chief objectives.
At stake is the Territorial Cup, which ASU captured last school year thanks in part to wins over Arizona in football and basketball. The Sun Devils currently lead the Territorial Cup with a 3-2 margin.
Arizona reduced the lead with victories in the last two events in football and volleyball in late November.
The winner of today’s game gets a half-point in the standings.
Here’s the 2014-15 results and schedule:
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ARIZONA DUNK TALLY
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SEASON PRODUCTIVITY RATING
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2014-15 TERRITORIAL CUP STANDINGS
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ARIZONA SCHEDULE/PRODUCTIVITY RESULTS
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also has published articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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