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ASU Basketball under hurley summed up in a tweet

There is zero positive energy around the program and keeping him another year is a very dangerous move by GR. Rossini has to make a HOME RUN hire after next season at this point. Grabbing some up-in-comer after retaining this loser for an extra year would be very bad.

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Official Huddle March Madness Tournament Contest

The great Hod ordained me to officially enact this year's tourney contest. With that I say:

And it came to pass in the land of the Sun Devils, a small band of faithful followers of Arizona State did gather themselves together, in the manner of the tribes of yore, to enter into a contest of great renown, the March Madness tournament pool. With hearts steadfast and minds resolute, they set forth under the banner of the pitchfork, trusting in their knowledge of the hardwood battles, combined with the wisdom of the anointed stained one @Hod Rabino, to guide them through the wilderness of brackets. The Omniscient and Ever-Knowing One overseeing Tempe (no...not Sparknac) had blessed them with cunning and foresight, and they sought to triumph over the nations of rival fans, especially those accursed Wildcats of Arizona, whose pride was as boundless as the sands and whose boasts stank like the offal of a forsaken herd.

Now these Sun Devil faithful numbered not many, yet their spirit was mighty, and they inscribed their predictions upon the scrolls of the pool, as the priests of old recorded the laws in Leviticus. They offered up their selections as a sacrifice to the glory of their team, shunning the vile University of Arizona, that den of iniquity whose players strutted like peacocks and whose fans wailed in ignorance. The Wildcats, a people stiff-necked and given to delusions of grandeur, were scorned by the Sun Devils, who declared, “Let their brackets be broken asunder, and their hopes dashed upon the rocks of defeat!” Thus did this small tribe press onward in the tournament, seeking victory as the promised land, while the shadow of Tucson’s folly loomed ever as a cautionary tale.


With that said...please enter the....

The Official Huddle March Madness Tournament Contest

STORY: Different expectations, yet the same aspirations in play for Jordyn Tyson

"It's a lot different just being in a season where there are expectations, obviously, so I know I got to live up to those.” There are some personnel losses to compensate for on the ASU offense, but WR Jordyn Tyson figures to be the tip of the spear of this unit

Baseball: Kansas Series Thread

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

ASU more than held their own last week going 2-2 on a difficult 4 game road trip against UofA and TCU. To me it was more impressive than the sweep of Gonzaga.

Some might remember last season the Devils lost some confidence in Texas being out classed by Texas AM and TCU. For that reason, the 26 runs in game 2 against TCU this last weekend on the way to the series win was somewhat of a needed and welcome statement. At least if you ask me.

Not only were the wins a welcome sight, but, the break out series of Kyle Walker and Isaiah Jackson were particularly impressive. Jackson started last season on a tear only to see his batting average plummet to .224 in mid April with a mountain of strike outs. He struggled especially against good pitching. So, when the report of him fixing his swing surfaced this off season I was skeptical that it would mean much. His play against a tough TCU team though was pretty good, although streaky.

As for Walker, he was benched for the UofA game and some might take that as a reason to pout, but the red shirt junior just went 6-14 with 5 runs against TCU. If the Devils can get to a regional and it ends up being down south, I think the transfer from Grambling could really be somebody that will feel right at home and set the tone for a roster and coaching staff that severely lacks post season success on their resume.

So much about the frying pan, what about the fire?

The Kansas Jayhawk offense is scorching.

If you were impressed with ASU's 26 runs against TCU, then you might be impressed with Kansas scoring 29 runs against a Minnesota staff that held ASU to just under 7 runs a game. They've also scored 21, 16, and 14 runs this season with several other 10+ run outings.

Kansas might be the early surprise of the Big 12 at 17-3 which includes an 8-1 record on the road.

Their RF Jackson Hauge transferred in from Minnesota State and already has 11 HRs on the season. 50.8% of his ABs are fly balls, and 35.5% of his fly balls are Home Runs. ASU ace Ben Jacobs gives up the 3rd most fly balls in the Big 12 so that's a battle to watch. Can Jacobs keep the ball down?

Don't look now, but ASU's combination of Jacobs and Martinez have found a bit of a groove. Jacobs (ERA 4.72) and Martinez (ERA 2.73) have formed a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Jacobs started the season by giving up just 4 earned runs in 4 innings to post an ERA of 9.00. Since then he has steadily lowered it.

The last time an ASU weekend pitcher had an ERA below 4.00 was all the way back in 2019 when Alec Marsh finished with a 3.46 ERA. Marsh was a work horse, but even his 6'2" 220 pound frame couldn't withstand the brutality of Tracy Smith. His pitch counts of 101, 96, 88, 103, 102, 103, 118, 121, 98, 65, 96, 100, 104, 90, and 108 are criminal. By the time Marsh got to the regional in 2019 he had nothing left in his arm and the Devils got crushed in game 1. Marsh had to be pulled early and it torched our bullpen in a game 1 loss.

If Bloomquist can ride these 2 arms to a regional this season then he will have done a good job. If he can manage their workload to where they can peak in the post season then he will have done an amazing job.

A huge part of Bloomquist being able to manage their workload will be how well the bullpen responds. If our pen is going to give up 9 runs in the last 3 innings with regularity then Bloomquist will be tempted to run his starters into the ground.

STORY: Seasoned players key to Sun Devils’ postseason success

“It’s why we built the roster the way we did. We wanted to go heavy into the portal and bring in elite players who had been through conference playoffs." ASU hockey's roster building approach showcases its effectiveness this season

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STORY: Key transfer skill players relish in high expectations going into spring practice

"Knowing all eyes are on me and this running back room brings a lot of pressure, but I love it." Transfers RB Kanye Udoh and WR Jalen Moss are anticipated to make their impact early and often in spring practice, with a positive acclimation process aiding them

STORY: Roster retention leads to pre-built chemistry ASU will capitalize on

“A majority of the team already knows the playbook, so you’re going in there with a lot of familiarity." Returning a large majority of the defensive two-deep from an 11-win team rightfully creates a lot of optimism in Tempe

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