The ASU Sun Devils have never shied away from the big stage, and they aren’t about to now.
Arizona State University announced today that the Men’s Basketball team will be one of four teams in the 2016 Jimmy V Classic, a college basketball invitational that is held in Madison Square Garden every December. The other three teams that will participate are the University of Florida, Duke University and Purdue University.
The event will air on December 6th on ESPN with ASU taking on Purdue at 7:00 p.m. EST and that game will be followed by Florida v.s. Duke at 9:00 p.m. EST.
Bobby Hurley said that he was excited for the chance to play in the Jimmy V Classic.
“Arizona State is excited and proud to take part in the 2016 Jimmy V Classic. Being from that area, I know the experience of taking part in any game or event at The Garden is amazing, and it will be good to connect with our alumni in that part of the country. The V Foundation has become synonymous with college basketball in making a difference in the fight against cancer, and we look forward to being a part of that this season,” Hurley said.
Being a part of the Jimmy V classic is just another example of Hurley breathing new life into a program who this past season faced the likes of Kentucky, Texas A&M, and NC State.
Hurley, who will be in his second season as head coach at the time of the Jimmy V Classic, is coming off having a successful recruiting season that ended in disappointment when Thon Maker decided to declare for the NBA draft rather than to attend college.
Thanks to opportunities like the Jimmy V Classic, ASU’s Men’s Basketball program is feeling a change in the wind, and they like it.