Last season, Hurley took the Sun Devils into Big 12 play with a 9-2 record, including wins over three eventual NCAA Tournament participants in Grand Canyon, New Mexico and Saint Mary’s.

A year later, ASU finds itself in a similar situation, entering Big 12 play at 9-4 with wins over Hawaii and Oklahoma, two teams that are currently projected by Joe Lunardi to make this year’s March Madness tournament. 

However, Hurley and the Sun Devils want the similarities to end there. 

A flurry of locker room issues paired with a challenging schedule plagued ASU to a 4-17 Big 12 record and a one-and-done in the conference tournament.

While the Sun Devils have shown signs of being a more complete team as opposed to last year’s squad, the Big 12 is guaranteed to be just as unforgiving as last season.

To find the current favorite for this year’s conference crown, ASU doesn’t have to look far. No. 1 Arizona is off to a blazing 13-0 start, picking up wins over No. 22 Florida, No. 4 UConn and No. 14 Alabama.

The Wildcats’ balanced attack runs through senior guard Jaden Bradley, who has averaged a career-high 13.4 points per game this season despite playing almost seven fewer minutes per game compared to last season.

Arizona also features two star freshmen, as guard Brayden Burries and forward Koa Peat are both tallying 14 points per contest. Peat played his high school career just down the road from ASU at Perry High School in Gilbert.

Apart from their rivals down south, No. 3 Iowa State matches the Wildcats’ 13-0 mark and currently holds one of the most impressive wins in the nation, an 81-58 victory at Purdue on Dec. 6.

The tandem of senior forward Joshua Jefferson and junior forward Milan Momcilovic, who both average about 18 points a game, led the Cyclones.

Yet the calling card for Iowa State in recent years has been its defense. That holds true once again this year, as the Cyclones boast the 10th-best scoring defense in the country, allowing just 63 points per game.

However, the conversation regarding the best defense in the Big 12 must include No. 8 Houston. 

Behind head coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars find themselves at the top of the conference and in the top five nationally in scoring defense, allowing 60 points per game.

Following last year’s heartbreaking loss in the national championship to Florida, Houston has raced to a 12-1 start behind the leadership of senior guards Milos Uzan and Emmanuel Sharp, both key contributors to last year’s squad.

Still, the Cougars’ veteran leadership isn’t the only driving factor to their fast start. 

Emerging as one of the best freshmen in the country is guard Kingston Flemings, who averages 15.3 points and 4.9 assists per game.

Rounding out the top 10 of the AP poll is BYU. 

Star senior guard Richie Saunders and freshman forward and top NBA draft prospect AJ Dybantsa are at the forefront of the college basketball limelight, with Dybantsa currently second in the nation in points per game (23.1).

Apart from the aforementioned, two other Big 12 schools currently reside in the rankings: No. 15 Texas Tech and No. 17 Kansas.

As for the Sun Devils, their Big 12 slate gets started at home against a familiar foe. ASU faces the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, Jan. 3, at Desert Financial Arena.

The Buffaloes got off to a surprising 7-0 start, but have dropped three of their last five contests. Its last outing was one to forget, as Colorado lost to Northern Colorado for the first time since 1936.

Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson leads the way for the Buffaloes, averaging 14.8 points per game, while junior guard Barrington Hargress and sophomore forward Sebastian Rancik both pour in 13 points a game.

A matchup to watch on Saturday is Sun Devils freshman center Massamba Diop against Colorado junior forward Bangot Dak. 

Like Diop, the 7-foot Dak is comfortable on the perimeter and has shown guard-like ball-handling ability for the Buffaloes.

Saturday’s game is just a glimpse into the loaded field that makes up this year’s Big 12, and ASU, just like everyone else in the conference, has a daunting two-month stretch of basketball ahead.