👋 GOOD MORNING

Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 — Happy Wednesday! Yesterday I asked if the Suns had responded well to coach Mike Budenholzer’s starting lineup shakeup following their win against the 76ers, but that evaporated pretty darn fast in a 115-104 loss to the 8-27 Hornets last night.

Ouch.

Devin Booker bounced back with a strong 39-point, 10-assist output, while Kevin Durant was his usual self (26 points), but that was just about where the good stopped. Bradley Beal recorded just 10 points off the bench in 31 minutes of playing time, and Jusuf Nurkić didn’t fare much better, posting eight points in 19 minutes.

Phoenix recorded 54 points off the bench in Monday’s win over Philly, and managed just 29 last night. Make sure to stay tuned to PHNX and our incredible Suns crew as trade talk continues to heat up, because the murmurs that started a few weeks ago are growing louder and louder with each loss.

On to the show!

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A Snapshot of the Big 12 College Basketball Season

Welcome to Big 12 basketball.

Arizona and Arizona State have kicked off their respective Big 12 basketball schedules, marking their inaugural journey through the powerhouse basketball conference. Many national pundits have questioned the Big 12’s football acumen following the departure of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC, however, there’s no debate as to the conference’s standing in the basketball world.

It’s one of the best — some may argue THE best — in the country.

The Big 12 has four ranked teams in men’s basketball (Iowa State No. 3, Kansas No. 11, Houston No. 12, West Virginia No. 21), not to mention the Wildcats and Sun Devils, who have each gotten off to a solid start. The women’s programs also have four in the top 25 (TCU No. 11, Kansas State No. 12, West Virginia No. 17, and Utah No. 22), as well as the traditionally successful programs like Iowa State and Baylor.

If you haven’t been paying attention to this point, don’t fret. Here’s a little summary of how things are going for each of the four major programs in Arizona, and with two months to go until March, there’s plenty of time to ramp up.

Wildcats MBB Getting On Track at the Right Time

Overall Record: 9-5
Big 12 Record: 3-0
Most Recent Game: 75-56 win over No. 21 West Virginia
Streak: Won 5
Next Big Test: No. 3 Iowa State (Jan. 27)

Biggest Positive: Fantastic response from the Wildcats, who have steadied the ship after a rough start to the season. Arizona has back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, and has yet to lose a conference game. The Wildcats are no doubt flexing a little muscle as they wade through their first year in the conference, led by Caleb Love’s 16.3 points per game.

Biggest Negative: It was tough going early in the season, but even that isn’t all bad considering who the losses came against — all power conference members. Those defeats came against Wisconsin, Oklahoma, West Virginia (technically a non-conference game at Battle 4 Atlantis, believe it or not), No. 12 Duke and No. 24 UCLA. Otherwise, UA has taken care of business against inferior opposition.

Outlook: Things are truly trending up. ESPN currently projects the Wildcats as an 11 seed in the play-in game, however, their stock will continue to rise as long if their winning ways continue.

Wildcats WBB Off to a Solid Start

Overall Record: 11-5
Big 12 Record: 2-1
Most Recent Game: 75-53 win over UCF
Streak: Won 1
Next Big Test: Tonight vs. Baylor (12-3) at home

Biggest Positive: The Wildcats’ only conference loss has come to No. 22 Utah, and have been led by forward Breya Cunningham’s 12.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Two other players are averaging double figures in points: Jada Williams (11.7) and Skylar Jones (10.3), but it has been a well-balanced scoring attack from UA.

Biggest Negative: There aren’t any marquee wins on their schedule just yet. Conference wins over BYU and UCF don’t exactly move the needle, and the team’s only non-conference games against quality opponents (Vanderbilt and Cal) were both losses.

Outlook: Arizona has won four of its last five games as it enters the heart of the Big 12 schedule, and needs to earn a few marquee victories in order to go dancing in March.

Sun Devils MBB Opening Some Eyes

Overall Record: 10-3
Big 12 Record: 1-1
Most Recent Game: 81-61 win over Colorado
Streak: Won 1
Next Big Test: Tonight vs. No. 11 Kansas (in Lawrence)

Biggest Positive: ASU is enjoying a 10-3 start after winning eight of their first nine games, and got back to .500 in the conference after a win over Colorado on Saturday. Tonight’s a pretty big “prove it” game for the Sun Devils against No. 11 Kansas, especially considering two of their three losses this season have come at the hands of top 10 teams (No. 6 Gonzaga, No. 9 Florida).

Biggest Negative: Despite the gaudy win total, we’re still not sure if the Sun Devils are for real. Their Basketball Power Index score ranks 60th in the NCAA (compared to Arizona’s ranking of ninth), so it’s still tough to tell if ASU has what it takes to power through its Big 12 schedule that still features matchups against four ranked opponents, not to mention two against the Wildcats. To make matters worse, five-star freshman phenom Joson Sanon suffered a lower-body injury and his availability for the massive tilt in Lawrence was still unknown at the time of publishing.

Outlook: As of now, ESPN has the Sun Devils battling for a spot in the Big Dance as one of the first four out. A few statement wins in a conference packed with talent — especially considering how well Sun Devils fans travel — could shore up that resume in time to do a little dancing.

Sun Devils WBB Treading Water Early On

Overall Record: 8-7
Big 12 Record: 2-1
Most Recent Game: 69-60 win over Houston
Streak: Won 3 straight
Next Big Test: Tonight against Iowa State (10-6) at home

Biggest Positive: It has been an up-and-down season for the Sun Devils, but consecutive wins over Texas Tech and Houston have the team over .500 for the first time since Dec. 7. Tyi Skinner leads the team with 17.3 points and three assists per game. Jalyn Brown isn’t far behind, posting 16.2 points per game.

Biggest Negative: No marquee wins, and there are even a few bad losses sprinkled in. An overtime loss to MEAC opponent Coppin State was a stunner, but wasn’t the only bad loss. The Sun Devils have also lost to Arkansas State, UC Davis and San Francisco, highlighting an inconsistent start to the season.

Outlook: The beauty of playing in the Big 12 is the opportunity it presents to string some big wins together. There are still four ranked opponents left on ASU’s schedule (as of now), and if ASU can reach 18 wins by winning 10 of their final 15 games (a tall task, to be sure), there’s a good chance they’ll be a bubble team.

Full PHNX Coverage

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🧢 TIP OF THE HAT BY BRANDED BILLS

A nice finish in a good win for Wildcats basketball over No. 21 West Virginia.

LOOK OUT BELOW🤯 pic.twitter.com/kPP3PSE4vt

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) January 8, 2025