The room was hot, humid and sticky.
About 50 people packed into a conference room with two big-screen TVs on the fifth floor of the intercollegiate-athletics building.
The fellows sitting around the conference table made up the Sun Devil men’s basketball team.
Friends, family, media and ASU athletic-department staff filled up every other couch, seat and standing space in the room.
The room was sent into a state of shock about 5 minutes into the Selection Sunday telecast.
A chorus of “Wows” and “Oh my gods” erupted once UA showed up as the Midwest regional’s No. 12 seed.
The West regional announcement was up next and people relaxed in their chairs. Because ASU is hosting the West regional at the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, it couldn’t have been placed in the region.
Among the 16 teams in the West, two of them were Pac-10 foes in Washington and Cal.
ASU sophomore guards James Harden and Ty Abbott got giddy over the first round matchup between Cal and No. 10 seed Maryland.
I had to take a step out of the room at this point; it was getting a little too hot. After cooling down for a bit, I stepped back in the sauna to see which regional was up next.
It was the East. Sixteen more teams. No Sun Devils.
After the third region was announced, things got a little awkward.
WSU’s game-winning shot by senior guard Taylor Rochestie over ASU junior Derek Glasser was picked as the year’s game-changing performance.
Ouch.
Harden said, “Hey, that hurts.”
Associate coach Scott Pera, who was sitting next to Glasser at the viewing party, just stared at him with a blank face.
It was pretty hilarious.
“Wow,” Glasser said. “They did me dirty.”
I had to leave again to cool down. One more region. They have to be in this one.
Once I returned, I stood next to Jeff Pendergraph. He was sitting at the head of the table in a bright green checkered shirt, sporting a pair of ultra glossy blue, green and yellow Nikes.
He started talking to his teammates.
“I came in here with a chill attitude,” he said. “But now I’m on edge.”
Twelve more teams passed. Only four more teams hadn’t heard their names, and ASU was one of them. But at this point the Sun Devils knew one thing for sure: They would be going to Miami. This elicited some good vibes throughout the room.
Harden and Abbott absolutely loved it, exchanging handshakes.
Pendergraph didn’t seem to mind either.
“I’m going to be wearing nothing but sandals and linen shorts,” he said. “Already got them packed.”
The No. 3-No. 14 matchup was announced. Syracuse. Stephen F. Austin.
One game remains to be unveiled. They have to be in this one.
If not, Pendergraph was probably about to do something he would later regret.
“They’re doing this on purpose,” he joked.
At last, ASU showed up as a No. 6 seed. Harden — wearing a bright orange polo — jumped out of his chair and yelled as if he’d just hit a 3-pointer.
They’re playing Temple University, which no one knows anything about, other than that the team had just won the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.
Backup center Kraidon Woods said, “Christmas comes early.”
Funny thing, Temple’s best player goes by the name of Dionte Christmas.
It took them 63 teams’ worth of waiting, but the Sun Devils finally heard their name on Selection Sunday.
Reach the reporter at alex.espinoza@asu.edu.
