ASU sophomore forward Savon Goodman attempts a layup against Cal at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe on March 7. ASU won 74-70, and Goodman and Co. will be traveling to Brooklyn next season for the Legends Classic. (J. Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)Sun Devils take Brooklyn.
The ASU men's basketball program will serve as a host program for the 2015 Legends Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, tournament officials said.
The Sun Devils, who are joined by NC State, Marquette and LSU as host teams, will travel to Brooklyn on Nov. 23 and 24 to participate. The tournament will be aired on the ESPN networks.
This is the first time that ASU will be participating in the Legends Classic.
The remaining four teams of the eight-team field will be announced at a later date, officials said.
ASU went 17-15 during the 2014-15 season, including 9-9 during Pac-12 conference play. The Sun Devils are now waiting to hear whether they'll make the National Invitation Tournament.
The team's bid to return to the NCAA tournament was all but certainly cut short after its stunning loss to twelfth-seeded USC in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament. Experts said the Sun Devils needed to win the conference tournament to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
ASU is expected to field a more experienced team in 2015-16 than it did in 2014-15, as it will only graduate three seniors.
The Sun Devils participated in the CBE Classic in Kansas City in 2014, losing to Maryland and Alabama.
NC State will be making its second appearance in the Legends Classic after previously participating in 2011. The Wolfpack are 20-13 with a 10-8 record in ACC conference play, and are coming off of a 77-53 loss to No. 2 Duke in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.
NC State is currently projected to be a No. 9 seed in the 2015 NCAA tournament, per ESPN's Joe Lunardi.
Marquette will make its Legends Classic debut after a 13-19 campaign in 2014-15, including a 4-14 mark in Big East play. The Golden Eagles lost 84-49 to No. 4 Villanova in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.
Marquette is expected to bring back eight of 11 players from their roster next season, and bring in five-star recruit Henry Ellenson into the fold in 2015-16.
Marquette defeated ASU earlier this season in Milwaukee, winning by a score of 78-71.
LSU went 22-9 during the regular season in 2014-15, including a 11-7 record against SEC conference opponents. They are currently projected to be a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament according to Lunardi.
The Tigers will receive an added boost next season with the addition of Ben Simmons, a 6-foot-10 forward who is ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the country and projected to be a future NBA lottery pick.
Villanova is the defending champions of the Legends Classic, taking the 2014 title with a 60-55 win over then-No. 19 Michigan.
Reach the assistant sports editor at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter
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