Not much separated Arizona State and UCLA in men's basketball last season.
Both had 15-17 seasons, finishing near the bottom of the Pac-12 – UCLA 10th, ASU 11th – and losing in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
Turning things around, though, is much easier for the historically rich Bruins.
Freshmen Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf have helped to elevate UCLA (24-3, 11-3 Pac-12) into a national championship contender, hoping their visit to metro Phoenix on Thursday will be repeated during the Final Four in April.
ASU (13-15, 6-9) will be hard pressed to equal its win total in coach Bobby Hurley's first season given that its final three regular-season opponents – No.