SETTING THE SCENE: The No. 18 Arizona State Sun Devils take on the No. 3 Villanova Wildcats on Thanksgiving in the championship of the Empire Classic held at Mohegan Sun in Uncansville, CT. ASU beat Rhode Island 94-88 on Wednesday to advance behind Remy Martin's 26 points while Marcus Bagley added 16.
ASU 94, RHODE ISLAND 88: ASU jumped out to a 40-24 lead with just under six minutes to play but Rhode Island closed the half on a 17-8 run and then took the lead with just under 12 minutes to play before the Sun Devils closed out the game on a 10-3 run.