Arizona State upsets No. 20 Michigan, Sun Devils dominate from opening tip

No. 20 Michigan was embarrassed by Arizona State Thursday night 87-62 during the VIVID Seats Legends Classic Championship. The Sun Devils controlled the game from the first minute and never took its foot off the gas and handed the Wolverines their first loss of the season.

Michigan couldn’t buy a bucket against the Sun Devils. Shooting an abysmal 33.9 percent (21-62) from the floor, and an even worse 18.2 percent (4-22) from beyond the arc, the Wolverines struggled to make shots and defend them.

Arizona State shot 60.4 percent (32-53) overall and an impressive 57.9 percent (11-19) from three. Everything was falling for the Devils and guards Desmond Cambridge, DJ Horne and Austin Nunez took advantage of it.

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Cambridge and Horn combined for 39 total points of the 54 scored from the starting lineup. Nunez, a true freshman and former top-100 recruit, came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points, and the rest of the team contributed 33 points.

The performance is a validating one for Arizona State, who has had a rough time with its non-conference slate. Going the limit with and coming out on top of Tarleton State and VCU so far this season, they breezed past Northern Arizona before losing a heart-breaking overtime game to Texas Southern.

A blowout win over a ranked Michigan team and a loss to a Texas Southern squad that has been to two consecutive NCAA Tournaments might offset themselves at the end of the day, but the season is just getting started. The Sun Devils now sit at 4-1 on the young season.

An overall stellar night for the Sun Devils, Arizona State will look to continue this momentum as they host Grambling this coming Tuesday. Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT live on the Pac-12 Network.