Report: Arizona State, Florida basketball finalizing agreement to play in 2024-25 season

Arizona State and Florida are finalizing an agreement to meet on Dec. 14, per Jon Rothstein. The programs will reportedly face off at the State Farm Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Arizona State finished last season with a 14-18 overall record. The Sun Devils’ 2023-24 campaign came to an end in a blowout 90-57 loss to Utah in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament. Despite ASU’s underwhelming season, the team has had a promising offseason.

Head coach Bobby Hurley reeled in the No. 7 class in the 2024 recruiting cycle, per On3 Industry Rankings. The group includes four-star recruits Amier Ali and Joson Sanon, along with five-star Jayden Quaintance, who was initially committed to Kentucky.

Additionally, the Sun Devils added five players via the transfer portal this offseason, headlined by former Ole Miss guard Austin Nunez. Arizona State is expected to take a significant step forward from last season and make waves in its first year in the Big 12.

Florida ready to take next step in 2024-25 season

Nonetheless, Arizona State isn’t the only program on the rise. In only his second season at the helm of Florida, head coach Todd Golden turned heads last year. He led Florida to a 24-12 record and an 11-7 mark in conference play.

While Florida ultimately fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it made a statement when it reached the SEC Tournament championship game. The Gators are expected to be even more dangerous this year.

The team added three transfers during the offseason and return a boatload of talent. Most notably, Florida will run it back with All-SEC selection Walter Clayton Jr., who averaged a team-high 17.6 points per game last season while shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc.

Clayton had nothing but good things to say about his experience at Florida after the team’s season-ending loss against Colorado.

“It means a lot,” Clayton said. “I hope it means a lot to everybody. I think it does. Just coming back and trying to build something here. This is kind of a stepping stone to keep on moving forward.”

Clayton was one of four transfers Florida head coach Todd Golden recruited to compete for the Gators last season. Golden praised Clayton following his first season in Gainesville.

“Walt is a fantastic player. Got a lot of heart, got a lot of belief,” Golden said after the Colorado loss. “He believed the whole time that we could get back in the game. Did a great job attacking the rim late, obviously hit that big three to tie it up. He’s a stud, man. He’s a Gator. We’re fortunate to have him.”