Can you keep a secret?
In the current period of the men's basketball season, one thing highlights the wait til official tip-off: secret scrimmages.
Now, these scrimmages end up not being so secret, being revealed online and through various grapevines.
For Arizona State, they reportedly joined the preseason party by hosting Colorado State on Saturday, Oct. 17.
Devils vs. Rams
According to the Colorado State Men's Basketball X Account, the Rams hit Desert Financial Arena for a preseason scrimmage.
"A little preseason business in Tempe." the account posted on Saturday afternoon.
The Rams are coming off their first season in a new era, similar to where the Sun Devils find themselves now.
Ali Faroknmanesh, former Northern Iowa guard and March Madness icon, became head coach of CSU in 2025 and is heading into year two, along with it being the first year for the program in the new PAC-12.
Randy Bennett faced off against Faroknmanesh at Saint Mary's when the new HC was still an assistant. The two schools played against one another four times between 2020 and 2024, splitting the series 2-2.
But, who took the "top secret" fifth meeting?
Jury Is Out...
The college basketball world becomes investigative journalists anytime a secret scrimmage comes around. Searching for any stat, score or update from these pre-preseason meetings.
Between the Rams and Devils? The case remains unsolved.
Between no posts from Arizona State's account and no updates or scores from insiders like CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, this scrimmage remains, in fact, secret.
Our only clues are from the CSU account, including highlights of the Rams scoring on the Sun Devils.
The final word?
"Got better today." CSU posted on X.
By the looks of it, all signs indicate that Colorado State left Tempe with a win. But of course, coming from their own account, that must be taken with a grain of salt.
Diving deeper into our best Sherlock Holmes impression, the scoreboards behind the clips show a 17-16 CSU lead with around 35 seconds left in the first period, with Rams forward Eric Fiedler hitting a three to make it 20-16.
The final clip from the Rams account includes a successful pick-and-roll for two more Rams points, turning a 14-12 CSU lead into a 16-12 lead.
In terms of ASU, guard JRob Croy and center Ben Defty were caught in the midst of the Rams' pick-and-roll.
Eric Fiedler hits a three over ASU forward Ajak Nyuon as well.
What's Next?
After the tune-up for the tune-up, Arizona State will now prepare for its (official) preseason tip-off with a trip to the Land of Enchantment: a preseason exhibition against the New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque.
The Mountain West/Big 12 meeting is set for Sunday, Oct. 25.
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