Northern Colorado at Arizona State

Arizona State beat East Tennessee State 75-65 on Monday, and Randy Bennett played eight men in that opener. Emmanuel Innocenti, a Gonzaga transfer, is questionable with a sprained ankle from the game. Bennett is in his first season with the Sun Devils, and an eight-man transfer class arrived with him. Last season's 78.3 points allowed, 303rd in the country, was earned by a different roster. Bennett has also said he wants to push the pace. That means more possessions for a thin rotation, and for a Northern Colorado offense that is built to score. The Bears have turned over their roster too, but they return six players and seven have played at Northern Colorado before. Steve Smiley is in his seventh season as head coach. Northern Colorado opened with a 117-64 win over Colorado College, the most points the program has scored under Smiley, and Hunter Caldwell hit four of six from three. Last season's team scored 82.5 a game, 44th in the country, and shot 49.0% from the field. Northern Colorado was picked second in the Big Sky preseason polls behind Montana. I'm on Northern Colorado with the points against a Sun Devils team that is still sorting out its rotation.