Last season was almost the season.

The season when the ASU men’s basketball team almost reached the NCAA Tournament.

But a questionable over-the-back call in the Pac-10 Conference tournament took care of that and the Sun Devils were relegated to the National Invitational Tournament.

But this season is the season.

The season that will end in the Big Dance.

With third-year coach Herb Sendek at the helm and players like James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph on the way out to the NBA, the Sun Devils may not see a team like this for some time.

It’s been an up-and-down year full off buzzer-beaters, comebacks and overtime heartbreak. But through it all, ASU has stayed in the national picture and will finally have a chance to prove itself in March Madness.

Preseason hype

There was plenty of it.

Harden was making first-team All-America lists for several publications, the Sun Devils were picked to finish second in the Pac-10 and ASU found itself in everybody’s top 25.

If there was any year for the Sun Devils to reach success, it was this one. There had a been a buzz surrounding the program since the beginning of the 2006-07 season once Harden came aboard, but nothing major had ever materialized.

This year, though, things were supposed to be different. The Sun Devils were expected to be successful, something almost unheard of in recent years.

Bump in the road

The Sun Devils played for more than two months to begin the season without dropping back-to-back games. A late January homestand against the Washington schools quickly changed that.

They were decimated by guard play during the weekend skid, allowing Washington State freshman Klay Thompson to drop 28 points before Washington’s starting backcourt erupted for 55 points.

ASU recovered nicely by winning six straight after that. Then they traveled up to Washington. It was absolutely painful.

The Washington schools swept ASU out of town again, this time both games ended in overtime. The latter game was incredibly difficult to swallow, as WSU’s Taylor Rochestie swished a 27-footer with two seconds left in overtime after struggling all game.

Sendek called it one of the toughest losses he had ever endured during his storied coaching career.

The Sun Devils finally were able to get the Washington monkey off their back by beating UW in the semifinals of the Pac-10 tournament last week.

The streak

5-0.

It’s Harden’s record against UA since donning the maroon and gold.

Not too many Sun Devils can say they went undefeated against the Wildcats, but Harden is one of them. Assuming he leaves early for the NBA after this season, Harden will leave Tempe without a blemish against those fellows from Tucson.

Not only did ASU win four straight regular-season matchups with Harden in the lineup, but it knocked the Wildcats out of this year’s Pac-10 tournament in the quarterfinals.

The MVP

Has to be Harden.

After all, he was named the Pac-10 MVP.

Without “Big Game,” who knows where this team would be?

Sure he has all the stats to wow you, but his impact goes beyond the box score. Sendek has constantly mentioned how having Harden on the floor instantly opens up shots for his teammates.

Opponents usually gear their game plan to stop Harden, allowing him to be the effective playmaker he can be. His magical passing ability was on full display throughout the season and especially in the Pac-10 tournament.

The surprise

It occurred on Jan. 17.

With just more than eight minutes left in regulation, the Sun Devils trailed UCLA by 11 points at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

The Bruins had the game all locked up, right?

Think again.

The Sun Devil defense shutout UCLA in regulation and went on an 11-0 run to force overtime. ASU eventually pulled off the upset in what had to be considered Sendek’s signature ASU win at the time.

“Wow,” he told reporters after the game. “That’s all you have to write for your story right there.”

Punched their dance card when…

The Sun Devils played well enough throughout the season to where they didn’t have to worry about any bubble talk. For the first time in school history, they stayed in the Associated Press top 25 for the entire season.

However, they probably sealed their fate on the final day of the regular season, with an 83-66 victory over Cal on March 7.

Had they lost that game, ASU would have been riding a four-game losing streak coming into the Pac-10 tournament.

If they had lost yet again in the first-round of the Pac-10 tourney, things would have been a lot more interesting come Selection Sunday.

Big question for March Madness

Can Ty Abbott and Rihards Kuksiks get hot at the same time?

While Abbott struggled throughout the entire conference schedule, Kuksiks was a reliable option as a third scorer.

Exactly the opposite was true for the conference tournament.

Pendergraph and Harden have raved about their team’s potential if both Abbott and Kuksiks are on their games. Pendergraph said he believes ASU could beat anyone, while Harden said the sky is the limit.

Bold prediction

This is it.

This is why Harden chose to attend ASU. This is why Pendergraph decided to come back for his senior year.

This is the Big Dance.

Will the team crack under the pressure and make a first-round exit?

While it may be entirely possible against a quality Temple team, the Sun Devil defense will stifle Dionte Christmas and the rest of the Owls.

ASU will win a close game in the first round. That’s when things will get interesting.

Assuming Syracuse will get past Stephen F. Austin, the Orange will serve as ASU’s opponent in the second round.

The Sun Devils will use its defense once again to propel it to the Sweet 16, while Kuksiks and Abbott finally hit their stride together.

But that’s where this road will end.

ASU will make the trip to Memphis to presumably play Oklahoma on the second weekend. Blake Griffin will be too much for Pendergraph and Co. to handle, ending the storied season for ASU.

Reach the reporter at alex.espinoza@asu.edu.