ASU men's basketball has started the 2016 season strong with Bobby Hurley in his second year as head coach.
The Sun Devils (2-0) made quick work of lower-tier foes Portland State and Cal Poly over the weekend, something they failed to accomplish last season when they opened the year losing to Sacramento State.
But ASU still has a long way to go. The Sun Devils finished last year at 15-17 and were even worse in the Pac-12 with a 5-13 record.
Because the team was largely unsuccessful last season, their tough early-season schedule will be a great barometer to see how they stack up against higher level competition.
Over the next few weeks, the Sun Devils face multiple teams who competed in the 2016 NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Big surprise — ASU did not make the tournament (not even close), so these squads are likely better than the Sun Devils. But that's why it's a nice test.
ASU enters the gauntlet this Thursday when it travels to Orlando to face the Northern Iowa Panthers in the Tire Pros Invitational.
Northern Iowa may not have the name recognition of other schools, but it's a team that consistently makes and competes the tournament. If the Sun Devils can play well against the Panthers, then it should bode well for their future games.
After UNI, ASU has it's two toughest games when it plays No. 2 Kentucky and No. 15 Purdue on neutral courts.
Don't expect the Sun Devils to win these games.
Kentucky is essentially the same team it is every year. The Wildcats once again have a bounty of one-and-done future NBA players all over their roster. Simply put, Kentucky has far better players and expecting ASU to beat them would be foolish.
That's freshman guard De'Aaron Fox, making a dunk look as easy as it gets. That play alone shows how fantastic Kentucky is, and they have a few other guys who are just as good.
Purdue will also be a tough test for ASU. The Boilermakers have two future NBA big men in Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan, both of whom will present big problems for ASU's smaller lineup.
Aside from those two, the Sun Devils face some decent squads along the way, such as San Diego State, New Mexico State and Creighton.
Unlike UK and Purdue, ASU can certainly beat these teams. San Diego State always has good players but often struggles to score, NMSU routinely makes the tournament but it comes out of a small conference, and the Sun Devils actually bested Creighton on the road last season, so they've already proven that they can beat them.
Beyond that, ASU has a few "easy" games against smaller schools that should help bolster its record.
If ASU continues to take care of business against less talented teams, get a few wins when it plays decent schools, and at least stays competitive with Kentucky and Purdue, then fans should consider it a successful start to the season.
Nobody is expecting greatness from this Sun Devil team, so boosting its season with a nice start would be a sign that coach Hurley has the program pointed in the right direction.
Reach the reporter at mpharri7@asu.edu or follow @Harris_Mark7 on Twitter.
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