FanHouse

In the college basketball coaching world, the ultimate goal for many is a head coaching job on Tobacco Road.

That is why former North Carolina State coach Herb Sendek shocked so many with his 2006 decision to leave NC State and the prestige of Tobacco Road for Arizona State, a school with a grand total of four NCAA Tournament bids since 1981.

As if the critics needed any more ammunition to fire Sendek's way, his first campaign in Tempe was a flaming disaster. The Sun Devils went 8-22 on the year and lost their first 14 Pac-10 conference games.

But in his second season in the desert, Sendek appears to have revived the once dormant Sun Devils hoops program much quicker than anyone could have imagined.

Fresh off a sweep of the Oregon schools, the Sun Devils find themselves at 12-2 and 2-0 in Pac-10 play for the first time since the 1987-88 season.

With other impressive victories over Xavier and LSU, Arizona State is actually closer to reaching the Top 25 than NC State is. Sendek has installed a slow-down, Princeton-style offense that has the Sun Devils ranked 10th in offense efficiency and is creating headaches for coaches in the Pac-10.

The Sun Devils are led by junior big man Josh Pendergraph and freshmen sensation James Harden. Pendergraph, the Sun Devils lone bright spot from last year, continues to be a force in the paint, averaging 13.7 points and 7 rebounds per game. Harden has been a pleasant surprise at the guard position, leading the team in scoring with a 17.6 point average, including a career-high 24 against Oregon State over the weekend.

Sendek and the Sun Devils next test will come tonight in a home game against arch-rival Arizona. If they beat the Wildcats, the secret of the Sun Devils will be out in the open. With the rugged Pac-10 schedule ahead of them, ASU should be fighting for an at-large bid as long as they can play close to .500 in conference play.

No matter what happens this season, at least Sendek will no longer have to worry about critics second-guessing his move to the desert.