Three games into the 2024-25 season, the Arizona State men's basketball team has already made huge strides.

After a disheartening 104-47 exhibition loss to Duke on Oct. 27, ASU coach Bobby Hurley said "we've got like nine days so we've got a lot of work to do for our first game." The Sun Devils didn't look much better in their season opener, squeaking by Idaho State 55-48 in a game where they looked listless on offense.

They started to put the pieces together against Santa Clara. In an 81-74 neutral-site victory last Friday, ASU shot 42% from the 3-point line and outrebounded the Broncos 40-35.

Then the Sun Devils nearly upset No. 6 Gonzaga, one of the best teams in the country and a preseason Final Four favorite. ASU led for long stretches of the game before falling 88-80 on Sunday afternoon in Spokane, Washington.

"I think our players recognize that if we can compete and play against a team like that at this level, there's certainly a lot of hope that we can become a really good basketball team," Hurley said after the game.

Arizona State (2-1) is hoping to take another step forward Thursday night when they face a very talented Grand Canyon (2-0) team at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. The Lopes, who upset Saint Mary's in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, are favored by 5.5 points.

Tyon Grant-Foster, the reigning WAC Player of the Year, will make his season debut for Grand Canyon. A preseason national player of the year candidate, Grant-Foster led the WAC in scoring last season at 20.1 points per game.

Transfer portal additions BJ Freeman (13.7 ppg) and Alston Mason (13.0 ppg) come into the game as Arizona State's leading scorers.

Here are details on how to watch, stream and follow Arizona State's matchup vs Grand Canyon on Thursday night:

Who: Arizona State vs. Grand Canyon in a nonconference men's basketball game

Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Arizona State On SI for live updates, in-game analysis and big-play highlights throughout Thursday's matchup