Last year served as the breakthrough. This year must be the arrival.
Willie Bloomquist's fourth season as the head coach of the Sun Devils saw the university's most accomplished program get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years, and the first since Bloomquist took over.
Arizona State went 1-2, getting shellacked by both UCLA and UC Irvine in the Los Angeles Regional, but it still signified meaningful momentum for the program. That led to Bloomquist earning a contract extension, though he and athletics director Graham Rossini both understand the expectations are beyond just reaching the tournament.