Areas Arizona State Basketball Has to Figure Out in Big 12

In today's edition of the Sun Devils Insider Podcast, we take a look at areas the Sun Devil program need to address heading into Big 12 play.

Dec 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley reacts in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- In today's episode of the Arizona State Sun Devils Insider Podcast, we take a look at three areas in which Bobby Hurley and his staff must figure out heading into the gauntlet that is the Big 12.

To listen to today's podcast, view below.

Below is a partial transcript from star PG Moe Odum's media availability following an ASU practice on Friday, December 5 - prior to the 2-2 stretch to end non-conference play.

On Confidence Gained in Maui

Nov 26, 2025; Lahaina, HI, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Moe Odum (5) tries to get around the USC Trojans defense during the first half of the championship match at Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

“Oh, it just, it just felt like I was, I was super confident out there. Coach, Coach Hurley give me the confidence to be able to play through my stakes. I made a lot of mistakes throughout those games, and he just gave me the confidence to just keep going, keep going, even when I mess up here, sub me out for two minutes and I just get back to it. So just the confidence he given me in a leash I got to just lead the team and be that hand to hand coach on the court.”

“Oh, for sure, for sure. I'm not. I'm not worried about Marcus at all. He played, he played a little bit in a Hawaii trip. But after, after we got back, I spoke to coach, and we make Marcus run seven teams after practice, and we make him do another running drill, and then we make him shoot after, and then he do that, and then he come work out in the morning. So it was just all about him getting used to it. You know, he come in, still coming back from injury. It's his first time playing against high major comp, so we just got to reel him in slowly. So I'm not worried about Marcus.”

Adams had a stretch of games in which it appeared that a breakout was imminent. However, the sophomore forward has struggled a bit in the two losses to end non-conference play. He know will look to rebound in a massive way as a key piece in the quest to reach the NCAA tournament.

ASU Sun Devils forward Marcus Adams Jr. (8) drives past Oregon State Beavers guard Josiah Lake II (2) at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Dec. 21, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Importance of Bonding as Team

“Oh, that's super important to me, because I feel like if we bonded off the court like that, we could criticize the person the right way, and the person could take the right criticism away, because he know we coming from, and he knows all love and we all trying to get better. Stuff like that is super important. As if we just playing basketball together and we criticizing everybody. You want to think somebody may be hating on you, or just always got something to say, as if, well, you know somebody coming from, you want to be better.”

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.

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