Arizona State Basketball Faces Uphill Climb in Big 12

Bobby Hurley has limited time to turn things around in Tempe.

Mar 11, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Alston Mason (1) brings the ball up court around Kansas State Wildcats center Ugonna Onyenso (34) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Arizona State basketball is in an undeniably tenuous position heading into the 2025-26 season.

Head coach Bobby Hurley is entering year 11 and the final year of his contract after experiencing the worst win output of his tenure in Tempe with only 13 victories.

One of the major contributors to the disappointing season was the sheer challenge of playing in the Big 12 - on top of other issues including injuries and chemistry issues.

The Big 12 conference unfortunately does not look to be easing up heading into Arizona State's second season as members.

ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi seems to confirm as much - at least in preseason projections - as he selected eight teams from the conference to make the NCAA Tournament in 2026.

The teams and seed lines below:

• Houston (1 seed)

• Texas Tech (6)

• Baylor (9)

• Arizona (3)

• BYU (3)

• Kansas (6)

• Iowa State (3)

• Cincinnati (8)

Houston finished as national runner-ups in 2025 and could be even more talented in the season ahead.

Brigham Young and Arizona are both recipients of historic recruiting classes and could very well have the highest ceilings in the conference.

Iowa State has become a constant fixture in the power structure of the conference

Darryn Peterson and Bryson Tiller headline Kansas' recruiting class - head coach Bill Self is seeking to improve off of consecutive disappointing seasons.

Texas Tech was minutes away from reaching the final four, losing a narrow game to Florida - they also return star J.T. Toppin.

Baylor is a consistent fixture in the national landscape despite some recent seasons that have finished below standard. Cincinnati seems to be a yearly wild card team that can break out - four star Shon Abaev could change the program's fortunes in 2025-26.

Hurley understands that the pressure is mounting and that results must be met in what is very likely to be a brutal conference slate.

"My back's against the wall. I've loved my time here at Arizona State ... If you want to be with someone that's all in to win this year, then it might make sense for you."

Read more on ASU's potential starting lineup with the season just months away here.

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