Bobby Hurley Speaks After ASU's Late Takeover in Win Over Cincinnati

TEMPE -- Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley spoke with media following an impressive closeout over the Cincinnati Bearcats in what was an 82-68 victory.

To watch the full availability, view below.

Below is a partial transcript from the press conference, with commentary added.

On Reflecting on 2025-26 Roster, Refocusing

fewf — Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Andrija Grbovic (14) celebrates a shot against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"I, you know, after the game the other night, told everybody that I love coaching this team, because they are tough and resilient and they battle, and that's what they did. We had a really good practice yesterday, and I think there was carryover effect to that to this game was probably the best we've been concentrated and focused day before a game, and we looked like the team that we were early in the season."

Hurley and his staff had a conversation with the team about the comments he made following Wednesday's loss - it appears that both sides are once again on the same page.

On Motivation Behind Challenging Team

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not like a total idiot. I'm probably a partial idiot. So, like, I there's always things that I say that, like, even in terms of the crowd, like, that should be the first thing that I said tonight, but I didn't really mention that they I thought were really good. I think we gave them something to cheer about. So it's a two way street, and it was far better, and we had a good advantage in that regard.

But there was a part of what I said was to hopefully get through to the players, to be able to lock in a little more and concentrate on these little details. The margin of error is very slim at this level and in this league to win games."

Hurley was obviously challenging the team to step up with their backs against the wall, as well as imploring fans to show up - the student section in particular showed up in a major way.

t4t3 — Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Maurice Odum (5) against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On Noah Meeusen’s Strong Performance

"Noah just happened to be the lightning rod at the end there. Like he's really not usually like that, like he's very cerebral about how he thinks about the game and wanting to develop his IQ for the game, and he already has a strong understanding of how to play, and he understands angles on defense. He's very active with his hands."

Meeusen's raw stats (six points, five rebounds) were modest, but his impact superceded the raw numbers. The native of Belgium posted the second best plus-minus on the squad (+18) and impacted several standout defensive stops that the Sun Devils collected.

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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