Previewing Challenges Oklahoma Presents Arizona State
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TEMPE -- In today's episode of the Arizona State Sun Devils Insider Podcast, we take a look at the upcoming matchup tonight between the 6-2 Sun Devils and the Oklahoma Sooners of the SEC - this is another major opportunity for ASU to pick up a key win.
To listen to today's podcast, view below.
Below is a partial transcript from head coach Bobby Hurley following the season-opening win over Southern Utah on November 4 - with added commentary.
On Season-Opening Victory
"Nice to win, nice to get, obviously, a win on under our belt. To start. We struggled at the end of last year, and I told the team, you know, we hadn't won a game in a long time. So, you know, we had two close exhibitions that go our way. Had a lot of stuff going on in those games, so the program needed to win today and just get off to the right start. So mission accomplished."
There's a lot of work to still be done, especially today. Defensively, we were we lost containment of the ball way too much. I thought we were too spread out on defense, not helping. When a guy drove the ball, they got into the pain way too much.
They scored 40 points in pain. So we can't really afford to do that as the water gets deeper over the next couple of weeks. And so we got, we need this practice time. And good thing, we have a few days till our next game."
The Sun Devils have rattled off five victories since, including an impressive win over tournament hopeful Texas. Although they were unable to defeat top-25 NET opponents Gonzaga and USC, they were incredibly competitive in both games.
On Shot Distribution
"Thought it was fine. I don't think that was like an area or an issue or problem. It was like nine for 23 the ratio of those shots that we took relative to the shots in the paint. And it was pretty, pretty well proportioned."
The Sun Devils have been a proficient team from behind the arc - shooting 37% with just a shade under 23 attempts per contest in the fold. The inside-outside balance has been a breath of fresh air for an offense that has lacked an identity in previous seasons.
On Holding Each Other Accountable
"I just think we all, you know, want to be accountable, and we want to try and set a sort of bar at a certain level, and if we don't attain it, you know, yes, it's great to win, and I want them to feel happy that we won, but I also want to cautiously make them alert to the fact that the water is going to get deeper and and the mistakes that We made tonight, you know, are not going to be acceptable in some of our games."
Hurley's Sun Devils have fared quite well against elevated competition - including the competitive loss to Gonzaga as previously mentioned. This team appears poised to be one that will compete even in a treacherous Big 12 slate.
On G Adante Holiman's Status
He's got an elbow. He He landed awkwardly in a in a workout in summer, and, you know, he we're working to get him back as best we can, but it's still, you know, he had a he had some work on the elbow, and he's doing his treatment and his therapy. We're not, we haven't set like a timeline for his return. It's going to depend on him continuing to progress.
Holiman's injury is another blow to an Arizona State team that has seen numerous players go down in recent weeks - including G/F Vijay Wallace and G Noah Meeusen, who has since returned.
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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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.