Arizona State Reveals Crushing Injury Updates Prior to Utah Matchup
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TEMPE -- Bobby Hurley's Arizona State Sun Devils are slated to take on a test against the 9-11 Utah Utes on Wednesday night.
Utah is headlined by a high-scoring guard duo in Terrence Brown and Don McHenry, although the defense is among the most porous in the Big 12 thus far.
This factor may end up being trivial by the end of the night, as the Sun Devils were already confined to an eight-man rotation going into the night due to injuries that have lingered for forward Marcus Adams Jr., guard/forward Vijay Wallace, and guard Adante Holiman.
That predicament worsened on Wednesday night, as the team unveiled the pre-game player availability report that revealed two players that have been downgraded.
Key Rotation Player Now Listed Out
Junior forward Santiago Trouet was officially downgraded to out tonight after previously being billed as questionable on Tuesday.
Trouet has played in and started 21 of the Sun Devils' 22 games thus far on the 2025-26 campaign - becoming a mainstay in the rotation in the process behind efforts such as his work on the offensive glass.
Trouet was seen limping on the court following a possession late in the loss to the Arizona Wildcats last Saturday, so it's not entirely shocking to see this development come to fruition. It remains a major blow to a rotation that had already been compacted, however.
Another Key Rotation Piece Added to Report
The seven-man rotation that Hurley now must deal with has potential to be shrunk even more, as graduate student Allen Mukeba was added to the report as a "game-time decision" very late in the process.
Mukeba has been a much-needed jolt of energy off of the bench this season - whether due to electric finishes at the rim, highlight-reel blocks, or plays made that don't show up on the stat sheet. His absence would confine the lineup to a six-man conglomerate.
The presumption would be that Noah Meeusen would slide into the starting lineup in the place of Trouet, as his 6'5" frame is possibly set to be a key fact in the ultimate decision. If this reigns true, it would mean that the team's third-leading scorer in Anthony "Pig" Johnson would be the lone player coming off of the bench for Hurley in this contest.
Arizona State and Utah are set for tip shortly after 7 P.M. MST. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.