Bobby Hurley Discusses What Went Wrong in Loss to Arizona

The Arizona State head coach reflected on a pair of competitive contests against their bitter rival.

Jan 31, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley reacts against the Arizona Wildcats in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley is relatively pleased, yet not exactly thrilled with his team's performance in what was an 87-74 loss to the top-ranked Arizona Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at Desert Financial Arena.

Hurley discussed a wide range of topics during his press conference that featured a surprising amount of praise for their rival.

Jan 31, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Bryce Ford (4) controls the ball against Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Watch Hurley discuss the result of the game, reflect on the season series against Arizona, and more below.

Hurley Discusses What Went Wrong

Arizona State brought a free-flowing offense, intense on-ball defensive pressure, and well-timed shot making to the table in what resulted in a game that was tied at 38 going into the half.

The Wildcats asserted their physical dominance over the last 20 minutes of the game, which is something Hurley didn't mince words on following the final buzzer.

Jan 31, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) celebrates alongside Arizona State Sun Devils forward Allen Mukeba (23) in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"This game felt like very similar to like a mirror of our last game in Tucson, just really good first half, and then you know, whether it's they're just too big and physical that you know they wear you down, and eventually... the encouragement of having our defense in front of us in the first half and now down at the other end, and we just weren't able to stand up to challenge on the interior, whether that meant, you know, stopping their drives or getting a big defensive rebound when we needed to, we still had our chances."

There were several points in the final 10 minutes in which Arizona State had an opportunity to bring the deficit down to two possessions or less, although the Wildcats' sheer physicality, depth, and timely shot making resulted in remaining undefeated.

Jan 31, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) against the Arizona Wildcats in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 11th-year head coach also discussed Arizona State's shortcomings on the offensive side of the ball - including not shooting well enough to keep up with an Arizona offense that continued to fire on all cylinders.

"We didn't shoot free throws well. think we were four for 15 on unguarded threes. So things against the team, as good as this Arizona team, is you can't afford to do those things offensively."

Arizona State shot 27-65 from the floor, 8-24 from behind the arc, and missed eight free throws - including ones in key moments that has potential to bridge the gap that had been built in the second half.

Hurley Discusses "Putting Things Together"

Hurley was pleased with what he saw overall in the loss, although there were areas that the team fell short in that were made an emphasis.

"It's kind of too late to put things together, I would say. But like, more or less like, we've been scrappy... we've beaten, beaten Texas, Oklahoma, being Santa Clara, close games, fortunate to win a couple of them, we've kind of done as good as we can do... Now we should be able to shoot free throws better. There's no excuse for that. There had to be two or three more rebounds that we should have gotten that we didn't get. Maybe if you do that, it closes the gap a little bit."

One would have an incredibly strong case to make that Arizona State would be considered a bubble team in the NCAA tournament picture at absolute worse had they prevailed against Oregon State, Colorado, and UCF.

Arizona State guard Noah Meeusen (15) reacts after making a layup and drawing a foul against Cincinnati during a game at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 24, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A pair of competitive losses to Arizona, an effort that had Gonzaga sweating, and a 13-point loss to UCLA that was really only realized in the closing minutes of the game have displayed what team the Sun Devils can be, although they have yet to capitalize in capturing a season-defining triumph.

The acknowledgement that the Sun Devils were "close" to their ceiling in this game serves as a stark reminder that the team has so much potential to be a competitive one, but they have yet to fully realize it over a full 40 minute game - at least in Big 12 play.

The Sun Devils return to action on Wednesday night in a road battle against the Utah Utes.

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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