ASU's Bobby Hurley Praises Effort of Team Despite Facing Challenges

The Sun Devils are going into the final seven games of the 2025-26 season.

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

TEMPE -- Bobby Hurley and the Arizona State Sun Devils are entering the final seven games of the 2025-26 season tonight against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Sun Devils stand at 12-12 following a 78-70 loss to Colorado in which the former was out-rebounded by a margin of 40-26 in yet another example of an area that they have fallen short on this season.

Hurley spoke to local radio show "Bickley and Marotta" on Tuesday morning ahead of the matchup against the 16-7 Cowboys, discussing the effort that the team has put forward despite facing numerous tests over the last two months.

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

Hurley Praises Arizona State's Effort

The 11th-year head coach pointed out how his team responded to the competitive loss to Arizona - as they split the road trip despite continuing to be constrained to an eight-man rotation.

"In my opinion, there's nothing that I could question about their intentions and their effort. I mean, this team has been really fun to coach because they are coachable. They try really hard.

We just have to get better and identify the problems and the mistakes that are being made that are, you know, stopping us from from winning more games, but to go on the road like we did, coming off a really, you know, hard loss at home to our rival and, you know, to go out and bounce back and win at Utah and then be right there at Colorado shows that the guys are still fighting and trying to win basketball games."

Feb 7, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Jalin Holland (11) defends on Arizona State Sun Devils forward Andrija Grbovic (14) in the second half at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The effort that Arizona State has put forward has been questioned by few, as the eight-man rotation has predominately been competitive in Big 12 play - only losing two games in lopsided fashion despite possessing less depth compared to the majority of the opposition.

Moe Odum has been the ringleader of the elevated effort in recent weeks, as the senior guard has put together double-digit scoring performances in 10 of 11 conference games for the Sun Devils, while also serving as a clear vocal leader for the rest of the team. Massamba Diop has also been key in keeping Arizona State's season above water, as the center is a quality rim protector on a reliable basis and has grown exponentially on offense.

The Sun Devils are set to square off with Oklahoma State at 7 P.M. MST tonight - with this being the first of many opportunities to take advantage of the heart that the team has collectively been playing with over the last three weeks.

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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