Bobby Hurley Reacts to Arizona State's Difficult Loss to UCF

The Sun Devils are set to regroup in the days ahead before a Saturday matchup against Arizona.

Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- USC. Oregon State. Colorado. West Virginia. Add UCF to the losses that Bobby Hurley and the 2025-26 Arizona State basketball team will look back upon in reflection once the season officially concludes.

The 79-76 loss to the Knights proved to be a strong chance for Hurley to pick up his first win streak in the new conference, as the Sun Devils were up 70-58 going into the final six minutes of the game.

Hurley spoke following the game in a press conference, discussing the defeat that will certainly sting for the remainder of the season.

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

Hurley Speaks on Loss

"It's brutal to lose. It always is. And this was certainly a winnable game, though we played very well. We probably played near the level that we played at Arizona, and that one again, we were down three with 50 seconds in that game. And so this was a, I mean, we only have what, like, 10 games left, so in league play, so it's getting late, just to feel good that we played well. I mean, it's time where you have to capitalize and try and win these kinds of games."

The Sun Devils are continuing to show fight despite being confined to an eight-man rotation at the moment, although the margin for error moving into the final 10 league games that Hurley mentioned continues to shrink.

It will be imperative for Moe Odum, Massamba Diop, Anthony "Pig" Johnson and the remainder of the contributors on this team to step up in unuson over the next six weeks.

Arizona State guard Moe Odum (5) looks over at the officials during a game against Cincinnati at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 24, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why Loss Will Hurt Sun Devils Big Picture

As alluded above, the margin of error for the Sun Devils to reach the goals they set out to reach continue to shrink. The team must win seven or eight of their final 10 games to reach the benchmark of 18/19 wins to receive serious NCAA tournament consideration.

The team does face winnable games against opponents such as Utah (twice), Baylor, TCU, and Colorado - although winning all of these games are essentially non-negotiables heading into the stretch run.

Beyond that, the Sun Devils also failed to pick up what was sure to remain as a quadrant one win for the remainder of the season, which would have been huge in those efforts. Perhaps most crucial is the 2-6 record the team posts in Big 12 play - the potential seeding in the conference tournament is impacted by each passing loss.

The Sun Devils return to play on Saturday afternoon when they welcome the top-ranked Arizona Wildcats to Tempe.

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..

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.

Please follow us on X when you click right here, as well as @khicks_21 for nonstop Arizona State coverage!