Bobby Hurley Reflective After Upset Victory Over Kansas
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TEMPE -- Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley was reflective, sentimental, and appreciative following Arizona State's 70-60 win over #14 Kansas on Tuesday night at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe - this marked what was potentially his final home game leading the program.
Hurley discussed the continued fight the team displayed, reflected on matching up against Kansas multiple times during his tenure, and many other things in the post-game press conference.
To watch the full presser, view below.
Below is a partial transcript from the talk with media, with commentary added.
Hurley Continues to Praise 2025-26 Roster
"They've been doing that. It's we prioritize high character more than ever this year, with last year's situation at the end. So I think our staff was really considering that as we looked at these kids, and these kids care about the game. They want to play the right way. They, a lot of them are underdogs, like I always was, and that's why I could relate to them in terms of what they're doing."
This Arizona State roster has managed to earn a spot in the hearts of fans behind a combination of earning memorable victories, playing with high intensity in virtually every game of the season, and in Hurley rostering likable personalities.
Arizona State's Gameplan at Center of Win
"Yeah, I give a lot of credit to my assistant coaches that put together a game plan that that scouted, and we wanted to force them to make jump shots. They're They're a team that, you know, really could attack the paint with Council, and they were able to do that some in the second half and Peterson, but we wanted to show bodies to those guys. And I think they are. Players were very active. We had a lot of deflections in the first half. And you know, our activity and being in the right position was was important."
Kansas guard Darryn Peterson suffered through one of his worst performances of the season - ASU forced the freshman to shoot just 3/18 from the floor. Kansas continued to struggle beyond Peterson's final line, and much of the credit is owed to the coaching staff for curating a strong gameplan and to the roster for carrying it out for a full 40 minutes.
Hurley Believes Team is Self-motivated
"I don't think it's me. I really don't like I know we need to be a nice little storyline or something, but I really believe this is who they are. And we lost our way for a few weeks, and had a hard time winning some games in a very difficult League, but we've we picked ourselves off the mat, and I think we're playing as good as we were, you know, at any point in the season because of our defense. And I think these kids just want to win, and players like Moe Odum still believes there's hope and and I do as well, until someone tells us otherwise, and someone outplays us and puts an end to what we're doing right now."
The Sun Devils have continued to battle through adversity on a regular basis this season, with Odum confirming that the team is fighting to afford Hurley more time in Tempe following this press conference.
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.