Breaking Down What's at Stake in Arizona State's Rivalry Game

The Sun Devils are continuing to see their margin for error shrink as the season goes on.

Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley with forward Allen Mukeba (23) against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TEMPE --

Opportunity for Marquee Win

Hurley has collected what is a relatively impressive collection of ranked victories over the years, including a win over Xavier in 2017, a home win over UCLA in 2022, and a road win over Arizona in 2023.

He has still only defeated one top-ranked squad during his 11 year tenure in Tempe - this was in the form of defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at home in non-conference play of the 2017-18 season.

This is a crystal-clear opportunity to knock off a bitter rival, earn a profile-boosting victory, and build towards greater ambitions over the rest of the season.

Potential to Keep Slim Tournament Hopes Alive

Arizona State's NCAA tournament hopes have been relatively low for some time, with the loss to UCF potentially serving as an inflection point that makes the pursuit even more testy.

The Sun Devils will likely need to win 18 or 19 games to be in an optimal position to reach the 68-team bracket, which means that a majority of the remaining regular season games need to be victories - this needs to start with Arizona, especially due to that potential win being the best any team has secured thus far in 2025-26.

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

Ability to Make Statement in Big 12

Arizona State's final nine games of the season are filled with twists and turns - that is putting it lightly.

The Sun Devils are squared up against Utah twice, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas, and Iowa State. A potential win against Arizona would set the stage for a late-season run with several attainable wins on the table.

Arizona State will attempt to shock the world against Arizona this afternoon at noon MST at Desert Financial Arena in 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..

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