How Arizona State Continues to Show Immeasurable Fight in 2025-26 Season

The Sun Devils are poised to compete in the most challenging conference in division one basketball.

Jan 14, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka makes a lay up over Arizona State Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) during the first half of the game at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Arizona State basketball is in something of a limbo in the middle of the 2025-26 season, as they have dropped five of their last six games - even though the loss to Arizona on Wednesday came in the face of a spirited effort from the Sun Devils.

The Sun Devils are ranked number 81 in the NCAA NET rankings as of Thursday morning, which places the 10-7 squad firmly in the position to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2022-23 season.

Jan 14, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) attempts to steal the ball from Arizona State Sun Devils guard Moe Odum (5) during the second half of the game at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Team Continues to Show Fight, Grit

This is a cliché narrative, but it isn't any less true in this case.

Arizona State grabbed nearly as many offensive rebounds (10) as Arizona (11) did, while also never trailing by more than 12 points.

This is simply a display of this being a different Bobby Hurley squad compared to previous seasons - the current eight-man rotation has shown an immeasurable amount of fight that truly cannot be quantified.

Offense Puts Together Strongest Performance in Weeks

The Arizona State offense but together their most complete performance since the December 6 win over Oklahoma - that much is certain.

Point guard Moe Odum paced the team with 24 points, while also organizing an offense that shot 11-25 from three-point range. Five of eight players scored at least nine points. The Sun Devils truly challenged the Wildcats on the interior as well, including center Massamba Diop scoring an efficient 16 points against the elite front-line of Arizona.

The Arizona State offense extended the Wildcats to the brink, while supporting cast standouts such as Noah Meeusen rebounded from a recent stretch of struggles.

Jan 10, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Noah Meeusen (15) against the Kansas State Wildcats at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Several Potential Wins to Come on Schedule

The game against the Houston Cougars on Sunday serves as proof that the Big 12 is a day-to-day grind, with the Sun Devils playing two of the elites in the league back-to-back.

After the Houston contest, Arizona State is set to face the West Virginia Mountaineers and Cincinnati Bearcats in home battles in the days to follow the road battle.

The next several weeks present an extended opportunity to stack up victories, as the Sun Devils are set to take on Oklahoma State, Colorado, Utah (x2), Baylor, and TCU - all in February. The expectation remains that Arizona State needs to win between 18-20 games to reach the tournament, which appears attainable due to what the team has shown in the last week.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona 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!