Debating if Hope Remains for Arizona State Basketball After Major Win

TEMPE -- In today's episode of the Arizona State Sun Devils Insider Podcast, we take a look at whether the 2025-26 season is still salvageable for the Sun Devils following a convincing 82-68 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday night. This win has reignited hope that the Sun Devils will be able to climb out of a stretch of eight losses in the last nine games, although the team has a difficult week ahead.

To listen to today's podcast, view below.

Below is a partial transcript from head coach Bobby Hurley's press conference following the victory on Saturday, including reflecting on the last several days, how the team responded to the recent stretch of losses, and giving credit to individual players.

On Reflecting on 2025-26 Roster, Refocusing

fewef — Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley reacts during action against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Jan. 21, 2026, at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I, you know, after the game the other night, told everybody that I love coaching this team, because they are tough and resilient and they battle, and that's what they did. We had a really good practice yesterday, and I think there was carryover effect to that to this game was probably the best we've been concentrated and focused day before a game, and we looked like the team that we were early in the season."

On Motivation Behind Challenging Team

wefewe — Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; The Arizona State Sun Devils student section celebrates a three point shot by guard Maurice Odum (5) against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not like a total idiot. I'm probably a partial idiot. So, like, I there's always things that I say that, like, even in terms of the crowd, like, that should be the first thing that I said tonight, but I didn't really mention that they I thought were really good. I think we gave them something to cheer about. So it's a two way street, and it was far better, and we had a good advantage in that regard.

But there was a part of what I said was to hopefully get through to the players, to be able to lock in a little more and concentrate on these little details. The margin of error is very slim at this level and in this league to win games."

On Noah Meeusen’s Strong Performance

"Noah just happened to be the lightning rod at the end there. Like he's really not usually like that, like he's very cerebral about how he thinks about the game and wanting to develop his IQ for the game, and he already has a strong understanding of how to play, and he understands angles on defense. He's very active with his hands."

ewee — Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Jalen Celestine (32) moves the ball against Arizona State Sun Devils guard Noah Meeusen (15) in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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.

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