ASU Defense Overwhelmed by Elite BYU Scoring Attack in Loss

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (9-6, 0-2 Big 12) dropped their conference road opener against the #9 Brigham Young Cougars (14-1, 2-0 ) on Wednesday night by a score of in Provo, Utah.

The Sun Devils went into the game short-handed, as forward Marcus Adams Jr. was ruled out on Tuesday night and starting guard Bryce Ford was ruled out shortly prior to tip-off. This forced head coach Bobby Hurley to start Anthony "Pig" Johnson alongside Moe Odum, Santiago Trouet, Allen Mukeba, and Massamba Diop.

regrggr — ASU Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley reacts on the sidelines as they play the Oregon State Beavers at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Dec. 21, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Follow key happenings from the game with Arizona State on SI below.

First Half

The Sun Devils got off to a less-than-ideal start defensively, although Odum knocked down a three-point look at the 14:45 mark of the first half to cut the BYU advantage to 16-11.

The Cougars' three-pronged scoring attack of AJ Dybantsa, Robert Wright III, and Richie Saunders increased their lead to 45-30 going into halftime - with Wright knocking down a three in the final seconds of the half to extend the advantage to 15.

One major takeaway from the first half is that the Sun Devils struggled with efficiency from the floor, but the team did rebound exceptionally well - as they grabbed 23 boards (12 offensive) during the first 20 minutes. This is one of the reasons why Arizona State was able to largely stay within striking distance despite a late surge from BYU.

ffeef — BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) shoots for three against Kansas State Wildcats during the game inside Bramlage Coliseum on Jan. 3, 2026. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Second Half

The Cougars built up a 20-point lead within the first two minutes of the half behind an onslaught from Saunders - including a pair of three-point hits.

The lead continued to balloon behind the attack of Saunders (31 points), Dybantsa (23), and Wright III (25) - who overwhelmed the Arizona State defense that came into the night short-handed as previously mentioned.

Diop heated up significantly in the second half following a rough first frame of action - becoming one of four Sun Devils in the double figure scoring range.

Ultimately BYU's offense-defense combination proved to be too much in the end, but Arizona State did put a better effort forth over the final 10 minutes of action.

Key Contributors

Moe Odum - 10 PTS, 6 AST

Massamba Diop - 22 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST

Anthony "Pig" Johnson - 24 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST

Andrija Grbovic - 10 PTS, 4 REB, 2-4 3PTFG

What's Next

The Sun Devils return home for a game against the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday before traveling to take on rival Arizona next Wednesday.

wfeefef — ASU Sun Devils guard Moe Odum (5) defends a shot by Oregon State Beavers guard Josiah Lake II (2) at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Dec. 21, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via 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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