Arizona State Gearing Up For Massive Rivalry Game

The Sun Devils are set to face a bitter rival on Wednesday night.

Mar 4, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd shakes hands with Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley before the start of the game at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils are coming off og an emotional 87-84 victory over Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday afternoon.

The win has revitalized the Arizona State season - opening the door to once again build up an NCAA tournament case, although an incredibly testy contest is on deck when the Sun Devils travel to Tucson to take on the number one ranked Arizona Wildcats in a classic rivalry battle.

ASU Sun Devils guard Moe Odum (5) brings the ball upcourt against the Oregon State Beavers at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Dec. 21, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Current ASU Roster is Ready to Compete

Senior guard Moe Odum was asked by ASU on SI regarding if the matchup meant anything extra to him - the response was just what Arizona State fans would want to hear.

"If y'all hate Arizona as much as you say you do, that's how we feel about them as well."

This contest is set to be an uphill climb for the Sun Devils, as Arizona boasts one of the best home-court advantages in the nation, as well as one of the most potent offenses, to the tune of averaging over 90 points per game.

Freshman forward Koa Peat is the leading scorer of a very balanced scoring apparatus, while history isn't on the Sun Devils' side either, as ASU has only won five games in Tucson since 2000.

Feb 14, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Jahii Carson (1) drives on Arizona Wildcats guard Gabe York (1) during the second half at Wells Fargo Arena. The Sun Devils defeated the Wildcats 69-66 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Arizona State-Arizona Has Been Especially Contentious Lately

Arizona State and Arizona are destined to have contentious matchups regardless of which sport they are partaking in, but the tensity of the rivalry increased in 2024-25.

This began when Arizona's Caleb Love and ASU's B.J. Freeman were both ejected with around 30 seconds remaining in the contest in Tempe on February 1 of last year. This resulted in Bobby Hurley and Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd deciding to forego the postgame handshake lines - signaling just how intense the setting of the game was.

The first of two meetings is sure to be one that has several twists and turns.

Classic Game Flashback: January 25, 2020

One of the most iconic games in recent memory was a battle in Tempe roughly seven weeks before the season ended.

Arizona jumped out to a huge lead, with the Remy Martin-led Sun Devils chipping into the Arizona advantage heading into halftime.

A seismic second half surge was capped off with a layup from Alonzo Verge Jr. in the closing stages of the game, capping off a 66-65 win in what should have been a season that Arizona State reached the tournament in.

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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