Arizona State Head Coach Acknowledges Bold Strategy After Saturday's Win

TEMPE -- Is there hope on the horizon for the Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball team this season?

While the ultimate answer might be in a "to be determined" state, there was a glimmer of optimism that came through in Saturday night's 82-68 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats - coming just three days after 11th-year head coach Bobby Hurley called out his team, as well as the crowd that has been relatively mundane in Tempe this season.

Hurley addressed his strategy behind making those comments following Saturday's contest - the reasoning was sound, and the soundbites were once again present.

Hurley Acknowledges Crowd's Presence

"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."

Hurley went as far to say that the Desert Financial Arena environment has become "sterile" in recent seasons - which has been a far-cry from what was seen prior to the pandemic.

The student section that showed out on Saturday was among the best that the Sun Devils have drawn out over the last three seasons, with potential for that to continue this coming Saturday against the Arizona Wildcats.

ffer — 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

Hurley Also Acknowledges Attempt to Get Through to Team

The 54-year old also admitted that his statement was strategic in terms of attempting to bring the team together.

"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."

Senior guard Moe Odum spoke after Hurley - stating that players and coaches had a productive meeting in between the two games. Both players and coaches appear to be on the same page now, which was evidenced by other comments that were made - including Hurley stating that the Cincinnati game was the best job the team had done at scouting an opponent all season.

The tactic utilized by Hurley was certainly a bold one, but there is potential for his last-ditch effort to work out in a positive manner in the final six weeks of the season.

;lml — Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) drives to the basket against Arizona State Sun Devils forward Santiago Trouet (1) and guard Bryce Ford (4) 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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