Arizona State's Late Surge Falls Short in Loss to TCU

The Sun Devils moved to 14-14 on the season with the defeat.

Feb 21, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley reacts to a call against the Baylor Bears during the second half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (14-14, 5-10 Big 12) dropped their second straight game - this time against the TCU Horned Frogs (18-10, 8-7) by a score of 90-78 on Tuesday night in Fort Worth, Texas.

Arizona State went into the night coming off of a loss to Baylor over the weekend, while TCU defeated West Virginia in a slugfest.

Arizona State did receive a reinforcement in the form of guard Bryce Ford, which bolstered head coach Bobby Hurley's rotation. Follow key moments from the game below with Arizona State on SI.

Feb 21, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley reacts on the sideline during the second half against the Baylor Bears at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

First Half

The game started off as one may expect - gritty defensive possessions, less-than-ideal perimeter shooting, and a small handful of lapses with ball security.

Arizona State held a 13-10 advantage at the 11 minute mark of the half after sixth man Anthony "Pig" Johnson earned two free throws off of a drive.

TCU retook the lead in the ensuing minutes - going up by as many as five points in the later portions of the half. However, the Sun Devils managed to stay in the game behind efficient shooting at the free throw line and a great display of rebounding.

ASU trailed 33-30 at halftime in a 20 minute period that both teams shot below 35% from the floor and committed 12 combined turnovers in.

Second Half

The Sun Devils continued to battle in the early minutes of the second half, but TCU countered with a small handful of three-point connections to take a game-best eight point lead. Anthony "Pig" Johnson continues to put his best efforts in to keep the Sun Devils within striking distance, with TCU leading by a score of 46-41 at with 14:53 remaining in the game.

Arizona State forward Andrija Grbovic brought the deficit back down to within two points with a three-point knockdown at the 14:28 mark.

TCU put together a more consistent offensive effort in the minutes that followed, eventually building up a 16 point lead that proved to be too much for Arizona State to overcome.

The Sun Devils orchestrated a late-game surge that brought the deficit down to less than 10 points on several different occasions. TCU's sheer free throw volume over the course of the game and the lack of time remaining prevented the comeback from being completed.

Key Performances

• Moe Odum - 21 PTS, 4 REB, 10 AST

• Anthony "Pig" Johnson - 18 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST

• Massamba Diop - 13 PTS, 3 REB, 2 BLK

What's Next

Arizona State is set to return home for the final two games of the season - Saturday against the Utah Utes and next Tuesday against the ranked Kansas Jayhawks.

Feb 21, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Maurice Odum (5) looks to pass against Baylor Bears guard Isaac Williams (10) during the second half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..

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