Major Takeaways From Arizona State's Crushing Loss to TCU

The Sun Devils must regroup from square one after Tuesday night's loss.

Feb 21, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Anthony Johnson (2) scores a basket against the Baylor Bears during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State men's basketball program has fallen back to earth over the last several days, as the Sun Devils dropped their duology of road games against Texas-based Big 12 opponents in Baylor and TCU before returning to Tempe for the final two games at home this season.

The 90-78 loss at the hands of TCU on Tuesday moved the season output to 14-14 - just a week after improving to 14-12 following a monumental victory over Texas Tech that opened the door for palpable NCAA tournament hopes.

Bobby Hurley's squad is once again seeing their backs face against the wall, as a loss in Saturday's battle against Utah on Saturday would move the team below the .500 mark for the first time this campaign.

Jan 31, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley against the Arizona Wildcats at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

What Can be Taken Out of ASU's Loss?

• The main area of conversation that has been prevalent throughout the season that has simply been confirmed on a large sample is that the lack of depth has hurt the Sun Devils over the course of the last four months. Tuesday night was the first time that Hurley was able to employ a nine-man rotation in weeks, and it still wasn't enough to take down TCU.

• Arizona State's defense held up quite well despite allowing 90 points. TCU shot just 42% from the floor and were a handful of timely three-point hits away from shooting roughly 20% from three-point range. The undoing of Arizona State was allowing 17 offensive rebounds to the Horned Frogs, as well as TCU shooting 40 free throws in the process.

• Arizona State's NCAA tournament hopes are virtually dashed. The general baseline for Arizona State to make a tournament case is to secure 18 or 19 wins - this virtually forces the team to win the final three games of the regular season, as well as at least one or two victories in the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.

• Moe Odum continues to prove to be one of the best players in recent memory for the Arizona State program. The senior guard recorded a double double for the first time since January 3 against Colorado - recording 21 points and 10 assists in the process. The ASU season would be in a truly dark place if the former Pepperdine star didn't opt to play his final season in Tempe, and it's a true shame that this is the New York native's final season of eligibility.

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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