Major Takeaways From Arizona State's Win Over Utah, Final Games

The Sun Devils have rebuilt momentum ahead of the final two games of the regular season.

Feb 28, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Santiago Trouet (1) controls the ball against Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The 2025-26 Arizona State Sun Devils (15-14, 6-10 Big 12) have continued to battle through the course of the season despite facing a seemingly insurmountable series of challenges over the last four months.

The effort to stay above water continued on Saturday, when the Sun Devils took down Utah by a score of 73-60 in a ramp-up game before taking on Kansas in the final home game of the year on Tuesday.

Arizona State on SI gives three rapid reaction takeaways from the night that was below - including discussing the path the team faces over the next week-plus.

Feb 28, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Anthony Johnson (2) celebrates with guard Maurice Odum (5) against the Utah Utes in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Sun Devils' Newfound Two-Way Success Continues

Arizona State's calling card over the first three months of the season was undeniably on the offensive side of the ball, as a trio of scorers contributed to a unit that has typically been considered above-average according to metrics.

However, the defense has taken a lead over the last three weeks of the campaign - as the team's defensive rating has risen roughly 40 spots during this time according to metrics site KenPom.

The reasonings behind this drastic improvement? That can be attributed to three different factors - head coach Bobby Hurley's timely strategic shifts, individual players performing at an increased capacity, and the team creating more turnovers than previously.

Feb 28, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Santiago Trouet (1) shoots the ball against the Utah Utes in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This recent effort carried into Saturday, as Arizona State's strategy of falling back into zone when Utah's Terrence Brown returned to the floor resulted in Utah's offense having minimal answers - save for a couple of distinct runs made by the Utes. Massamba Diop and Santiago Trouet were especially strong standouts in the game, as both were able to force Utah into tough shots by funneling Utah into ideal positions across the baseline.

ASU's offense put forth more positives than negatives as well, as the unit shot efficiently from three-point range, only turned the ball over five times, and saw four different players score at least 10 points.

Moe Odum is Best ASU Player in Recent Years

This is a conclusion that can firmly be reached even after just one season - and with at least three games remaining on the season.

Odum has proseltyzed the exact culture that Hurley pushed for when constructing this season's roster over the course of the previous offseason - the senior guard has played in every game (29), lead the team in numerous statistical areas, and has been instrumental in the growth of younger players on the roster, particularly Diop.

Beyond this, Odum has been an exceptional leader and has on average been the most consistent bucket-getter in Tempe since D.J. Horne - perhaps even Remy Martin. Odum is the type of player that every coach has a massive desire to coach, and will go down as one of the greats from the Hurley era.

Feb 28, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Maurice Odum (5) shoots a three pointer against the Utah Utes in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

ASU Faces Gauntlet Over Next Week-Plus

Arizona State's 15-14 record is unfortunately not becoming as far as an NCAA tournament at-large selection is concerned, however two major opportunities are directly ahead of the Sun Devils.

Arizona State takes on the Kansas Jayhawks in a senior night setting on Tuesday before traveling to take on a projected top-two seed in Iowa State on Saturday. Both games would quantify as quadrant one victories for the Sun Devils, although both will also be uphill climbs to ultimately earn wins in.

The best hope that Arizona State has to make a late push for the tournament is to win one of the last two games to earn a more favorable placement in the Big 12 tournament bracket to better position themselves to make a surprise run in Kansas City next week.

Until then, the Sun Devils will continue to fight to shock the college basketball world despite playing in the best conference in all of division one, while also facing an incredible roster disadvantage - with roughly half of the players on the 15-man roster having been sidelined for a majority of the year.

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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