Naming Starting Lineup Combinations That are Realistic for Arizona State

Bobby Hurley has to figure out what starting lineup works as Big 12 play moves along.

Jan 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) and guard Noah Meeusen (15) against the Colorado Buffaloes at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Bobby Hurley's Arizona State Sun Devils still have a fighting chance to compete in the Big 12 in spite of a 1-4 start to league play.

The team has proven to be a spirited one - while the roster has also shown much more offensively to this point than was expected.

Hurley still has a handful of issues to sift through in the weeks ahead, including the starting lineup - this is in lieu of using yet another combination in Sunday's loss to the Houston Cougars.

Arizona State on SI explores three realistic starting lineup combinations for the Sun Devils over the final weeks of the regular season.

Jan 10, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley against the Kansas State Wildcats at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Original Starting Five

The Lineup: Moe Odum, Bryce Ford, Santiago Trouet, Andrija Grbovic, Massamba Diop

This is the lineup that has seen the most success during the 2025-26 season. Hurley ushered in this group over the first month-plus of the season before injuries began to pile up.

Ford missed multiple games, while Grbovic has come off of the bench since the January 3 Big 12 opener against Colorado.

It seems likely that this will be the unit that Hurley moves back to in the upcoming stretch, although nothing is guaranteed.

Jan 14, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Santiago Trouet (1) dribbles the ball during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Small-Ball Lineup

Odum, Anthony "Pig" Johnson, Ford, Noah Meeusen, Diop

This is a lineup that is intriguing on paper, but questions would arise if this is a unit that could consistently hold up against more physical conference opponents.

Odum would bring his trademark table-setting and nifty scoring to the table. Johnson would inject an instant spark to begin games and would be a reliable driving force in generating fouls/free throws. Ford is a sharpshooter that would feed off of Odum and Johnson creating rim pressure. Meeusen is a taller guard that both has the ability to spot up and put the ball on the floor to create. Diop caps off this group as a superb rim-runner that would benefit from several creative guards being on the floor at once.

Jan 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) and guard Noah Meeusen (15) against the Colorado Buffaloes at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Tall Lineup

Odum, Meeusen, Trouet, Grbovic, Diop

This would be a unit that would have stacked up nicely against Houston's burly lineup, although questions would arise in other scenarios.

The guards would provide the same services that they do in other lineups, while Trouet would provide consistent rebounding and aggressive defense. Grbovic provides length and floor-spacing sensibilities, while Diop caps off what would be one of the tallest five-man lineups in all of college basketball.

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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