Naming 3 Winners From Arizona State's Crucial Win Over Utah

The Sun Devils secured their 12th win of the season on Wednesday behind a gutsy effort.

Feb 4, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) takes a pass in the key as Utah Utes forward Josh Hayes (7) defends during the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The 2025-26 Arizona State basketball season once again has life in what seems to be a perfect encapsulation of what an up-and-down season truly looks like in motion.

The 71-63 win over Utah moved the team to 12-11 overall and 3-7 in the Big 12, and gifts new life to Arizona State, as they continue to navigate several tasking challenges that directly face them.

Arizona State on SI names three winners from the naulbiting win over Utah below.

Bobby Hurley

Hurley seems to continue to do his best work when momentum seems completely halted and expectations are lowered.

The 11th-year head coach was forced to utilize a seven-man rotation in Wednesday's game, as forward Santiago Trouet was ruled out prior to the onset of the game, while Allen Mukeba played through an undisclosed ailment.

Hurley's first-half management, which included dropping the Sun Devils back in a 2-3 zone, resulted in a dominant 20 minute run that ended up being enough to come out with the victory.

Feb 4, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley watches the team warm up before the game against the Utah Utes at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Arizona State's Resilience

This can easily be interpreted as a "blanket term" - the Sun Devils have shown resilience throughout the season, even in losses.

This time was different.

The 2024-25 team frequently saw six or seven players available on a consistent basis during Big 12 play. This was the first time that this season's squad had to navigate a razor-thin rotation that featured two guards off of the bench.

They responded with a start to the game that displayed urgency and a true drive to secure a victory - this team has yet to fold throughout the trials that they have undergone over the last two months.

Feb 4, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Anthony Johnson (2) goes to the basket against Utah Utes guard Obomate Abbey (21) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Momentum Going Into Home Stretch

The Sun Devils have true hope going into the last eight games of the regular season.

Arizona State has five obtusely winnable games remaining on the slate, which begins with a road game against Colorado on Saturday, continues with a home game against Oklahoma State, features a road trip to take on a pair of Texas teams (Baylor, TCU) and closes out with a home rematch against Utah on the final day of February.

They will also have a trio of chances to earn a ranked victory - they welcome Texas Tech and Kansas to Tempe, while they are set to travel to take on Iowa State in the regular season finale.

Arizona State once again has momentum going into the closing stretch of the season - it's difficult to count out a team that employs Moe Odum and Massamba Diop as well.

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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