Previewing Arizona State's Crucial Road Trip in Coming Days

The Sun Devils face a week in which they must win both games in front of them.

Jan 31, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley (left) looks on as his players huddle together against the Arizona Wildcats in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils are entering the stretch run of their 2025-26 season, as only nine games remain in the regular season prior to the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.

The Sun Devils finished the previous week posting an 0-2 mark, as they ceded a 12-point lead in the final minutes to the UCF Knights on the road and fell to the top ranked team in the nation in Arizona on Saturday afternoon.

Now, the 11-11 squad enters true must-win territory, which begins with a pair of games on the road in the days ahead.

Jan 31, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Anthony Dell'Orso (3) drives to the basket against Arizona State Sun Devils guard Anthony Johnson (2) in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Wednesday: Utah

This is the first of two times that Arizona State is set to take on Utah (9-12, 1-7 Big 12) - they are set to play in Tempe on February 28 to close out the season series.

Utah is coached by first-year member of the program in Alex Jensen, who had been an NBA assistant coach since 2013 - including a lengthy stint with the Utah Jazz.

Jensen was tasked with rebuilding a roster that saw a mass exodus occur after the firing of his predecessor in Craig Smith, with much of this team being built via incoming players from the transfer portal.

Jan 31, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes guard Don McHenry (3) goes to the basket against Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Christian Coleman (4) during the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Utes roster a dynamic scoring duo at the guard spots in Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Terrence
Brown, who averages 22.1 points per game, and Western Kentucky transfer Don McHenry, who boasts a scoring average of 17.9 per contest.

The major weakness with the Utah offense is that they heavily rely on that specific guard duo to generate points, so it will be fascinating to see how the flow of the game develops against ASU's balanced scoring attack.

Arizona State and Utah are set to square off at 7 P.M. MST on Wednesday night, with the game set to be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Saturday: Colorado

Arizona State has an opportunity to exact revenge on the Buffaloes for an 95-89 loss they suffered in Tempe to open Big 12 play on January 3.

Colorado snapped a six-game losing streak on Sunday with a resounding 87-61 triumph over TCU - a game that the program needed after suffering several narrow losses that got countered by a 30-point loss to Iowa State.

Freshman guard Isaiah Johnson continues to take the Big 12 by storm, as the lightly recruited star paces the team with over 16 PPG.

The Sun Devils and Buffaloes are set to face one another at 7:30 P.M. MST, with the broadcast set to take place on ESPN2.

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..

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.

Please follow us on X when you click right here, as well as @khicks_21 for nonstop Arizona State coverage!