Previewing Arizona State's Home Contest Against Top Ranked Arizona

In today's edition of the Sun Devils Insider Podcast, we take a look at the home battle against a bitter rival.

Jan 14, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Moe Odum (5) shoots a three point shot over Arizona Wildcats guard Dwayne Aristode (2) during the second half of the game at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- In today's episode of the Arizona State Sun Devils Insider Podcast, we take a look at Arizona State's opportunity to rebound from an 89-82 loss against the Arizona Wildcats just under three weeks ago on Saturday afternoon in Tempe.

Major topics such as naming Sun Devils that must perfrom to earn a win, discussing the overall chances of stealing an upset, and much more are discussed during the course of the episode.

To listen to today's podcast, view below.

Below is a partial transcript from head coach Bobby Hurley's post-game press conference in lieu of the 82-68 win over Cincinnati on January 24, with Hurley discussing the current roster and praising individual players in the process.

On Reflecting on 2025-26 Roster, Refocusing 

Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Maurice Odum (5) with head coach Bobby Hurley against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"I, you know, after the game the other night, told everybody that I love coaching this team, because they are tough and resilient and they battle, and that's what they did. We had a really good practice yesterday, and I think there was carryover effect to that to this game was probably the best we've been concentrated and focused day before a game, and we looked like the team that we were early in the season."

On Motivation Behind Challenging Team

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not like a total idiot. I'm probably a partial idiot. So, like, I there's always things that I say that, like, even in terms of the crowd, like, that should be the first thing that I said tonight, but I didn't really mention that they I thought were really good. I think we gave them something to cheer about. So it's a two way street, and it was far better, and we had a good advantage in that regard. But there was a part of what I said was to hopefully get through to the players, to be able to lock in a little more and concentrate on these little details. The margin of error is very slim at this level and in this league to win games."

On Noah Meeusen’s Strong Performance

"Noah just happened to be the lightning rod at the end there. Like he's really not usually like that, like he's very cerebral about how he thinks about the game and wanting to develop his IQ for the game, and he already has a strong understanding of how to play, and he understands angles on defense. He's very active with his hands."

Arizona State guard Noah Meeusen (15) reacts after making a layup and drawing a foul against Cincinnati during a game at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 24, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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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