Previewing Arizona State's Road Tilt Against UCF

TEMPE -- In today's episode of the Arizona State Sun Devils Insider Podcast, we take a look at Tuesday night's conference bout between the Sun Devils (11-9, 2-5 Big 12) and the UCF Knights (15-4, 4-3) - which is a game that is seen as potentially being equally consequential to the Knights and Arizona State in the scope of the season as a whole.

To listen to today's podcast, view below.

Below is a partial transcript from head coach Bobby Hurley following the win over Cincinnati on January 24, where the head coach discussed comments made following the previous loss, praised individual players, and refocusing following a rough stretch of results over the beginning of Big 12 play.

ml;;l — Arizona State forward Andrija Grbović (14) makes a three-pointer 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

On Reflecting on 2025-26 Roster, Refocusing

"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."

;lm — 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

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."

llnn — 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

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."

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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