ASU Rebuffs Late Baylor Run, Moves Ahead in Big 12 Tournament

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (17-15) carried a dominant first-half showing over the finish line in an 83-79 win over the Baylor Bears (16-16) early on Tuesday in the opening game of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.

The Sun Devils previously fell in their previous game against the Bears on the road roughly two weeks ago - with the two teams being considered potential "sleepers" to make runs this week.

rwerre — Mar 10, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Santiago Trouet (1) drives during the first half against the Baylor Bears at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Follow key happenings from the game below with Arizona State on SI.

First Half

Arizona State and Baylor both started off with tepid performances on the offensive side of the ball, as the Sun Devils were up 6-5 roughly seven minutes into the game. Anthony "Pig" Johnson, Andrija Grbovic, and Noah Meeusen brought a blend of shotmaking/disruptive defense to the table that put ASU up 19-10 halfway into period one.

Arizona State continued to blend bench contributions, a renewed offensive flow, and stingy defense together to extend the lead to 27-14 in less than two minutes of time - Baylor was forced to take a timeout at the 8:13 mark.

fewew — Mar 10, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; T-Mobile Center prior to a game between the Arizona State Sun Devils and Baylor Bears. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Baylor made a run to shrink Arizona State's lead to as little as four, but another run from the Sun Devils extended the advantage back to eight.

Arizona State continued to extend their lead to double digits on multiple occasions, but shotmaking heroics from Baylor's Cameron Carr put ASU up 44-35 going into halftime.

Second Half

Baylor continued to battle over the first several minutes of the second half, but Arizona State continued to counter their attempts to shrink the deficit to under 10 points throughout the first nine minutes of period two. Baylor finally succeeded in bringing the game to within 10 points at the 10:11 mark of the half - the Sun Devils remained ahead by a score of 61-52.

ewqww — Mar 10, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Maurice Odum (5) passes against Baylor Bears guard Obi Agbim (5) during the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Tounde Yessoufou catalyzed an 8-2 run that shrunk Arizona State's lead to 67-62 with just under seven minutes remaining in the contest. Santiago Trouet and Meeusen quelled the Baylor run with clutch baskets that put ASU back ahead by 10 points - Baylor's surge got neutralized in the process. Arizona State eventually secured the game with a series of defensive stops and by virtue of making timely stops.

Key Performances

Andrija Grbovic - 14 PTS, 3 REB, 6-7 FG

Anthony "Pig" Johnson - 19 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST

Santiago Trouet - 13 PTS, 9 REB, 5-7 FG

Noah Meeusen - 12 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST

What's Next

Arizona State is set to take on five-seed Iowa State on Wednesday at 9:30 AZT/11:30 CT/12:30 EST.

rwerewr — Mar 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-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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