Arizona State Seeking to Move Upwards in Big 12 Hierarchy

The Sun Devils appear to be in the middle of a tightly contested middle tier of the Big 12.

Jan 10, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Maurice Odum (5) drives to the basket against Kansas State Wildcats guard David Castillo (10) 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 (10-6, 1-2 Big 12) are seeking to pull off the upset of the year on Wednesday night, when the team travels to Tucson to take on the top-ranked Arizona Wildcats.

This game serves at the first time both rivals face off in the 2025-26 campaign, while also doubling as a contrast as to where both programs are currently standing in terms of the power vacuum in the Big 12.

Matthew Postins of Heartland College Sports has Arizona definitively in the top tier of recent Big 12 power rankings, while Arizona State is currently battling to find footing somewhere in the middle - in this case, tier four of the exercise.

Arizona State in Mid Tier of Big 12

8. West Virginia (10-6, 1-2) (Last Ranking: 15)

9. Kansas (11-5, 1-2) (Last Ranking: 9)

10. Oklahoma State (13-3, 1-2) (Last Ranking: 10)

11. TCU (11-5, 1-2) (Last Ranking: 7)

12. Arizona State (10-6, 1-2) (Last Ranking: 12)

Jan 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils forward Allen Mukeba (23) against Colorado Buffaloes guard Jalin Holland (11) at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"Let’s just group the 1-2 teams on one tier because I don’t think there is much difference. That’s the thing about this conference right now. Arizona, BYU, Houston, Iowa State and Texas Tech are the five best teams. After that? The margins are narrow. The rest of the league are playing 50/50 games, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see several of them finishing either 10-8, 9-9 or 8-10 by the end of league play. That could be to the league’s detriment at NCAA Tournament time, depending on which have 20 or more wins going into the Big 12 Tournament."

The notion that Arizona State will finish roughly around .500 in league play is entirely conceivable. The Big 12 is incredibly wide-open outside of the top five that is Arizona, BYU, Houston, Iowa State, and Texas Tech, although there are a small handful of teams that are posturing for higher posturing in the conference - including Arizona State.

Jan 10, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley with center Massamba Diop (35) against the Kansas State Wildcats in the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Arizona State Has Plenty of Opportunities for Key Wins

Arizona State will receive at least one game against every team in the conference this season, with particular focus on the tier three and four teams that are to come on the schedule.

The Sun Devils are set to play 11-6 West Virginia - who just came off of a win against Kansas and a 29-point loss to Houston - at home on January 21. They then travel to face the shockingly strong UCF Knights on January 27 after one more home game against a team that is reeling in Cincinnati. Oklahoma State is set to come to Tempe on February 10, while the Sun Devils are set to visit TCU on February 24. The Kansas Jayhawks will be welcomed to Tempe in the penultimate game of the season on March 3.

Arizona State's Tournament Hopes Hanging in Balance

While Arizona State shakes out fairly well in the national picture as of Wednesday afternoon, they still have definite work to do to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2022-23 season.

Firstly, the Sun Devils' NET ranking is currently sitting at 89, which is over 10 spots higher than the lowest standing of an at-large selection for the tournament. They definitely need to stack up a string of impressive wins to improve this standing - as well as hoping that Oklahoma and Texas remain in the realm of being considered "good wins" - this is a necessity.

Secondly, Arizona State has to avoid more "bad" losses - this follows the 78-75 defeat to Oregon State that will surely stand as a quadrant four loss for the remainder of the season. Cincinnati and Utah and the only two teams that are currently ranked lower than the Sun Devils - they must avoid losses to either in the quest to stack up enough wins to make it back to the ultimate goal.

Dec 6, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona State University Sun Devils guard Moe Odum (5) dribbles down court against Oklahoma University Sooners forward Tae Davis (13) in the second half at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

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.

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!