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Social Media Reacts to Arizona State's Road Game Against BYU

The Wednesday night game began as an uphill climb for Bobby Hurley's Sun Devils.
Kevin Hicks|
Jan 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley against the Colorado Buffaloes at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jan 3, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley against the Colorado Buffaloes at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Arizona State Sun Devils

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils entered Wednesday night on a three-game losing streak - beginning Big 12 play on a sour note with a 95-89 loss to Colorado on Saturday.

Arizona State's reward for the recent stretch?

Getting a road battle against the ninth-ranked BYU Cougars. The Sun Devils entered this game as decisive underdogs as they went into the day avoiding an 0-2 start to league play.

Follow how social media reacted to the opportunity for a top-10 win with ASU on SI below.

Sun Devils Head Into Game Short Handed

Arizona State went into the game knowingly short-handed, as forward Marcus Adams Jr. was ruled out in the Big 12 player availability report on Tuesday night.

Starting guard Bryce Ford was therein ruled out shortly before tip-off due to an unspecified injury - this marked the third time he has been out in the last four games.

Head coach Bobby Hurley then went with a starting lineup of Moe Odum, Anthony "Pig" Johnson, Santiago Trouet, Allen Mukeba, and Massamba Diop.

AJ Dybantsa Catches Eyes

AJ Dybantsa has long been considered an elite recruit - the Massachusetts native opted to play for BYU in December 2024.

The potential top pick in the 2026 NBA draft has been every bit as good as advertised in his freshman season, continuing this with a phenomenal all-around showing that garnered widespread attention from fans and the draft community alike.

This is the only time that Arizona State will face the freshman phenom that is averaging roughly 23 PPG - this is likely something that is very welcome for Hurley and company.

Game Gets Out of Control in Second Half

It turns out that Brigham Young is ranked inside of the top 10 of the nation for a reason.

Kevin Young's squad enjoyed the lead ballooning to 78-47 at the 8:50 mark of the half behind incredible efforts by Dybantsa, as well as guards Richie Saunders and Robert Wright III - all three of which scored 19+ points in the massive win.

Many in the Arizona State community are beginning to wonder if this team is more similar to previous Hurley teams than what was believed a month ago. Sure, injuries have somewhat ravaged this squad, but this defeat at the hands of BYU is the first blowout loss of the season - coming off of a three-game losing streak in what were all winnable games.

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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Kevin Hicks
KEVIN HICKS

Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.