What Arizona State Basketball Must do to Reach Tournament in 2027

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils will unfortunately not go dancing for the third consecutive season - this was made official on Sunday with the reveal of the 68-team bracket reveal.

The departure of head coach Bobby Hurley answered everything that needed to be known in regards to ASU's postseason fate, but the program absolutely has the ability to make a successful one-season turnaround with the right moves being made in the process.

;lmml — Arizona State guard Moe Odum (5) looks over at the officials during a game against Cincinnati at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 24, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona State on SI highlights the three boxes that must be checked in order to see their names called this time next year below.

Hire Correct Head Coach

The coaching search has already hit some snags, as top target Josh Schertz committed to staying at Saint Louis, while fellow top target Jerrod Calhoun appears to be in the driver's seat to land at conference rival Cincinnati.

The two coaches on the radar that have the most ability to head an immediate turnaround are most certainly Saint Mary's Randy Bennett and New Mexico's Eric Olen.

lklmk — Jan 31, 2026; Spokane, Washington, USA; Saint Mary's Gaels head coach Randy Bennett reacts after a play against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Bennett is one of the very best talent evaluators and tacticians in the sport, while Olen has built an impressive coaching profile as a defensive-minded, high energy program builder in his own right. The Sun Devils would be in a strong position heading into November with a hiring of either one of the two.

Retain Foundational Players

The chances that every eligible player returns to Tempe next season is slim, but there are at least a small handful of contributors from last season that the next coach should retain.

Santiago Trouet has to be brought back - the junior showed too much improvement over the course of this past season and brings too many positive intangibles to the table to be let go of. Noah Meeusen is already one of the best perimeter defenders in the Big 12 and has a clear path forward to taking a major leap forward offensively. Vijay Wallace and Adante Holiman are players that missed the entire season that would be prime candidates to bounce-back next season if they were retained.

Ultimately, Massamba Diop is the player that has to be the predicated focus here. The freshman center is one of the rare players that can be pointed to as a multi-year star player that can be pointed to as an obvious candidate for progression and a talent that can elevate a team. Arizona State would absolutely been in the position to compete in what is likely to be another brutal Big 12 if they were to retain Diop's services.

Schedule Challenging Non-conference

One of the best strategies that Hurley employed when head coach in Tempe was in not shying away from scheduling legitimate challenges in non-conference play.

Arizona State squared off against foes such as Kansas, Xavier, Florida, Kentucky, Santa Clara, and many others over Hurley's tenure - which arguably aided in their case to be selected to three different NCAA tournaments.

While the Big 12 is a brutal slate of games on a yearly basis, they will need as many quad one opportunities as they can get to build a case.

ml;lm — Mar 7, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Noah Meeusen (15) shoots the ball against the Iowa State Cyclones during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images