Why Arizona State Basketball Deserves More National Respect

TEMPE -- The Arizona State men's basketball team began the 2025-26 campaign with an 81-64 win over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Tuesday night.

The win was an encouraging sign to skeptics of the program to a certain degree, but there is ultimately much more that this team has to prove in the eyes of influential figures from within the sport.

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas ranked the Sun Devils as the 66th best team in his yearly 68-team ranking - the spot might seem solid at the surface, but this means they are effectively the 12th-best team in the league.

"Bobby Hurley has taken the Sun Devils dancing only once in the past five seasons after making the NCAA tournament in two of his first four in Tempe. After going 4-16 in Big 12 play last season, they effectively have a new roster that will need to produce quickly to get the team back into the field of 68."

Arizona State on SI explores why the team is currently being underrated and why they are in a position to buck the narrative below.

Several Unknowns

This is the most obvious reason as to why the Sun Devils are flying under-the-radar.

There are several international players in which the film is limited, and the majority of transfers into Tempe were via mid-major programs, adding to the notion that this roster simply isn't talented enough to keep up in the Big 12.

Much basketball has to be played over the rest of the season, but the first game was surely an encouraging sign that this team will outperform what is expected of them.

eewe — Arizona State Sun Devils Santiago Trouet (1) and Massamba Diop (35) attempt to block Southern Utah Thunderbirds Isaiah Cottrell (0) during a game at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Nov. 4, 2025. | Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Scoring Balance

The lack of depth - thus scoring balance - was one of the undoings of the 2024-25 team.

Eight of nine players who played a sizable role against Southern Utah scored, with four players reaching double figures. This also takes into account that PG Moe Odum only scored nine points and former four-star recruit Marcus Adams Jr. failed to score in his 13 minutes.

The offense should only improve as the season goes on, and the balance should continue to be apparent.

Standout Duo

Odum and center Massamba Diop both figure to be star-level players over the last 30 games of the regular season.

The duo should translate quite well into Big 12 play as a truly potent pick-and-roll threat, as Massamba is already proving to be an effective play finisher. Odum complements this perfectly with his savvy passing, ability to knock three-point jumpers down on a reliable basis, and by holding an incredibly high basketball IQ.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and three major takeaways following a gutsy win over Iowa State here

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