Bobby Hurley and ASU prepare for the toughest task of the season against No. 1 Arizona

(Photo: Spencer Barnes/WCSN)

TEMPE – When it comes to men’s basketball, Arizona State’s fierce rivalry with the University of Arizona is a one-sided affair, and one that’s not in the Sun Devils favor.

The Wildcats boast a 163-87 advantage in the all-time win-loss record, and are 17-4 against the Sun Devils since Bobby Hurley took over head coaching duties in Tempe prior to the 2015-16 season.

Arizona is simply one of the premier programs in collegiate basketball, appearing in the NCAA tournament 39 times – although four of those appearances have been vacated – and winning it all in 1997.

ASU, on the other hand, has never experienced the highs of its rival down south, and while Tommy Lloyd has gone 128-33 since becoming the U of A head coach before the 2021-22 season tipped off, the Sun Devils have gone 74-74.

It’s safe to say that Arizona State (10-6, 1-2 Big 12) has its work cut out when it makes the trip down to Tucson on Wednesday to face off against No. 1 Arizona (16-0, 3-0) at the McKale Center, where the Sun Devils last won in 2023, and where the Wildcats have gone 69-6 in the Lloyd era.

“Anytime you tell me I’m 2-8 somewhere, I’m not thinking that’s that good,” Hurley said. “But with that team, and that building and that place, and how many people have won there over the years and the record that Arizona has on the floor, it’s not too bad.”

Hurley knows how difficult the task ahead of him is, but he’s not going to just roll over. He’s been working on getting his team ready to deal with the dominating brand of basketball the Wildcats play – especially on the interior.

Over U of A’s last three games against Big 12 competition in Utah, Kansas State and TCU, it scored 150 of its 284 points (52.8%) in the painted area. ASU, on the other hand, has only scored 108 of its 252 points (42.6%) in the paint across its most recent three-game span.

“They’re great,” Hurley said. “A really outstanding basketball team, pretty much a complete team, and dominant inside the paint around the basket. … We got to do a good job of managing the game and being ready for their force.”

The Wildcats’ biggest force in the paint, is star true freshman forward Koa Peat. Peat leads the team with 14.8 points per game and 95 field goals made, 71 of which are categorized as close two-pointers, where he converts at a 71.7% mark, per Bart Torvik.

Hurley pursued Peat when he was a five-star high school standout at Perry, in nearby Gilbert, Arizona, but now has to face the reality of trying to stop a future lottery pick wearing his rival’s colors.

“He’s a special talent,” Hurley said. “He’s been a winner at every stage. He’s done it (at the) high school level, USA Basketball and he’s a big part of what they do now. (He) doesn’t play like a freshman, doesn’t look like a freshman.”

The Sun Devils’ not-so-secret weapon in attempting to stop Peat and his teammates from piercing the interior is fellow true freshman big man, 7-foot-1 center Massamba Diop.

Diop has shown flashes of offensive brilliance since the start of the season, but has started to show signs of defensive growth as conference play has begun. Against Colorado and Kansas State, the Senegalese giant blocked seven and five shots, respectively, and hauled in nine rebounds against both BYU and KSU.

UofA offers a level of competition that Diop hasn’t yet faced as a member of the Sun Devils, but his recent uptick in defensive performance is an encouraging sign.

“He’s going to be tested in the most severe way in this game,” Hurley said. “Arizona is as good as anybody in the country at scoring in the lane, whether it’s throwing it to their big guys, getting offensive rebounds for their guards, attacking the basket. His presence is going to be crucial in our ability to hang in with Arizona in the paint.”

The Wildcats’ deadly abilities on the floor aren’t the only thing the Sun Devils will have to contend with. McKale Center, UofA’s home since 1973, will surely be rocking for the first meeting of the season between the two teams, with Wildcats fans trying their hardest to get into the heads of Hurley’s players.

Sophomore guard Trevor Best is the only Sun Devil to have experienced the historic rivalry in hostile territory. After joining ASU midway through the 2024-25 season, he logged nearly 19 minutes of action and six points in his team’s 113-100 loss to U of A at the McKale Center on Mar. 4, 2025.

Hurley has shared with his team what the rivalry means to him and has worked on hand signals and other strategies during practices to deal with the noise of the crowd. Until the players get off the bus in Tucson, though, they won’t have faced the reality of the rivalry.

“They’ll experience it tomorrow when they get there,” Hurley said.