Sun Devils win first-ranked game in 1,088 days, keeping NCAA tournament dreams alive

(Photo: Spencer Barnes/ WCSN)

TEMPE – Moe Odum said that he came to ASU for an opportunity to beat ranked teams and see his fans storm the court, but three-quarters of the way through his Sun Devil tenure and neither had happened. Tuesday night, against one of the most formidable teams in the country, up eight points with 3:45 left on the clock, he finally had the chance to realize his dream. He took it.

As the senior point guard brought the ball past half-court, his coach Bobby Hurley seemed to signal for an isolation play. One-on-one, Moe Odum against 6-foot-6 LeJuan Watts. He ended up following a screen from center Massamba Diop before nailing what looked like the go-ahead 3-pointer. Odum turned to hype up the crowd, smiling beneath the cheers of more than 6,000 fans in his new home.

Still, the following three and a half minutes stretched on for what felt like an eternity of back and forth chaos. Ultimately, Arizona State men’s basketball (14-12, 5-8 Big 12) held on to win 72-67 over No. 13 Texas Tech (19-7, 9-4 Big 12). 

The Sun Devils’ (14-12, 5-8 Big 12) had not had a top-15 win since beating No. 7 Arizona in 2023. Breaking a 1,088 day drought was exactly the type of moment Odum said he came to Tempe to create.

“It meant a lot,” Odum said. “I dreamed of this. I am just so happy we could finally get one, so hopefully we could get more.”

 

Odum’s performance was not without blemish. He had an ill-advised pass to Diop that was intercepted by sophomore guard Christian Anderson, who took it coast-to-coast for a layup that put the Red Raiders within two points. Odum’s sophomore understudy, guard Noah Meeusen made a similarly costly mistake by throwing a two-handed pass reminiscent of a soccer style throw-in that wound up in the hands of Texas Tech’s Donovan Atwell.

After Odum fouled Atwell it seemed inevitable that the game would be tied with 23 seconds left, but Atwell missed his free throw, sealing the game for ASU.

As they carried him off the court, the crowd seemed to care more about Odum’s 23 points than his three turnovers.

Upsets of this magnitude rarely come via the performance of just a sole player, and this was no exception. Four players reached double-digit points on at least 46% shooting. Massamba Diop shot the lowest of that group and well below his 63.5% average shooting from the field. Rather than his typical efficient consistency, his impact was felt in the biggest moments.

Before halftime, the Sun Devils furiously stormed back from a seven-point deficit in two minutes to trail by two. Odum found the freshman center in a spot he is not usually, behind the arc in a clutch moment. With six seconds left, Diop buried the shot. His teammate Noah Meeusen was elated but unsurprised.

“I knew he was going to make it,” Meeusen said. “Normally he always fakes it or waits, but now he took it with confidence.”

 

Diop’s confidence seemed infectious and the Sun Devils came out of the locker room playing fast, contesting shots and attacking the rim. They forced 17 turnovers including seven off the hands of Chris Anderson. Last season Anderson had a spotless game in Tempe, scoring a then-career-high 21 points with zero turnovers.

Anthony “Pig” Johnson and Meeusen matched up with him for much of the game. They still allowed Anderson 18 points, but scored a combined 17 of their own. Johnson is known for downhill intensity and the ability to get fouled, but with no Sun Devil going to the line more than three separate times, he had to rely on his athleticism and intensity to make plays. No play better captured the effort he played with all night than his attempt to complete a 520-degree alley-oop from Moe Odum.

Hurley said the entire team was ready to “fight and battle”, a mentality that gave him confidence.

Coming into Tuesday’s game, Hurley had 13 wins over ranked teams in 11 years as ASU head coach. Despite the lack of elite wins, his belief in his position as one of the best in the game never wavered.

“I don’t care about doubters or what people say …” Hurley said. “I feel like I’m in my element, that I can go toe to toe with anybody. I’m very confident in my abilities.”

That underdog mentality is exactly what the Sun Devils need as they near the end of the regular season and attempt to make a push for the NCAA Tournament. It is a tall task, but the players said they can do it.

“We know what it takes to win a game,” Odum said. “We can just keep stacking, keep stacking. Come Selection Sunday, we are going to be there.”

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