“We struggled at the end of last year, and I told the team we hadn’t won a game in a long time,” Hurley said. “The program needed to win today.” 

Going into Tuesday, Nov. 4, night's matchup against Southern Utah, ASU aimed to pick up its first victory since Feb. 23 against Kansas State in front of a home crowd at Desert Financial Arena. The Sun Devils managed to do that and more, picking up an emphatic win over the Thunderbirds 81-64.

An impressive defensive performance from the program, forcing 16 turnovers on the night, many of which led to easy transition offense for the squad, fueled ASU’s victory on Tuesday night.

However, Hurley was far from enthusiastic about the Sun Devils' defensive performance. 

“There's a lot of work to still be done,” Hurley said. 

Hurley noted ASU’s help defense as his main point of concern, as the team's lack of help defense and the rate it allowed ball handlers to reach or create easy looks in the paint.

I thought we (were) too spread out on defense,” Hurley said. “Not helping when a guy did drive the ball.” 

The stats further backed the Sun Devils' poor help-side defense, as they allowed 44 points in the painted area.

“We can’t really afford to do that,” Hurley said. 

Despite the struggles in the paint, ASU showed out in the blocks and steals department, totaling eight rejections on the night while taking the ball away from the other team nine times.

The other major driving force in the Sun Devils' success tonight was an impressive debut from senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson, who led the team in scoring, recording 17 points in his first run with the team while assisting three buckets and picking up three steals. 

Johnson, however, is less concerned about the box score at the end of the night, judging his success based on how the team performs. 

“I don't really care about points,” Johnson said. “Whatever (I’ve) got to do to win, I’m willing to do it.” 

The newly acquired guard emphasized the importance of creating transition buckets is to ASU with the squad's willingness to get out and run following a defensive possession.

“Transition, that's our identity,” Johnson said. “(We’ve) got to run fast and play defense.” 

Before joining the Sun Devils, Johnson played for the University of the Cumberlands at the NAIA level, which meant the guard had to adjust to the physicality and playstyle that comes along with playing Division I college basketball. 

While the leap between levels may have been huge, Johnson has the utmost confidence in his ability to compete at the highest level.

“I feel like if you can play basketball, you can play with anybody,” Johnson said. 

Despite coming off the bench and only logging 22 minutes played on the night, Johnson still managed to get his own, proclaiming he's willing to play any minutes the coaching staff asks of him. 

“I would like to start, but it (doesn’t) matter,” Johnson said. “Whatever (I’ve) got to do to win.” 

Johnson was a key contributor to ASU’s 35 points off the bench on the night, boasting the next-man-up approach that the squad employs. 

“(We’ve) got good people; we’re not just the starters,” Johnson said. “All through the bench, everybody's good.” 

The Sun Devils revamped squad performed well tonight, picking up their first win of the season in what feels to be a new era for Hurley’s squad.

Hurley and ASU look to continue riding the high vibes into their matchup against Utah Tech at home Sunday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. MST. 

“Everybody gels together,” Johnson said. “Everybody (is) with each other on and off the court. The team is great.”