Yet one thing remains constant – injuries. 

“We kind of had a continuation of last season's dilemma with injuries,” Hurley said. “(We’ve) got a lot of experience with that over the last two years.” 

Coming off the heels of a season that saw ASU hampered with injuries, resulting in a lackluster record of 13-20 (4-16 Big 12), Hurley will look to turn the tide in the 2025-26 season with a roster consisting of only two returning players from last year's squad. 

Despite the revamped roster, the Sun Devils are already facing a familiar foe, with many players already being injured.

Junior guard Vijay Wallace will miss the season after dislocating his ankle attempting a dunk in the squad's Oct. 26 exhibition against Texas A&M.  

“It was really heartbreaking to see it,” Hurley said. “Probably one of the worst (injuries) that I’ve seen.”

The injury was demoralizing for Hurley and ASU despite the squad's impressive performance against Texas A&M. 

“The players were emotionally beat up seeing that,” Hurley said. “It was hard to even finish the game.” 

Along with Wallace, the newly added Belgian sophomore guard, Noah Meeusen, recently rolled his ankle during practice, an injury that is expected to sideline him for a few weeks.

“(That’s) just one of those freak things that happens in practice,” Hurley said. “He luckily is not going to need any surgery.” 

As a direct result of the injuries, the Sun Devils have decreased live reps in practice in an attempt to maintain health going into the season. 

However, it's not all doom and gloom on the injury front for ASU. 

“The positive side is we're getting some guys back from injury,” Hurley said. 

Newly added graduate forward Allen Mukeba has recently returned to practice following a six-week absence as he nursed an injury. 

“This week he's gone live and he's doing very well,” Hurley said. “He's trending to get back.” 

Sophomore forward Marcus Adams Jr.’s timeline is similar to Mukeba's, after he suffered a lower leg injury.

Standout freshman center Massamba Diop was also recently held out of the Sun Devils' exhibition with Texas A&M after rolling his ankle two weeks prior in another exhibition against UC Irvine. 

“He probably could’ve (played),” Hurley said. “We were very careful with him, just making sure hes 100%.” 

Despite the injuries, ASU expects only two players to miss the season opener against Southern Utah on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. MST. 

“There's a lot of time between now and then, but everybody else was active and available in practice,” Hurley said. 

While they may be off the injury list, Mukeba and Adams Jr. will likely be on a minutes restriction to begin the season for the Sun Devils. 

“They don’t have the foundation that some of the other guys that have been working consistently throughout the preseason,” Hurley said, elaborating on the possible minutes restrictions. “I’ll try to get a handle on that with our medical (staff) to see what that looks like.” 

Regardless of the poor injury luck Hurley and ASU have endured in the buildup to the season, the squad remains hopeful.

“(We) get some guys back, we lost a couple of guys, that's really the biggest news right now,” Hurley said.