As senior guard Moe Odum stepped to the line down three with 54 seconds remaining, attempting to complete a 4-point play following a spectacular 3-pointer, it seemed for just a second that ASU could pull off the unthinkable. 

Then reality smacked the Sun Devils across the face, as Odum missed the foul shot, leading to a mid-range shot from star Arizona senior guard Jaden Bradley over the outstretched arm of sophomore guard Noah Meeusen to seal the deal.

Despite keeping it close, Arizona State (10-7, 1-3 Big 12) inevitably fell 89-82 Wednesday, Jan. 14, night against No. 1 Arizona (17-0, 4-0 Big 12) in front of a rowdy McKale Center crowd in Tucson, Arizona, after an incredible effort from Wildcats freshman forward Koa Peat. 

Peat, a presumptive lottery pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, couldn’t be stopped in one of his best performances of the season for Arizona with a 24-point double-double, with 6 of his 10 rebounds coming on the offensive glass.

While the dominant young forward had an impressive performance, his night started poorly, as he converted only one of his first seven shot attempts, along with three costly turnovers, resulting from the Sun Devils packing the paint and daring the Wildcats to shoot from outside.

However, the tides shifted in the second half, as the physical forward didn’t miss from the field in the period, scoring 16 points on seven shots from the field. 

Peat's offensive night fueled Arizona’s fiery second-half performance, as the team shot 66.7% from the field, scoring an unreal 26 points in the paint along with 15 free throw attempts. 

Senior forward Tobe Awaka challenged coach Bobby Hurley's side all night long, as the veteran's team-high 25 points on just three missed shots proved to be crucial in the Wildcats victory.

On the other side of the court, ASU saw its star players struggle mightily in the first half, as Odum and senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson combined to score seven points on 3-19 shooting from the field. 

Despite the poor showing in the first, the Sun Devils managed to take a one-point lead into halftime after junior guard Bryce Ford drilled a deep 3-pointer with little over 30 seconds remaining on the clock.

While poor shooting was an issue in the first frame, Odum poured it on Arizona in the second half, scoring 18 points while being the only ASU player to score over nine points in the second frame, including several important shots down the stretch to keep the team afloat. 

Likewise, freshman center Massamba Diop refused to let the Sun Devils down all night, scoring 16 points and grabbing six boards before the fouls started to amass in the second half.

Foul trouble was a major theme of the night, with graduate forward Allen Mukeba fouling out around the five-minute mark in the second half, along with Diop missing large portions of the period due to his four fouls. 

Mukeba picked up his first and second fouls within a span of mere seconds in the first half, as sparks flew between the veteran forward and the Wildcats star freshman guard Brayden Burries following a hard foul from Mukeba on Peat. 

Both players received technical fouls for the incident, which included some shoves and yelling before the teams defaulted to their benches. 

The road forward doesn’t get any easier for ASU, as it travels to face No. 7 Houston (16-1, 4-0 Big 12), which is currently riding a 10-game win streak, on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 4:15 p.m. (MST) inside the road confines of the Fertitta Center. 

Although Wednesday offered many positive takeaways, the Sun Devils dropped to 2-11 in their last 13 games down south, furthering the divide between the two programs.