Shortly after the game, Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley ripped into everything from the players’ focus to the home atmosphere of Desert Financial Arena.

The comments, coupled with the demoralizing loss, left ASU fans wondering how long the struggles would continue for the Sun Devils and how long Hurley’s leash is.

So, in ASU’s next home game against Cincinnati on Saturday, Jan. 24, in front of the smallest home crowd in Tempe since the Nov. 17 contest against Georgia State, the Sun Devils turned to their senior leader to get the squad back on track.

Senior guard Moe Odum took over Saturday’s game, vaulting ASU to an 82-68 victory over the Bearcats with 33 points and eight assists, shooting 10-for-17 from the field and 6-for-11 from behind the arc.

After Odum hit his sixth 3-pointer in the final minute to put the finishing touches on the Sun Devils’ first victory in four tries, the crowd at Desert Financial Arena, a stadium that Hurley deemed a “sterile environment” after Wednesday’s loss, had one of its loudest moments of the season so far.

However, Saturday’s success was a short-lived distraction from the looming decision at hand for ASU athletic director Graham Rossini regarding the future of Sun Devils men’s basketball with Hurley at the helm.

After 11 seasons as the ASU head coach, Hurley’s third contract runs out following the 2025-26 season. The Duke alum has compiled a 179-160 career record and three NCAA Tournament appearances with the Sun Devils. 

However, a lack of postseason triumphs is regularly cited by the ASU faithful who support a change at the top. They have a case, too; all three of Hurley’s trips to the Big Dance with the Sun Devils ended in or before the Round of 64.

In addition, the recent years of Hurley’s tenure have not been kind. Since ASU’s last NCAA Tournament bid in 2023, the Sun Devils have gone 36-49 overall and 14-35 in conference games in both the Pac-12 and Big 12.

For Hurley and ASU, this week’s focus is on two more Big 12 opponents that look poised to be playing postseason basketball in March, including a rematch with the Sun Devils’ in-state rival.

ASU makes the long trip to Orlando, Fla., to take on UCF on Tuesday, Jan. 27, before playing host to No. 1 Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 31.

The Knights currently stand at 15-4 on the campaign and are on track to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. If it holds, their .789 win percentage would be UCF’s best season since 2003-04, when the Knights were a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

The Knights are an experienced group and are led by senior guards Riley Kugel and Themus Fulks. Kugel leads UCF in scoring at 15.0 points a game, while Fulks pitches in 13.9 points and a Big 12-leading 7.3 assists per contest, just ahead of Odum, who sits at 6.6.

It’s also a reunion game for Knights senior forward Devan Cambridge, who played under Hurley as a Sun Devil in 2022 alongside his older brother, Desmond. This season, Cambridge is averaging 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game off the bench for UCF.

The two schools had not met in basketball before last season, when the Knights prevailed 95-89 in Tempe behind a career-high 40 points from current Auburn senior guard Keyshawn Hall.

While a win in Florida would be nice, a win on Saturday would be so much better, as ASU returns home to renew its rivalry with the Wildcats just 17 days after the two sides battled it out in Tucson.

Arizona eventually prevailed 89-82, one of its 21 wins without a blemish this season. The Wildcats are one of three teams nationally that still hold an undefeated record and were ranked No. 1 by every voter in this week’s AP Poll.

For the Sun Devils, the key to an upset win over their archrival is controlling Arizona’s frontcourt. In the first installment this season on Jan. 14, senior forward Tobe Awaka and freshman forward Koa Peat both had big games, dropping 25 and 24 points, respectively. Peat also finished with a double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds in the win.

One of Hurley’s largest pitfalls as ASU’s head coach has been his inability to take down the Wildcats. The loss in Tucson earlier this month dropped Hurley’s career record against Arizona to 4-18, losing 11 of his last 12 tries.

However, an upset win on Saturday would ease the pain of the Wildcats’ recent dominance for all involved.

For the Sun Devils, they have the chance to pick up a monster win that could vault them back into the conversation for an at-large bid in March.

For ASU fans, they could forever stake their claim as the team that ended the best start in Arizona basketball history.

And for Hurley, he could finally have a signature win over the Sun Devils’ nemesis that he could fall back on when the time comes to make a decision on his future.