TEMPE, Ariz.— Senior night is a staple in collegiate athletics, which represents a time of reflection for friends, family and fans alike to come together and celebrate their contributions to a program. 

However, Arizona State faced a tall task on Tuesday, March 3, when Desert Financial Arena was engulfed in a sea of blue and crimson.

Despite the traveling fans, senior guard Moe Odum and the Sun Devils managed to dry the sea and send No. 14 Kansas’ fans home early, while their own fans flooded onto the court for the second time in two weeks.

“I knew I was going to get some court stormings this year,” Odum said, “I knew that for sure.”

In its second top 15 upset in as many weeks, ASU (16-14, 7-10 Big 12) sank the Jayhawks (21-9, 11-6 Big 12) 70-60 in what ended up being a senior night for the ages behind a strong defensive performance inside the friendly confines of Desert Financial Arena. 

In the past, head coach Bobby Hurley has been critical of the crowds in Tempe; however, his tone changed after the recent upset victories.

“It was a great crowd and (I’m) thankful for that to honor the seniors,” Hurley said. “I think there's a reason, because they are kind of fun to watch. 

“We are not perfect, we’re far from perfect, and we do some crazy things sometimes, and we don’t get every rebound, but they’re going to lay it all on out on the line, and I think that's what sports is about.” 

As usual, senior night is an extremely emotional time, and that applied to not only the Sun Devils' three seniors: guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson, forward Allen Mukeba and Odum, but Hurley as well. 

“It was a very emotional game for a lot of reasons, the senior day always is, (these) guys played their hearts out for Arizona State all year,” Hurley said. “(I) was really happy guys like (Odum) and (Johnson) have the opportunity to have moments.”

With family in town for the occasion, Odum stepped up his play, scoring 23 points along with six assists and two steals.  

“I had goosebumps on the bench to start the game,” Hurley said of the emotion behind the game. “I looked over and (Odum's) mom, who flew in from New Jersey, was sitting right behind our bench, and she was crying … moments like that are so powerful, and especially for a kid of his quality and what he's meant to this university this year.” 

Hurley's statement meant a lot to Odum, who has had Hurley's back throughout the many rough points this season.

“People don’t know what me and Hurley talk about,” Odum said, “when we (were) going on losing streaks, he (gets) in his dark places and I would text him the next day, ‘Stay with us, coach, (we're) with you,’ … I really feel like that meant a lot to him and he meant a lot to me.

“He is the greatest coach that's ever coached me, and I’m going to war with him any time.” 

Despite rumors that Tuesday might have been his last time coaching from the home locker room inside Desert Financial Arena, Hurley coached the team's best defensive performance of the season, limiting Kansas to an abysmal 29.2% from the field and 25.9% from beyond the arc. 

Headlining the Jayhawks' poor shooting was superstar freshman guard Darryn Peterson.

The current favorite to hear his name called first in June's NBA draft shot a horrific 16.7% from the field while shooting 18.2% from beyond the arc.

Hurley credited his assistant coaches' game plan when describing ASU’s defensive strategy.

“We wanted to force them to make jump shots,” Hurley said. “They're a team that could really attack the paint with (senior guard Melvin) Council, and they were able to do that some in the second half … wanted to show bodies to those guys.”  

The Sun Devils' defense also forced Kansas into 17 costly turnovers, leading the team to score 18 points off giveaways. 

“Our players were very active. We had a lot of deflections in the first half,” Hurley said. “Our activity and being in the right position was important.”

While Peterson had NBA scouts in the house Tuesday night, Hurley felt that they should take note of freshman center Massamba Diop's play as well. 

“Peterson is a phenomenal prospect, and he showed that in the second half especially,” Hurley said. “But I know there were a lot of NBA guys in the building and they had to be looking at (Diop).”

Diop arguably played his best game of the season Tuesday, contributing 19 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and a remarkable two 3-pointers in ASU’s upset. 

With the season winding down, the Sun Devils look to pull off the impossible once more on the road in their regular-season finale against No. 6 Iowa State on Saturday, March 7, at noon MST. 

Regardless of the results and what the future may hold, Hurley finds pride in what the team has been able to accomplish this season.

“We were picked last in the Big 12 by everybody, and no one thought we could win any games,” Hurley said. “I think (they’ve) proven a lot of people wrong.”