In a now-infamous postgame rant following Arizona State’s heartbreaking 84-82 loss against Arizona on Thursday night, Bobby Hurley ripped the officiating crew for a no-call that, in his estimation decided the outcome of the game.

The play in question occurred on ASU’s final possession. With the game tied at 82, Remy Martin drove to the hoop and appeared to get hammered across the arm by Arizona forward Azuolas Tibelis while attempting a layup with 9 seconds left.

Martin did not draw the foul. Instead, he crashed to the floor.

Arizona guard James Akinjo got the loose ball and raced down the court to get a final shot off before the end of regulation.

Akinjo’s 3-pointer fell woefully short, but Tubelis—who had run the length of the court—caught the errant shot in mid-air directly in front of his basket, and in one fluid motion, laid the ball in before the final buzzer sounded.

Game over.

It marked the fifth straight loss for the Sun Devils (4-7 overall, 1-4 in conference play), which is now the longest losing-streak in the Bobby Hurley era.

After the contest, Hurley criticized the officials for “swallowing their whistles” and insisted his team played a “winning game.” He went on to say a player of Martin’s stature—a two-team all-conference selection and Preseason All-American—deserves to get the call in that situation.

He doubled-down later that night and tweeted this photo with no caption.

Was it a foul? Yes.

Should it have been called? Probably.

Would it have changed the outcome of the game? Maybe.

But as steadfast as Hurley was about the game being stolen from the Sun Devils, let’s be honest here. The two minutes leading up to the controversial play were anything but ‘winning basketball.’

To recap, ASU had possession of the ball and was leading by five with just over two minutes remaining in the game. And here’s how the final four possessions played out for the Sun Devils:

- 2:01 remaining - Martin grabbed a defensive rebound, raced down the court, and committed an offensive foul as he charged into Akinjo while attempting to drop off a pass to a streaking Alonzo Verge on the right side. Turnover.

- 1:21 remaining - The next possession, there was minimal ball movement before Martin opted for a pull-up jumper that was heavily contested by Akinjo. Missed FG.

- 0:47 remaining - On the following possession, there was again minimal ball movement before Verge settled for a running layup, despite the fact he was falling away from the basket and was draped by an Arizona defender. Missed FG.

- And then, of course, the final possession, which also involved minimal ball movement before Martin barreled his way into the lane. The aggressiveness and shot selection may have been appropriate, but Martin’s timing was certainly questionable. The possession started with 32.9 seconds left on the game clock, and the Sun Devils could have used the entire 30-second shot clock. Worst case scenario, ASU misses the shot, and the game likely heads to overtime. Instead, we know how the game ends.

And this, in a nutshell, is a microcosm of a frustrating season that ASU can’t seem to escape. The culprit may change from game-to-game, but the result often seems to be the same: a Sun Devil loss.

But before we dive in, let’s be fair and provide full context.

Perhaps no Power-5 team in the country has been adversely affected by COVID-19 as much as ASU. Its handful of canceled/postponed games has made it nearly impossible for the Sun Devils to develop any kind of rhythm this season.

Due to COVID-19 protocols, as well other injuries, illnesses, and miscellaneous personal issues, key ASU players have been unavailable for stretches of time throughout the season. In fact, the Sun Devils have been at full-strength for only two games this year.

And while it is difficult to pinpoint the specific issues that plague the Sun Devils—they have seemed to evolve as the season has worn on—one thing is very clear: there is definitely something off with this year’s squad.

The stat sheet can account for the team’s poor 3-point shooting, lack of rebounding, and overall defense – all of which place the Sun Devils near the bottom of the Pac-12.

But it doesn’t tell the whole story.

The stat sheet can’t measure the team’s chemistry – which has seemed to be off for nearly the entire season.

It also can’t account for the team’s questionable decision-making in late-game situations, or measure the team’s lack of focus, attention to detail, and energy level, which have all been areas of concern at some point this season.

Conventional wisdom suggests this team is too talented to be struggling like it is, and a turnaround will eventually occur.

However, if ASU has any chance of realizing its full potential and salvaging this season, the following issues will definitely need to be addressed:

Finishing games more effectively

One of the most alarming trends during this current losing streak is the Sun Devils’ inability to close out games. In each of its last four contests, ASU has led late in the second half but eventually lost.

Against UCLA, the short-handed Sun Devils led midway through the second stanza but could not hold on in overtime and lost by six. Two days later, ASU led USC by two late in the contest but were outscored 17-6 in the final 7:03 of the game.

At Oregon State, ASU led for most of the final four minutes but eventually lost by one. And in the most recent outing against Arizona, the Sun Devils had a five-point cushion late in the contest but squandered away the lead.

Mental lapses in late-game situations

Costly mistakes, especially in the last two games, have played a pivotal role in ASU’s losses.

In Thursday’s night loss against Arizona, the Sun Devils’ final four possessions—which were laid out in great detail above—left much to be desired. However, it was the gross mismanagement of the game clock on the final possession that was the most egregious miscue.

In ASU’s previous game against Oregon State, the Sun Devils had mental lapses in back-to-back defensive possessions to end the game. Up by one with 28 seconds remaining, Verge fouled Oregon State guard Jarrod Lucas on a 3-point attempt (Lucas would sink all three FTs to put the Beavers up by one). On the next defensive possession, the Sun Devils trapped Ethan Thompson in the corner but failed to pick up a streaking Warith Alatishe, who caught the pass from Thompson for a wide-open dunk with 4 seconds remaining, which proved to be the difference in the one-point loss.

The team’s overall defense

Hurley’s teams have never struggled to score the ball. In fact, ASU has been among the league leaders in points the last few seasons. The other end of the floor, however, has long been a source of consternation for the Sun Devils. In fact, during the Hurley era, ASU has finished in the top-50 nationally in defensive efficiency only once (last season).

And this year is no different. The Sun Devils have struggled mightily on defense all season long.

On the season, the Sun Devils are giving up 77.6 points per game, which is the most of any Power-5 team. If ASU has any intentions of turning things around, it needs to start on the defensive end.

Rebounding has made progress but still needs to improve

Rebounding has also been a season-long issue for the Sun Devils, who have been out-rebounded in every game this season, with the exception of the season-opener against Rhode Island.

ASU has made strides in recent weeks, but there is still plenty of room for improvement, especially on the Sun Devil front line. In Thursday’s loss, the duo of Jalen Graham (25 minutes played) and Chris Osten (15 min) combined for only two rebounds. On the season, Graham has averaged 2.9 boards per game, while Osten has collected 3.4 per game.

Simply put, the Sun Devils need more production from its pair of big men if they hope to close the gap on the boards.

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