TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona State isn’t always the most trustworthy when playing with a lead. That’s nothing new.

Even so, when the Sun Devils opened up an eight-point advantage with 10 minutes left in Saturday’s season finale at Arizona, it still seemed like they’d taken over.

But this team never does what you’d expect it to. A 10-1 run by the Wildcats effectively confirmed that, and flipped the game on its head.

In the blink of an eye, ASU found itself down by a point, three minutes removed from its last made field goal with seven-and-a-half minutes left on the game clock, the McKale Center rocking and all semblance of momentum favoring the hosts.

“The game’s not over yet,” sophomore wing Kimani Lawrence said.

Granted, the game wasn’t over when ASU went down by seven on Sunday against Oregon State. The game wasn’t over when the ASU trailed lowly Cal by six at halftime. The game wasn’t over when ASU went down by six against this same Arizona team back in January. The season, clearly, wasn’t over when ASU lost by 21 to Washington State just four weeks ago.

In all of those situations, it may have felt like the sky was falling.

But, again, this team never does what you’d expect it to.

“There’s still a lot of game left,” Lawrence added. “It can go either way, so we’ve got to stay focused and keep doing what we’ve been doing during the game.”

In Saturday’s rivalry game in Tucson, Arizona State put its banner resiliency on display, slamming the door on the Wildcats when it mattered most to take home a 72-64 victory.

And ultimately, it was a 6-0 burst in that crucial moment, which eventually grew to a 14-4 stretch — a shift in momentum right after all momentum had been ripped away — that allowed the Sun Devils to finish their regular season on a high note and earn their first season sweep of Arizona in a decade.

“I think we just all bought in,” Lawrence said. “We weren’t worried about who was hitting a shot, who was making the big plays, we just wanted to win. When we get on the same page like that, it’s hard for us to lose.”

It was over a course of about five minutes that ASU changed the complexion of Saturday’s contest and stepped on the throat of its bitter rival.

And it started with Remy Martin. 20 seconds after a Justin Coleman three-pointer pushed Arizona ahead, 54-53, the sophomore responded with a jumper to regain the lead, and another to expand said lead to three. ASU never trailed again in the seven minutes that remained.

Martin had been spectacular throughout, ultimately wrapping up the night with 27 points on 17 shots, and eight boards and seven assists to boot. According to freshman guard Luguentz Dort — who added 15 points on 6-of-11 field-goal shooting — it was Martin’s back-to-back buckets that specifically changed the game.

“We just had to stop the bleeding,” Dort said. “Somebody had to score, we had to stop their momentum, and their run. Somebody had to step up, and then by doing that, everybody got focused.”

Dort made his mark not long after, throwing down a transition dunk to give ASU what was, at that point, its largest lead, 65-58 with 3:58 to go. Then Martin got a couple of quick baskets. Then Romello White connected at the free-throw line, and Martin followed suit.

And suddenly, the Sun Devils could breathe. Martin’s free throws enhanced ASU’s lead to nine heading into the final minute. All the Sun Devils had to do was dribble out the clock.

It was at that point that they were finally able to hear the contingent of Arizona State students that had made the trip and sat near the top of the baseline stands. In the waning seconds, proud choruses of “A-S-U” briefly filled the McKale Center, and were met on the court by smiles from the Sun Devils, and points of approval in the direction of the ASU faithful.

“I did (hear the ASU fans), at the end of the game when things got a little quiet,” Hurley said. “We appreciate the support and our people just getting behind our season the way they have.”

“Everybody was against us at the beginning of the game and everything,” Dort added. “And then at the end, I see some of our fans on top of the stands… It was just a great feeling.”

For a team that has had such a confounding season, to close it on such a calm note almost seemed unfamiliar.

But the Sun Devils earned that feeling. Unlike a lot of their Pac-12 brethren and bubble brethren, they got done what needed to be done in crunch time, in one of the more difficult environments imaginable — on the road, in a season finale, against a desperate rival with a historically passionate fan base.

“We just went to war,” Hurley said. “These games are what you live for… That’s why college basketball is great. You get these rivalries, and you get the type of energy in the building, and you’ve got to overcome all of that, it’s pretty special when you can accomplish it.”

And now, unlike those Wildcats who had plagued them for the entirety of Bobby Hurley’s tenure, ASU is in position to have a special month of March.

At this point, there’s no telling what the selection committee will do with the Sun Devils — albeit recent wins seem to have put them comfortably on the right side of the bubble — but with momentum heading into the Pac-12 Tournament, the likelihood of ASU’s résumé being tournament-worthy on Selection Sunday seems high.

Hurley, regardless, thinks it already is.

“I knew coming in that if we got this one then there’d be no doubt,” Hurley said. “We have a good record, we have quality wins, and we have 12 wins in our conference. You can’t really ask for more.”

Sure, you’d expect the Sun Devils to beat a couple of lackluster opponents in Vegas, so naturally, it’s fair to assume the opposite might happen and a concerning early exit looms. On the flip side, the broader expectation built by ASU over the past several years has been to do just that — flame out in the heat of championship week.

So, throw expectations out the window. It’s March.

Then again, the Sun Devils have closed the book on a fair share of negative narratives this season. What’s next?

“I’m just going to Vegas with these guys, feel great about that,” Hurley said. “Pushing to try and compete for a championship.”