TULSA, Okla. -- The writing was on the wall fairly early. For the first eight minutes Arizona State, who played their first NCAA Tournament game just 48 hours prior, was able to stand toe to toe with Buffalo. The Bulls doubled up the Sun Devils 34-17 the rest of the period and never relinquished their double-digit lead earned with just under eight minutes left the rest of the afternoon ending ASU’s season with a 91-74 loss.

“I'm super proud of my guys and the effort and the season that they have,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said, “the non-conference wins and, you know, big time wins in the conference, conference semifinals, 23 wins.

They have taken another big step for Arizona State basketball and in the process, you know, they've poured their heart and soul into our culture, which is going to filter through future Arizona State basketball teams.”

ASU’s (23-11) 23 victories are the highest win total since finishing 25-10 during the 2008-09 campaign, and their second place finish in the Pac-12 is the team’s highest since the 2009-10 campaign.

Nevertheless, in the here and now, it was a disappointing showing by the Sun Devils. The fatigue factor is a valid explanation, as well as the untimely groin injury to sophomore starting point guard Remy Martin suffered in the Pac-12 semifinal against Oregon last week, an ailment that significantly affected ASU ever since.

“I thought we hit a stretch their pressure took us out of offense some,” Hurley explained, “and we might have took a lot of poor shots. We only had four turnovers at halftime. I think it was more our defense. We just didn't get stops there they had 44 at half. It's no accident they've won 32 games.

“Tough luck for him (Martin) early in the Oregon game. He gutted it out for his teammates because he's a winner and cares about his teammates, even if it meant that it's nothing like he was and such a big part of our success this year.”

The 44 points allowed by the Sun Devils in the first half to Buffalo (32-3) tied for the second-most this season, and a normally explosive ASU offense couldn’t keep up with the Bulls onslaught. In the first half alone ASU was 0-9 from three-point range, and when ASU was getting into the paint it missed several close-range shots and in a game where they had no margin for error, they found themselves in a hole that was impossible to climb out of.

ASU’s win in Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday night over St. John’s revealed an unusual shortcoming in rebounding, an area where ASU excelled outrebounding its opponents by +4.5 boards per game and was the league leader in offensive rebounds per game with 12.1.

Against the Red Storm ASU was outrebounded against a size efficient team 43-42, and 16-6 on the offensive glass. The numbers were even grimmer on Friday as the Bulls dominated to the tune of 42-26 and having a 13-6 edge on the offensive caroms.

“They were quicker to the ball than we were in the first half and their pressure is disruptive,” Hurley stated, “their guards get after you and pressure you, so they take you out of your offense. More the second chance points. Outscored by 9 (11-2) in that department in the first half and usually we're on the other side of that number.”

In his last game as a Sun Devil, it was only fitting that senior forward Zylan Cheatham led his team with 22 points and eight rebounds. Hurley called the impact the former Phoenix South Mountain High School left on the program as “immeasurable” and predicted a bright future for one of the most significant players on this year’s team.

“To deal with everything that he's gone through in his personal life this season,” Hurley said in reference to Cheatham losing his brother to a gun violence incident, “and to be able to be there for his teammates and be that type of player, he's got the makeup that's off the charts. He's going to be a success, at the NBA level. Someone is going to get lucky to have him on his team in a few months, and then beyond basketball, he's going to be a success. I wouldn't be surprised to see him doing CBS or TNT game, Z can talk and communicate and he's got that charisma about him.”

“Obviously, I ended on not the most ideal situation,” Cheatham remarked. “I left everything on the floor. I hope my guys kind of realize the impact that I had on them as far as competing every day, bringing it every day, being a positive leader, just being a positive person and trying to be a role model and better myself.

“But as far as the mark I've left on this program, I hope my fans and I hope the city remembers me in a positive light. I think we're going in the right direction. I think we've taken another step in the right direction as far as from last year to this year. So, to leave the program in the hands of guys like Remy, Romello, Taeshon, the list goes on and on, I know the future is extremely bright and I know this isn't the end of Arizona State basketball.”

There’s a good, if not great, chance that freshman guard that Luguentz Dort has played his last game in an ASU uniform. A majority of NBA mock drafts show him selected in the lower first round and according to program sources, this is more than likely to entice him to make that move.

Not surpassingly, Dort was non-committal on the topic flowing today’s loss.

“There’s a big decision coming up,” Dort remarked. “I still don’t know. I have to talk to my family, to my people, I have something in mind and it (the decision) will come soon. I’m going to keep it to myself right now.

“But there’s some good news coming up.”

Dort added that he didn’t decide on whether he will test the NBA draft waters without hiring an agent so he can keep his option open to return for his sophomore year.

Dort closed out his freshman season by scoring in double-figures in 30 of 34 games. He had 10 points in the second half to finish with 12 points today.

The disappointment on Hurley and his players’ faces was noticeable, and it’s hard today on March 22nd to take solace in the noticeable advancements that this program has demonstrated throughout the season. That element certainly did not go unnoticed by ASU’s head coach.

“It's to the point where we have the right people in the locker room and the right culture,” Hurley commented, “guys that care and value winning and competing. We had multiple guys crying in the locker room because if you invest what you invest and invest your heart and soul in something, you risk that your heart is going to get broken. That's what happened today.

“These guys put so much work and care so much for each other and to win and laid it on the line. That's why we're an NCAA Tournament team. That's why we won a game in the NCAA Tournament. That's why we advanced in the PAC-12 tournament and had the misfortune of having Remy injure himself in such a key part of what we're doing.

“I feel terrific about what this team has accomplished…I could go on and on about things that we've surpassed from last year's team, and we just continue to build on that.”