With 08:57 remaining on the game clock, the public address announcer at Desert Financial Arena shared word that both Arizona State’s baseball and softball had won in their season-opening series on Saturday afternoon, signaling the start of the spring sports season. Meanwhile, the regular season for winter sports was nearing its end, and ASU men’s basketball had limited opportunity to step up to the plate itself.
An unlikely series of events in the final 30 seconds saw TCU (14-11, 7-7 Big 12) convert on a fortunate bounce to lead by three points with under 20 seconds remaining. What followed was perhaps the most obscure turnover imaginable for the Sun Devils, as senior forward Basheer Jihad’s foot was over the line on the inbound pass. He was called for an inbounds pass violation, and the Horned Frogs pulled away with a 74-70 victory, marking the Sun Devils' sixth consecutive home defeat.
Through just two games of their season, ASU baseball and softball have each recorded two wins in Tempe in the 2025 calendar year. In contrast, the Sun Devils men’s basketball team (12-13, 3-11) has struggled, plagued by close losses both at Desert Financial Arena and on the road. Head coach Bobby Hurley expressed frustration with his team’s inability to close out tight games.
“My players didn’t even want me to talk to them after the game,” Hurley said. “‘What do you want me to say at this point?’ is some of the comments that I got from my own players. I think they’re fairly, fairly frustrated that we haven’t been able to close these games out, and we’re kind of finding new ways, maybe each game, to not be able to get a win. So, I think we’re all at a premium frustration level at this point.”
Saturday's loss marks just two victories in the Sun Devils' last 11 games. Of those nine defeats, seven were decided by fewer than 10 points, showing that the program is capable of competing with some of the best teams in the conference.
ASU’s struggles appear to be mounting, with new issues cropping up as games progress. In Wednesday’s double-overtime loss to No. 12 Texas Tech, the game was close throughout, but two turnovers in double-overtime sealed the Sun Devils' fate. Similarly, on Saturday, an unforced turnover with the shot clock turned off proved to be the difference, as ASU trailed by just three points with one possession to play.
“It’s real tough, actually; it kind of hurts. We play so hard to try to fight back, and the basketball gods just didn’t reward us again tonight,” senior guard BJ Freeman said. “We just got to keep pushing through and keep trying to fight.”
Hurley noted that his team lacked “juice” on Saturday, especially compared to their performance in the Texas Tech game. This came to a head when senior guard Adam Miller was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. Miller, frustrated after being called for a defensive foul, used choice words for the official, receiving two technical fouls and an ejection.
When Miller was ejected with 16:37 left on the clock, the Sun Devils trailed by five points. Despite this, the team continued to fight, improving its shooting after a dismal first half. ASU shot just 34.9% in the first 20 minutes but converted more than half of its shots in the second half, shooting 53.57% from the field.
“Next man up,” Freeman said. “We’ve been having problems with us not keeping our emotions straight, especially me. But right there, we just got to figure out another way how to win the game.”
Despite the loss, some Sun Devils left the arena with their heads held high. Senior guard Alston Mason, who shot just 3-of-10 from the field, still scored 12 points and earned nine assists. Mason has been a consistent offensive leader for the Sun Devils lately, with Hurley playing the Belgium native for 163 minutes in the last four games—averaging over 40 minutes per game.
“He asked to come out at one point. I told him no,” Hurley said. “That was in the first half, but he’s just built that way. His physical conditioning, his efficiency with how he moves and plays...he doesn’t seem to need to come out. And we really can’t afford to take him out at this point.”
Junior big man Shawn Phillips Jr. also played an impressive 23 minutes on Saturday, recording 12 points and eight rebounds while shooting 6-of-8 from the field. Phillips played a key role in ASU’s late charge, blocking several shots in the final minutes.
“We’re missing [five-star freshman forward] Jayden Quaintance out there to help us get a stop and a rebound in a key moment,” Hurley said. “I think the one pleasant surprise, though, is that I hate to see anybody get hurt, but what [Phillips] has been able to do the last couple of games with Quaintance out, he’s really turning the corner.”
If the Sun Devils hope to make a late-season push ahead of the Big 12 tournament, it will require a full team effort. Of the seven players who appeared in Saturday's game, Miller, along with five-star freshman guard Joson Sanon and freshman forward Ameir Ali, combined for just 14 points. Ali, in particular, struggled, finishing with only three points as he continues to find his rhythm after returning from an ankle sprain several weeks ago.
Adjusting on the fly is difficult for ASU at this point. Saturday's loss guarantees the Sun Devils a losing record in their first Big 12 season. With just six games remaining, Hurley and the team must find a way to turn things around, as their hopes of making the tournament grow slimmer with each loss.
“We’re still here,” Freeman said. “Don’t give up on us yet. We still got six games, and we’ve got the Big 12 tournament. You guys are going to get a different brand of basketball starting Tuesday, and I can promise you that.”
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