Hurley, Sun Devils gear up for three-game homestand gauntlet

Following an excruciating three-game road trip to Stanford, No. 19 USC and No. 7 Arizona, Bobby Hurley’s Arizona State Sun Devils came away empty handed. Their efforts to come back late against the Cardinal were thwarted by a late, controversial foul call. In Los Angeles, they blew a 12-point first-half lead, yielding a 21-2 Trojan run, neutralizing any chance at victory. Finally, just down the road in Tucson, a valiant first-half effort came up short as the No. 7 team in the country was just too tough to stick around with.

“It was a tough road game stretch,” Hurley said to the media on Tuesday. “All were hard fought games. We had a lot of chances to win the Stanford game. USC was going to be a tough one, and then (Arizona) I thought defensively we did a good job. We stayed focused on the things we needed to do in practice to prepare to play them… You hope you can just take more steps after a game like that.”

On Saturday in Tucson, Arizona State came out of the gates firing, scoring the ball and backing up their offensive prowess with even fiercer defense on the other end of the floor, holding the Wildcats to an abysmal 24 percent from the field. Nevertheless, the mounting foul troubles of the ASU bigs, paired with a flat start to the second half and a poor night from the stripe, negated any chance for ASU to hold firm down the stretch.

Despite mixed results split across the two halves, there was one trait Hurley felt his team never lacked in effort.

“We just want to see the guys battle and compete like that,” Hurley said. “There was not a time that I was disappointed from an effort or a mental toughness standpoint. We made too many errors in the first half with some passes that led to points for Arizona… You can’t afford to miss (free throws) versus teams like Arizona and expect to win those kinds of games.

“The way we played in the first half, we were toe to toe with them,” sophomore guard DJ Horne, who had 17 points on Saturday against the Wildcats, said on Tuesday. “We came out and competed when nobody expected us to come out and play like that. We showed ourselves that on any given day, we can compete with the best.”

Averaging nearly 14 points per game, Horne currently leads the team in scoring, as well as three-point percentage and free-throw percentage. Upon arrival in Tempe, Horne did not anticipate leading the Sun Devils in numerous offensive categories but is satisfied with his newfound role for ASU.

“I could definitely say when I first committed here and was going to come here, I didn’t expect my role to be this,” Horne shared. “After establishing myself and working with the team this summer, I felt like I did a pretty good job of getting a feeling of (the new role). (Scoring) is what I do; I like to score, and if that’s what my team needs me to do, I’m going to try to go out there and do it.

With the tough road contests out of the way, Hurley and his team now turn their attention to three marquis matchups at home, as they’ll have their chance at redemption against the Trojans within the friendly confines of Desert Financial Arena before shifting focus to the No. 3 team in the country, UCLA, to face off for the first time this season after the contest was postponed in early January. On Monday, they turn around to face the Wildcats for the second time in nine days.

Against USC just over a week ago, the Sun Devils had an extremely strong first 15 minutes, even jumping out to a 12-point lead. Without Hurley and sophomore guard Jay Heath, who were suspended for their actions towards an official following the late foul call that gave Stanford the victory over Arizona State, as well as Kimani Lawrence, who missed due to a non-COVID illness, the Sun Devils were heavily shorthanded. Not to mention, ASU still remains without sophomore forward Marcus Bagley, who is still rehabbing a knee injury.

Regarding Bagley, Hurley told the media Tuesday that the sophomore is continuing to work on his physical therapy, as well as getting constant shots up after practices.

“He’s doing all he can to see if he can come back and when that will be, but otherwise, he’s fully invested in the program, and we are invested in him as well,” Hurley explained. “Whenever he plays again, it will be here at Arizona State. He is all in with this group.”

Nevertheless, Heath and Lawrence returned for the Arizona game and will play on Thursday night against USC, something which Hurley says gives him confidence.

“I’m happier we will be deeper in this game and that we are getting healthier. When I usually come to (media availability), I have a list of names to rattle off for everybody, but that’s not happening this week,” Hurley said gladly. “We are able to prepare with a full complement of players besides Marcus, and I feel good about our practices the last two days.”

“We really have to rebound these next three games at home. All of these teams are big and athletic and are exceptional rebounding teams. USC’s length is one of the best in the country.”

Hurley went on to point out the talents of USC’s golden boy, junior forward Isaiah Mobley. In ASU’s first matchup against the Trojans, Mobley scored 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting, making two three-pointers on four attempts. The junior supplemented his night with seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal. At 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, Mobley can score from all three levels and is undoubtedly one of the best all-around players in the conference.

“He’s a heck of a player and really should be given consideration for player of the year in the conference,” Hurley admitted. “The way he impacts the game in so many ways - you get even more respect for how good he is when you watch a bunch of games. You see his ability to score on the blocks but also shoot the three. He’s also an elite passer, one of the best passing big guys in the conference. He is a really special player.”

With two top-10 teams on Hurley’s docket, it’s not easy to stay focused on any singular one of them, yet for this team to acquire some wins, especially in the most brutal stretch of the conference schedule, it’s imperative for the Sun Devils and their head coach to stay focused on one contest at a time.

“We are solely dialed in on USC,” Hurley said. “Each opponent is different, so you have to concentrate on certain areas more than others. USC is too good for me to sneak in a little UCLA prep here for this opponent. That’s how we are going to be focused on these next couple of games. This is why you’re a competitor. This is why you play in the Pac-12 – to have a chance to go three top 20 teams in the next three games.”

“We have had some bad results, but it hasn’t been because we aren’t giving all that we have. We just have to keep believing that things will change, and we will start winning some games. I feel good about where we are and how we are playing – we are playing good basketball. Certainly, there are areas we can do better, which will get us over the hump to win some games, but these guys are giving me everything they got – that’s all I can ask for.”