LAS VEGAS – With his team battered, bruised and wore down, Bobby Hurley couldn’t help but be excited for what was to come.

The Arizona State Sun Devils (15-18) saw their season end at the hands of No. 5 Oregon (28-4) in an 80-57 loss Thursday in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals, showing a program in need of a few pieces to truly contend and one that saw a one-loss decrease in their win-loss from the year before.

But nonetheless, there is promise. A 98-88 overtime win over Stanford in the first round marked the first conference tournament win for ASU since 2013 and just the program’s fourth overall since the tournament was re-introduced in 2002.

“I'm excited that we took a step in the program,” Hurley said. “The seniors are a big part of that. Tra Holder, Shannon Evans, Kodi also, to get us a win in the Pac-12 Tournament, to get that win yesterday is nice, and we're going to keep building off of that in the future.”

A 15-18 campaign in 2016-17 was marred by injuries, transfer and an overall lack of depth. There were indeed positives, as well, such as a renewed energy in style of play and at times an offensive juggernaut that shattered the school record for 3-pointers in a season and twice matched the record for 3-pointers in a game.

“I just think for what we were this year and the adversities that we had, and whether it's transfers and academic redshirts and injuries, that these guys sacrificed and gave as much as they could give,” Hurley said. “I loved coaching them. I'll always remember this year in a very positive way because of how the five guys competed.

Hurley is now 30-35 in two seasons as the Sun Devils’ head coach. Entering year three, he has a nucleus that could find itself not just playing in the postseason for the first time in his tenure but also the NCAA Tournament.

Guards Tra Holder, Shannon Evans II and Kodi Justice each will likely return for their senior seasons. Holder and Evans each finished in the top 15 in the conference in scoring, and Justice figures to return to a sparkplug role off the bench after often finding himself overworked and overmatched in terms of size due to necessity this season.

Also potentially returning on scholarship are freshmen Ramon Vila, Andre Adams and Jethro Tshisumpa – all forwards with size. Vila was slow to adjust to the American style of basketball and at times lacked quickness but has a solid all-around game. Adams battled bouts of tendinitis coming off a re-torn ACL in his left knee but provided valuable minutes off the bench in the Pac-12 Tournament. Tshisumpa has all the physical tools and is a former top 100 prospect, but struggled to grasp the game and found himself suspended during the final stretch of the season.

Romello White, who sat out this season for academic reasons, should immediately become a factor after being a late steal in the 2016 signing class. Ohio State transfer Mickey Mitchell will become eligible in December and provide forward depth.

A program that often shuffled between a 6- or 7-man rotation and had each starter average at least 30 minutes per game will receive relief from Hurley’s incoming signing class. Four-star guard Remy Martin will push Holder and Evans. Forward Kimani Lawrence, also a 4-star, will challenge Mitchell for minutes. If 3-star Kenny Wooten signs next month, his size and versatility will benefit the frontcourt.

“I'm excited about the guys returning, the recruitment, the guys that we have signed and where we're heading,” Hurley said.

The losses are significant, though. The Sun Devils lose Torian Graham, who scored a career-high 32 points Thursday and was the conference’s second-leading scorer in addition to being an all-conference honorable mention. Obinna Oleka, one of several Sun Devils playing out of position, graduates after posting the fourth-most double-doubles in school history and the most for the program since they joined the Pac-10 in 1978.

"So next year's going to be tough without (them), but (they) kind of leaves the keys for us to keep building this program up,” Justice said.