27-2 first half run ignites ASU's rout of Oklahoma

Moments after Oklahoma’s freshman forward Kai Rodgers threw down a forceful two-handed dunk, it appeared that would be the last significant action of the first half. With a mere four seconds left in the half, junior guard Bryce Ford threw up a heave a few paces beyond half court. His shot seemed insignificant until the ball banked off the glass and dropped in. 

The basket wouldn’t count, but Ford’s shot accurately depicted the half the Sun Devils played. 

After falling behind 4-0, head coach Bobby Hurley made an urgent decision to substitute all five of his starters after just 89 seconds of action, because the team allowed two offensive rebounds in one possession.

“All I knew was that we talked about rebounding,” Hurley said. “My thought was, ‘If I don’t do anything about this after giving up two offensive rebounds right away, then what I’m saying is meaningless.’”

What ensued was a dominating 27-2 run over the course of the next eight minutes and 10 seconds. Once the Sun Devils (7-2)  got on a roll, they never looked back. The Sooners (6-3) couldn’t get within a dozen the rest of the night en route to an 86-70 ASU win in the Jerry Colangelo Classic at Mortgage Matchup Center in Downtown Phoenix Saturday night. 

“I think sometimes if you concentrate on defending and playing hard and rebounding, then all of a sudden, the shot just becomes a natural thing you do,” Hurley said post-game. “I thought we out we played harder than them.”

The second unit came in and set a tone on both ends of the floor. Oklahoma went on a scoring drought that spanned 5 minutes and 32 seconds; on this run, the Sun Devils’ ball pressure was hounding, and they collapsed in the paint with energy. This forced the trevlers from the Sooner State to shoot 3-of-16 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes, hitting 1-of-14 shots over eight minutes. 

Through eight games, Oklahoma averaged over 20 baskets per game on 2-point field goals on 58% shooting. On Saturday, its interior game was nullified, as it scored just 12 of 27 two-point attempts and 18 points in the paint.

“We won the paint,” Hurley noted. “We held them to a very low number relative to their ability. And they’ve shown other games of getting to the basket. The guys were really dialed in to the scouting report. 

“I’m very pleased with how the guys responded to points of emphasis.” 

When ASU got stops, it led to fastbreak opportunities and easy baskets. Hurley’s team conjured 18 points in the paint in the first half, with graduate forward Allen Mukeba scoring eight of those alone. 

The production inside opened up scoring opportunities from all over the court, the Maroon and Gold knocked down 7-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc, and they put the ball in the basket 20 times on just 32 possessions. In comparison, the Sooners scored on just 13 of the 33 times they had custody of the basketball. 

“We specifically brought in a number of guys to play and to have a deeper team that we had last year,” Hurley said. 

The second half of the action was more of the same, although the Sun Devils did take their foot off the gas marginally; they turned the ball over 22.5% of the time in the frame, a 10% from the first half, and failed to strike in the paint with similar effectiveness, earning just six points from inside. 

Still, it was a defense-first plan that kept Oklahoma at bay, and the contest was never within 12 points despite an 8-0 run midway through the half. 

Leading the way for ASU offensively was senior guard Moe Odum, the latest recipient of the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. He continued his form, scoring 17 points while dishing out another six assists on 4-of-7 shooting. 

Odum has built his collegiate career around his ability to facilitate the ball. He finished fourth in the NCAA in 2024-25 in assists per game, averaging 7,5, and he leads the Sun Devils in 2025-26, dishing out six assists per game; however, it was sophomore guard Noah Meeusen who led the team in dimes on Saturday with eight off the bench, including seven in the first half. 

Meeusen’s playmaking was critical during ASU’s first-half run, and as he and Odum combined for 14 of the team’s 17 assists, the pair’s ability to facilitate in the halfcourt and in transition picked the Sooners apart. 

“We were just playing team basketball,” Odum said. 

“Now I feel like … the trends and strengths of different players, like [Anthony “Pig” Johnson], is incredible in transition. Marcus [Adams Jr] today, pick and pop was working very well, so just working to our strengths, think it’s made easy for us.”

Offensilvey, the cogs had shown to be moving for Hurley’s side during their time in the Aloha State. ASU played in four games in Hawaii, including three during the Manu Invitational Championship, and averaged over 86 points per game, up over 10 points from the first four games of the season. 

But it was the defensive side of the ball that became a point of emphasis since returning to the mainland. The Sun Devils were outrebounded twice by double figures in Maui, but cleaned up the glass, grabbing a season high 40 boards. The Sooners managed to score 17 second-chance points; however, they shot just 34% from the field, creating a large sum of missed attempts. 

“It all started with our mentality and our mindset on defense, to rebound and get stops. And we did what we’re supposed to do,” Hurley said on defensive intensity leading to a large lead. “Held them to 35% [Shooting from the field] 20-something in the first half. But we’ll get a lot out of hopefully learning how to play, with the lead better.

“I said to the guys towing that line of staying aggressive and not doing something crazy and letting the team in the back in the game, and that’s what was happening a little bit in the second half. So we’ve got to do a little bit better job.”

Redshirt sophomore forward Marcus Adams Jr had a difficult time during the Maui Invitational. The 6-foot-8 wing was played off the court, earning just 11 total minutes over three games. His minutes were unproductive, and despite playing over 10 minutes in each of the first three games of the season, he faded from the rotation. 

Since returning to Tempe, he’d put his head down and worked according to Hurley and his teammates. Odum encouraged him to do sprints to up his conditioning, and that additional work paid off on Saturday. 

“Our own players, not only the coaches, our players, are encouraging [Adams Jr] to practice harder, to get some extra conditioning in, and that would be [Odum],” Hurley said, pointing to Odum across the desk. “Because I saw him encouraging Marcus after practice was over, as he was doing additional sprint work to get himself back in shape.”

Scoring a season-high 11 points in 20 minutes, Adams Jr hit three 3-pointers and impacted the game on both ends. 

“He deserved to play well because of all the work he put in all week to get ready for this game,” Hurley said of Adams Jr.

Odum’s desire to foster growth in his teammates has created an exciting environment, according to Hurley. Players have held themselves and each other accountable early in the season while keeping positive communication, creating a selfless environment amongst the team. 

“The best teams I’ve been on as a player in this thing, and coached, have been the guys that monitor themselves, that police themselves, that hold each other accountable and push each other, challenge each other and do it in a constructive way,” Hurley elaborated. 

“And that’s what Moe has done, and guys, I think, genuinely care about each other and like each other, and so that’s a great thing.”

ASU plays four more non-conference games before Big 12 play begins at the beginning of 2026. The slate is sporadic and varies against teams in different conferences, including former Pac-12 conference foes UCLA and Oregon State. 

“I just basically told them when we got back for the first practice, Maui is over, Hawaii’s over. That was last month. This is a whole new month,” Odum said.