Hurley faces new low as ASU falls to West Virginia
Rock. Bottom.
Not as a metaphor. Not as a talking point. As a reality.
That is where ASU basketball finds itself, exposed early in the 2026 season and uncomfortably reflective of where Bobby Hurley’s tenure now stands. After eight seasons that included three NCAA tournament appearances and four 20 win campaigns, the program has drifted sharply in the opposite direction. Hurley’s last two seasons ended with fewer than 14 wins, and this year is trending toward a third straight sub-14-win finish.
Even with a fresh 2026 roster, free from gambling scandals and behavioral dismissals, the rut persists. Morale is low, the wins are not coming, and the sense of urgency hangs heavy over the program.
The struggles were on full display Wednesday against West Virginia (13-6, 4-2 Big 12). ASU (10-9, 1-5) jumped out to an early first half lead, stretching it to 13 behind five first half 3-pointers. But the surge did not last. A sluggish close to the half opened the door for the Mountaineers, who reset at halftime and seized control. West Virginia came out firing in the second half, shooting 58.3 percent, outmuscling ASU and winning hustle plays the Sun Devils could not. Senior forward Treysen Eaglestaff led the charge with 23 points and six 3-pointers, steadily draining the life from Desert Financial Arena and from ASU’s roster. By the final buzzer, a 75-63 loss left Hurley depsrtaly searching a glimmer of light in a very dark tunnel.
It was as mentally down as Hurley has appeared. There had been hope that even if ASU was not competing for a top Big 12 spot, the improved vibes of a more coachable group might lift his spirits. Instead, familiar problems resurfaced. Different roster. Same issues. Over time, that repetition has weighed on Hurley enough that he believes this stretch represents a new low.
“The light and the tunnel, it’s hard to see a lot of light,” Hurley admitted. “I love the group, though. This group is far different than some other teams that I’ve had like that. At times, they might have made me sick to my stomach. This group of people are very willing to try and give what they have. So I am not overly disappointed in that regard.”
For a while, that willingness showed up in the box score.
ASU opened the night with energy and intention, playing like a team that believed effort could still tilt the outcome. Against a West Virginia group coming off a demanding stretch that included three of its last four games against top 15 opponents, including No. 1 Arizona and No. 6 Houston, the Sun Devils played loose and confident.
They leaned into what has flashed in short bursts against elite competition. The 3-point shot, often fickle, decided to cooperate early. ASU hit five of its first 10 attempts from deep. Senior guard Moe Odum set the tone, pushing tempo and creating space, while freshman center Massamba Diop made life difficult on switches inside. Odum finished the first half with six assists and two 3-pointers as ASU controlled pace and flow.
For a moment, even the West Virginia sideline felt it.
West Virginia coach Ross Hodges made his displeasure known by snapping his clipboard during a timeout, a casualty of ASU’s early execution. The Mountaineers were being out-rebounded and nudged off their spots, looking nothing like the team that upset No. 19 Kansas just 11 days earlier.
Unfortunately for ASU, the clipboard was the only thing that stayed broken.
Momentum flipped quickly. After ASU surged ahead 26-13, West Virginia closed the half on a 22-11 run, tightening the game before the break and shifting the tone.
“We lost one of their best players for a four-minute stretch at the end of the first half, and we invited them back into the game with a bad close to the half,” Hurley exclaimed. “…we got punked down the stretch. Couldn’t get key rebounds, just where we made them miss somewhere, and we just couldn’t come up with a rebound. It’s been a consistent theme throughout.”
That shift carried into the second half. The Mountaineers emerged sharper and more decisive, shooting 58.3 percent after halftime. Eaglestaff stayed hot, adding nine more points to finish with 23, while West Virginia buried five second half 3-pointers and imposed its physicality. Hodges later said his team did not change much at halftime, simply executing better.
ASU, meanwhile, unraveled.
The Sun Devils did not make a single 3-pointer in the second half. Ball movement slowed, driving lanes disappeared, and the rhythm that fueled the early run never returned. West Virginia strung together stops and scores while ASU searched for answers.
“Things we draw up on the board in the huddle don’t always get executed,” Hurley noted. “Because there isn’t a commitment to listening, we lack discipline in carrying out what I’m trying to get across to the team. Right now, my voice isn’t working with this group.”
With Odum and Diop drawing increased defensive attention, ASU needed help from its bench. It never came. Junior guard Bryce Ford scored two points. Senior forward Allen Mukeba added two. Junior forward Andrija Grbovic knocked down one 3-pointer. The lack of secondary scoring allowed West Virginia to collapse defensively and shut the door.
Even the moments that should have sparked belief failed to shift the tide.
After senior guard Jasper Floyd buried a fading 3-pointer while drifting out of bounds, a shot that felt more miraculous than repeatable, Hurley said the emotion was not relief but resignation. He described the feeling as “doomed,” as if nothing was going to break ASU’s way.
The numbers backed it up. ASU shot 38.5 percent in the second half and managed just 26 points. Eight missed free throws and 13 turnovers highlighted a team failing to execute the small details, particularly as defensive lapses and extended scoring droughts piled on.
Hurley knew this inexperienced group would need time to find its footing in the Big 12. With tougher matchups looming, that cohesion may come too late.
“We failed. I’m failing. I can’t get through to the team. So I don’t know what else I can say,” Hurley remarked.
