Arizona State men’s hoops has gone through a bit of a Groundhogs’ Day experience through the last five Big 12 home games.
For many of the match-ups, they’ve played well enough to win, but the win column has not changed at Desert Financial Arena.
Saturday was the latest instance when the Devils lost to Arizona 81-72.
It was a back-and-forth game, but the ‘Cats eventually pulled away in the final minutes to notch a road win in a heated environment.
Things reached a boiling point in the closing minutes, when Arizona’s Caleb Love and ASU’s BJ Freeman traded words and Freeman eventually head-butted Love. Both players were ejected.
Bobby Hurley then had his bench leave the floor before the final whistle and the Devils did not go through the postgame handshake.
Hurley gave his explanation for that decision after the game:
Hurley pointed to the offensive rebound differential – 18-11 in favor of the Cats – and the fact Arizona made 11 more free throws as the main drivers for Arizona’s win.
Now, the Sun Devils will try to turn the ship around, and veteran guard Adam Miller said he plans to hold a players-only meeting on Sunday to help cause a spark.
Arizona State now hosts Kansas State on Tuesday. The Wildcats are coming off an upset win over No. 3 Iowa State on Saturday.
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