Arizona State basketball fell 71-66 to Kansas State in the Big 12 tournament’s first round on Tuesday evening at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
The game showcased a spirited, yet melancholic Sun Devils, and was a microcosm for their season. The tournament’s 15th seed fought close despite being shorthanded without freshman forward Jayden Quaintance. However, the 10th-seeded Wildcats controlled the game from the start, only coughing up the lead once.
Wildcat senior wing Coleman Hawkins led the way with 26 points, scoring 19 of them in the first half. Senior guard Alston Mason led Arizona State basketball with 17 points.
“I’ll have a lot of regret because I think if we had the whole puzzle together, it was an NCAA tournament team,” said Bobby Hurley, who suffered his 150th loss as Arizona State basketball’s head coach. “That’s just not what it is right now.”
The loss happened hours after Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported that Hurley is expected to not be fired. Instead, he is likely returning to coach the Sun Devils next season. His contract wraps up at the end of the 2025-26 season, and is unlikely to be extended.
Despite starting the season 9-2, the Sun Devils are 13-19 overall, going 4-17 in Big 12 play. This included eight consecutive home defeats, the longest losing streak in the 51-year history of Desert Financial Arena.
Arizona State basketball was marred by injuries and suspensions. This started with junior guard Austin Nuñez, who was sidelined for the season after the Nov. 14 contest against Grand Canyon with an ankle injury.
The ankle injuries then hit the Maroon and Gold’s freshmen phenoms. Guard Joson Sanon, the leading scorer in non-conference play, suffered his on Dec. 31 against No. 17 BYU, limiting his production down the stretch. While forward Jayden Quaintance missed eight games in conference play, including the Big 12 tournament loss to Kansas State.
Morale continued to decline through Arizona State basketball’s faulty senior leadership. Redshirt senior guard Adam Miller was ejected from home games twice, and was suspended for the Feb. 9 matchup against Oklahoma State. Additionally, senior guard BJ Freeman, the Sun Devils’ leading scorer at the time, was let go on Feb. 23 for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
“We’ve had too many instances of either player or coach conduct with B.J., and he was already suspended once,” Hurley told reporters after beating the Wildcats 66-54 that day. “It was a really hard decision to make– but it was based on this year, and he’s got another season to play. I’m sure that he’s going to still have a really good market for a place to land next year.”
All of these absences led to the Sun Devils finishing the season with only six scholarship players available. A sight that frightened Hurley.
“Is the universe talking and saying something? Are things just not meant to be,” he said after losing to then-No. 25 BYU on Feb. 26. “I’m scared to wake up. I hope I wake up tomorrow…I’m scared to see what tomorrow brings.”
Along with the dismissed Freeman, Arizona State basketball will lose three starters in Miller, Mason, and forward Basheer Jihad. Other seniors include guards Chianti Clay, Jordan Williams, and Bobby Hurley Jr. The team will also lose graduate forward Connor Braun, a hometown kid.
Yet, the Maroon and Gold have a positive future with four freshmen. This includes Quaintance–who averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game–and Sanon, who averaged 11.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. However, both were highly-touted recruits, and may transfer to another program to bolster their chances of playing professionally.
Other freshmen include guard/forward Amier Ali, who saw increased playing time recently, and guard Trevor Best, a 17-year-old who joined the team in late December from Word of God Christian Academy. Both Arizona State basketball players had standout games this season, with Ali scoring 18 points at Texas Tech on Feb. 12 and Best scoring the same against No. 17 BYU on Feb. 26.
“We have really good freshmen,” Miller said after the BYU game. “They’re so raw and I think that it just takes time. Some of the things I see (them) do as freshmen…I did it.”
Arizona State basketball could also return junior center Shawn Phillips Jr., who often filled in for Quaintance. Phillips had his second double-double of the season on Tuesday evening with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Hurley’s staff has also recruited Icelandic center Fridrik Leo Curtis in October 2024. Curtis attends Cambridge Arts, Technology and Science Academy in Braintree, MA, and received interest from West Virginia, Alabama, Indiana and UCF.
The Sun Devils are also one of the frontrunners in adding local power forward Koa Peat, who won his fourth 6A state championship with Perry High School. Peat comes from an athletic family, and is also interested in Texas, Baylor, Arizona and Houston.
Despite the loss, Arizona State basketball is expected to play in the 2025 College Basketball Crown, a tournament for teams that do not make the NCAA tournament. Hurley says the former will be “good experience for the young players and good exposure for the veterans looking to further their professional stock.” The 16-team playoff will begin on Mar. 31.