Bobby Hurley says Arizona State 'should be in the postseason' after Arizona win
Bobby Hurley described the postgame mood in Arizona State’s locker room as euphoric after beating No. 7 Arizona on Saturday.
The Sun Devils fell down by as many as 10 in the second half — on the road at McKale Center no less — but fought all the way back and found themselves in a position to win it at the end. Down two, Desmond Cambridge Jr. took an inbounds pass along the right sideline, rose from near halfcourt for a game-winner, and buried it at the buzzer.
“That was a heck of a game,” the ASU head coach said after. “I’ve been involved in playing Arizona for a number of years now, this is just an epic game. Just get the quality of the game. This is very high level, very well-played, and we’re a very good defensive team and that’s the best we could do. So a lot of credit to them. They’re a really good program. One of the top teams in the country. So to come out here and do what we did today was pretty special.”
Arizona State has certainly been on a roller coaster this season.
It opened the year with an early road loss to Texas Southern then, just days later, went to Brooklyn and beat a ranked Michigan team. That East Coast trip kick-started a run of nine straight wins.
ASU opened Pac-12 play with a 6-1 mark before losing four straight and five of six. That slide put a damper on the NCAA Tournament hopes.
But an at-large bid looks to be right there for the taking now after a win of Arizona. It’s a fourth in five games for the Sun Devils. A split in Los Angeles next week could have Arizona State (20-9, 11-7 Pac-12) sitting pretty even before the Pac-12 Tournament begins.
“We’ve been through a lot as a team, but we had some really good wins early in the season and hit a tough patch in the middle and we came full circle back to being a big underdog,” Hurley said. “Some people jumping ship on us and not thinking that we’re that team but we are that team. And the guys came out with it tonight and we’re excited for the rest of the way.”
Hurley hopes the NCAA Tournament selection committee took notice.
“I hope people are watching to see the level of the game,” he said. “That’s what the postseason is about. They want teams that could perform like that on a national stage. And I think you saw two teams that you know, should be in the postseason.”