A month in the past, it appeared doubtless that Arizona State can be within the 2023 NCAA Event, which might have given Bobby Hurley each cause on this planet to remain in Tempe and construct a Candy 16-level program. Hurley had been doing good work in December and January, getting a less-than-fully-talented group to purchase in on the defensive finish of the ground and grind out stops within the closing minutes of video games. ASU has made a number of comebacks this season — at Oregon State, at Colorado, at Stanford, versus Creighton in Las Vegas, and on different events. ASU had proven extra toughness than in earlier seasons. Perhaps this was the optimistic turning level in Hurley’s tenure in Tempe.
Nope.
ASU barely beat Cal this previous Saturday after dropping at dwelling to Oregon per week earlier. Was {that a} blip on the radar display, or a sign the Solar Devils are dropping steam?
We received our reply on Thursday in opposition to Colorado. ASU ran out of gasoline in a brutal bubble-harming loss, as Buffaloes Wire famous:
“Colorado ended the sport on a 17-3 run aided by a pair of Javon Ruffin 3s and 11 of Tristan da Silva’s game-high 23 factors. KJ Simpson additionally chipped in 12 on the evening and fellow starter Luke O’Brien practically had a double-double with 9 factors and 10 rebounds,” wrote Buffs Wire’s Jack Carlough.
We famous earlier in February that faculty basketball insiders are speculating about Hurley’s future. The St. John’s and Georgetown jobs are more likely to come open quickly. Hurley may search a kind of jobs or one other opening within the East. ASU most likely received’t fireplace him — Hurley has made a number of NCAA Tournaments on the faculty, and that can most likely nonetheless purchase him one other yr if he needs to remain.
Nonetheless, why would he need to keep if there are different, higher choices? Does Hurley actually need to stick it out in Tempe? It definitely can’t be enjoyable to relive the identical patterns over and over, with Hurley’s Solar Satan offense bogging down late in video games and late in seasons.
Hopping to a brand new job would give each Hurley and ASU a recent begin.