A month ago, it seemed likely that Arizona State would be in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, which would have given Bobby Hurley every reason in the world to stay in Tempe and build a Sweet 16-level program. Hurley had been doing good work in December and January, getting a less-than-fully-talented team to buy in at the defensive end of the floor and grind out stops in the final minutes of games. ASU has made lots of comebacks this season — at Oregon State, at Colorado, at Stanford, versus Creighton in Las Vegas, and on other occasions. ASU had shown more toughness than in previous seasons. Maybe this was the positive turning point in Hurley’s tenure in Tempe.
Nope.
ASU barely beat Cal this past Saturday after losing at home to Oregon a week earlier. Was that a blip on the radar screen, or an indication the Sun Devils are losing steam?
We got our answer on Thursday against Colorado. ASU ran out of gas in a brutal bubble-harming loss, as Buffaloes Wire noted:
“Colorado ended the game on a 17-3 run aided by a pair of Javon Ruffin 3s and 11 of Tristan da Silva’s game-high 23 points. KJ Simpson also chipped in 12 on the night and fellow starter Luke O’Brien nearly had a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds,” wrote Buffs Wire’s Jack Carlough.
We noted earlier in February that college basketball insiders are speculating about Hurley’s future. The St. John’s and Georgetown jobs are likely to come open soon. Hurley could seek one of those jobs or another opening in the East. ASU probably won’t fire him — Hurley has made a few NCAA Tournaments at the school, and that will probably still buy him another year if he wants to stay.
However, why would he want to stay if there are other, better options? Does Hurley really want to stick it out in Tempe? It certainly can’t be fun to relive the same patterns over and over again, with Hurley’s Sun Devil offense bogging down late in games and late in seasons.
Hopping to a new job would give both Hurley and ASU a fresh start.
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