Big 12 Basketball: Ranking all 16 programs after adding Arizona, ASU, Colorado and Utah
By Joey Loose
13. Arizona State
In recent years, Arizona State pulled a pair of incredible upset wins over Kansas, but what does that mean when they join the Jayhawks’ conference? The real story with the Sun Devils has been one of relative disappointment. Bobby Hurley’s program has brought in some talented recruits and had some impressive performances, but Arizona State regularly disappoints or fails to live up to expectations.
Since 2000, Arizona State has made just six trips to the Big Dance and have settled for a 10-seed or lower in five of those appearances. They haven’t advanced past the second round and 2009 was the only season the Sun Devils ended the year in the AP Top 25. More recently, Arizona State finished under .500 in two straight seasons before bouncing back with a 23-win campaign this past year.
Hurley just watched his brother cut down the nets at UConn, but does anyone honestly believe that Arizona State is close to matching that feat? The Sun Devils have a ways to go as a program in the years ahead after spending much of the last decade as a mediocre Pac-12 program. Sure, life in Tempe is great and Hurley is a fantastic recruiter, but will the results come?
In the eight years since Hurley became head coach, Arizona State has finished below .500 four times and hit the 20-win mark in the other four. Replacing Cal, Stanford, and Washington State with the likes of Baylor, Houston, and Kansas will certainly lead to more seasons like the former than the latter. There’s certainly potential at Arizona State, but it’s hard to look at this program and imagine them becoming a power in a new-look Big 12.