The Red/Maroon and Gold, a Brewing Rivalry Clashes in Tempe
Tempe — Prior to the 2024-25 school year, these universities shared minimal associations. With the realignment of the Big 12 Conference into its new 16-team format, questions stormed collegiate discourse as players, fans, and coaches alike wondered whether rivalries worth relishing would be forged.
What’s occurred in the newly restructured Big 12 is an unexpected feud brewing between Arizona State and Iowa State. Schools with a lone similarity in color scheme found themselves facing off in the Big 12 Football Championship in December, where the Sun Devils took home the trophy in a 45-19 victory.
On Saturday, that same trophy was paraded around Desert Financial Arena as nearly the entire ASU football team was in the building supporting the men’s basketball program. Senior defensive lineman Justin Wodtly consistently amplified the arena by waving the trophy high above his head.
Fans packed into the arena from both fan bases, with a season-high 12,762 fans in attendance, reminiscent of the neutral-site matchup in Dallas just 42 days prior. The electrifying contest nullified any true home-court advantage, as “Let’s go Cyclones” chants were quickly met with “Where’s your trophy?” banter from the student section.
“I was kind of confused at first,” senior forward Basheer Jihad said. “When we first did the lineup intro, it was a lot of [Iowa State fans] cheering. I was kind of confused, like, what was going on? They kind of wear the same colors as ASU, so I didn’t know what was going on. It was a lot of Iowa State fans, but the ASU fans showed out for sure.”
Unfortunately for the Sun Devils (11-8, 2-6 Big 12), a thrilling environment wasn’t enough to overcome the powerhouse program of No. 3 Iowa State (17-2, 7-1 Big 12). A 21-5 run in the final 5:54 of the contest ballooned a tied game into a 76-61 win for the visitors.
Crunch time was dominated by the Cyclones on both sides of the ball, with four turnovers coupled with one-of-eight shooting from the floor shattering any momentum. The Sun Devils went scoreless over the last 3:07 of the game. Head coach Bobby Hurley said the team failed to send a message to their conference counterparts despite playing a valiant first 35 minutes.
“I’m pretty pleased with our effort,” Hurley said. “Right there against a top team, take away two minutes from the six-minute mark or the five-minute mark, then it’s a different game, different chance to win. We just didn’t make those plays, we missed shots, we gambled a little bit on defense, and then we threw the ball away out of the post. You can’t afford to do that down the stretch. You’ve got to make plays. We didn’t do it.”
Although Hurley took a damper approach to the game, it was one to remember for anyone in attendance. The emotional environment came to life on the hardwood, as the first half began with a defensive battle. ASU held the Big 12 leaders in points per game (85.1) to just six points in the opening seven minutes of play.
Once the Cyclones got going, it was senior guard Curtis Jones who led the way, scoring 18 points in the first half on 6-of-12 shooting. With over half of his team’s points at the break, he carried them through the difficult stretches of the game, as senior guard Keshon Gilbert and junior forward Joshua Jefferson struggled to get going, combining for just six points on 2-of-6 shooting.
“Jones, man, he was impressive,” Hurley admitted. “I mean, he was playing a different game than everybody else was today, but not only his offense. He was face-guarding us, denying us on defense, and picking up full court. He played a complete game.”
Jones would notch a new career-high 33 points, surpassing his previous mark of 32 set during his time at Buffalo in December 2022. Down the stretch, it would be his backcourt partner Gilbert who took the reins, scoring eight points in the second half.
ASU found itself in adverse situations in the foul department. Both teams played a physical brand of basketball, consistently utilizing full-court press schemes or blitzing ball handlers. However, the Cyclones shot 12 more free throws than the Sun Devils, converting 24 of 30 attempts. That margin is the largest Hurley’s team has faced all season.
“Fouls were an issue for sure,” Hurley said. “This was our largest free-throw differential game of the season. On our home court, it was like a neutral site based on how Iowa State came to the game today. It was disappointing that we couldn’t play better in those last few minutes. But the fouls were an issue.”
For the initial 35 minutes, the contest was neck-and-neck, with both teams shooting approximately 45% from the field and making eight three-pointers each. Both teams scored 26 points in the paint and 17 points off turnovers. Offensively, minor advantages swung for ASU in fast-break points, with a plus-one margin, and second-chance points for Iowa State, ending with a plus-four margin.
The contest would see nine ties and 15 lead changes, but inconsistency on the scoreboard forced players to show consistency in their flaws as well. Turnovers became a negative factor for ASU, as they committed 18 — tying a season-high set against No. 12 Kansas.
“We haven’t had a game this season with fewer than 10 turnovers. You’d expect us to reach double digits,” Hurley said. “But 18 is way too many, especially down the stretch. Basheer [Jihad] had some really nice moments for us and helped us. As a senior, though, you can’t have six turnovers. He’s got to take care of the ball better.”
“I’ve got to make better decisions with the ball,” Jihad said. “I can’t have six turnovers in a game like that. That’s on me to be better with that and make the right read. I was kind of seeing things that weren’t there.”
Give credit where it’s due: the Cyclones turn teams over as well as anyone in power-conference basketball. They currently lead the Big 12 in steals per game at 10, combined with a positive 5.3 turnover margin, good for second-best in the conference. It’s no wonder why taking care of the basketball became a struggle for the maroon and gold, especially in the later stages of the game.
On the flip side, turnovers are becoming ASU’s trademark — and not in a good way. It’s becoming well-known around Big 12 basketball that Hurley’s team has yet to have a game with fewer than 10 turnovers all season. Finding a solution to this ever-present problem may require more than just an in-depth film session.
“In practice, we’re especially keying in on taking care of the ball,” Jihad said. “Being smart with the ball. That’s been an Achilles' heel for us.”
One area where ASU did hold a noticeable advantage on Saturday was bench points, outscoring the Cyclones 13-4 in that department. Much of that was due to the return of five-star freshman guard Joson Sanon. He’d missed five of the team’s previous six games with a mild ankle sprain, but the crafty shotmaker, who averaged 12.8 points per game heading into the contest, showed flashes of his great shot-making ability, scoring eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, including a picturesque pull-up three-pointer over an outreached defender.
Hurley is still waiting for his microwave scorer to progress in the playmaking department, however, as going up against one of the best programs in college basketball showed its difficulties when making decisions.
“Certainly, Joson will gain a lot from this game just not having played in a couple of weeks,” Hurley noted. “We’re traveling so much and playing so many games, so it’s hard to get him the live practice reps. So he’s going to have to do it on the fly as we play games.
“He had some big shots — he hit a big shot in the corner and another shot in the second half. He’s got to do some other things. We’ve got to watch the film, especially late in the game.”
Sitting four games under .500 in conference play, the upcoming stretch of games for the Sun Devils will have a significant impact on their overall season outcome. As the program’s goal of competing in the NCAA Tournament becomes more strenuous with losses piling up, the determination shown on both ends of the floor against Iowa State could be a mile marker for the standard moving forward, with former Pac-12 matchups on the horizon against Colorado and Arizona.
“I don’t think we’re sending anybody a message right now like we’re 2-6 in the league,” Hurley said. “It’s a results business, and we’re not getting results. I will say that I don’t think [Iowa State] thought it was easy or sweet here until they broke it open at the five-minute mark of the game. We’ve also been very competitive. So we’re starting to figure some things out. But ultimately, you’ve got to win, and there are no moral victories.”
Tempe — Prior to the 2024-25 school year, these universities shared minimal associations. With the realignment of the Big 12 Conference into its new 16-team format, questions stormed collegiate discourse as players, fans, and coaches alike wondered whether rivalries worth relishing would be forged.
What’s occurred in the newly restructured Big 12 is an unexpected feud brewing between Arizona State and Iowa State. Schools with a lone similarity in color scheme found themselves facing off in the Big 12 Football Championship in December, where the Sun Devils took home the trophy in a 45-19 victory.
On Saturday, that same trophy was paraded around Desert Financial Arena as nearly the entire ASU football team was in the building supporting the men’s basketball program. Senior defensive lineman Justin Wodtly consistently amplified the arena by waving the trophy high above his head.
Fans packed into the arena from both fan bases, with a season-high 12,762 fans in attendance, reminiscent of the neutral-site matchup in Dallas just 42 days prior. The electrifying contest nullified any true home-court advantage, as “Let’s go Cyclones” chants were quickly met with “Where’s your trophy?” banter from the student section.
“I was kind of confused at first,” senior forward Basheer Jihad said. “When we first did the lineup intro, it was a lot of [Iowa State fans] cheering. I was kind of confused, like, what was going on? They kind of wear the same colors as ASU, so I didn’t know what was going on. It was a lot of Iowa State fans, but the ASU fans showed out for sure.”
Unfortunately for the Sun Devils (11-8, 2-6 Big 12), a thrilling environment wasn’t enough to overcome the powerhouse program of No. 3 Iowa State (17-2, 7-1 Big 12). A 21-5 run in the final 5:54 of the contest ballooned a tied game into a 76-61 win for the visitors.
Crunch time was dominated by the Cyclones on both sides of the ball, with four turnovers coupled with one-of-eight shooting from the floor shattering any momentum. The Sun Devils went scoreless over the last 3:07 of the game. Head coach Bobby Hurley said the team failed to send a message to their conference counterparts despite playing a valiant first 35 minutes.
“I’m pretty pleased with our effort,” Hurley said. “Right there against a top team, take away two minutes from the six-minute mark or the five-minute mark, then it’s a different game, different chance to win. We just didn’t make those plays, we missed shots, we gambled a little bit on defense, and then we threw the ball away out of the post. You can’t afford to do that down the stretch. You’ve got to make plays. We didn’t do it.”
Although Hurley took a damper approach to the game, it was one to remember for anyone in attendance. The emotional environment came to life on the hardwood, as the first half began with a defensive battle. ASU held the Big 12 leaders in points per game (85.1) to just six points in the opening seven minutes of play.
Once the Cyclones got going, it was senior guard Curtis Jones who led the way, scoring 18 points in the first half on 6-of-12 shooting. With over half of his team’s points at the break, he carried them through the difficult stretches of the game, as senior guard Keshon Gilbert and junior forward Joshua Jefferson struggled to get going, combining for just six points on 2-of-6 shooting.
“Jones, man, he was impressive,” Hurley admitted. “I mean, he was playing a different game than everybody else was today, but not only his offense. He was face-guarding us, denying us on defense, and picking up full court. He played a complete game.”
Jones would notch a new career-high 33 points, surpassing his previous mark of 32 set during his time at Buffalo in December 2022. Down the stretch, it would be his backcourt partner Gilbert who took the reins, scoring eight points in the second half.
ASU found itself in adverse situations in the foul department. Both teams played a physical brand of basketball, consistently utilizing full-court press schemes or blitzing ball handlers. However, the Cyclones shot 12 more free throws than the Sun Devils, converting 24 of 30 attempts. That margin is the largest Hurley’s team has faced all season.
“Fouls were an issue for sure,” Hurley said. “This was our largest free-throw differential game of the season. On our home court, it was like a neutral site based on how Iowa State came to the game today. It was disappointing that we couldn’t play better in those last few minutes. But the fouls were an issue.”
For the initial 35 minutes, the contest was neck-and-neck, with both teams shooting approximately 45% from the field and making eight three-pointers each. Both teams scored 26 points in the paint and 17 points off turnovers. Offensively, minor advantages swung for ASU in fast-break points, with a plus-one margin, and second-chance points for Iowa State, ending with a plus-four margin.
The contest would see nine ties and 15 lead changes, but inconsistency on the scoreboard forced players to show consistency in their flaws as well. Turnovers became a negative factor for ASU, as they committed 18 — tying a season-high set against No. 12 Kansas.
“We haven’t had a game this season with fewer than 10 turnovers. You’d expect us to reach double digits,” Hurley said. “But 18 is way too many, especially down the stretch. Basheer [Jihad] had some really nice moments for us and helped us. As a senior, though, you can’t have six turnovers. He’s got to take care of the ball better.”
“I’ve got to make better decisions with the ball,” Jihad said. “I can’t have six turnovers in a game like that. That’s on me to be better with that and make the right read. I was kind of seeing things that weren’t there.”
Give credit where it’s due: the Cyclones turn teams over as well as anyone in power-conference basketball. They currently lead the Big 12 in steals per game at 10, combined with a positive 5.3 turnover margin, good for second-best in the conference. It’s no wonder why taking care of the basketball became a struggle for the maroon and gold, especially in the later stages of the game.
On the flip side, turnovers are becoming ASU’s trademark — and not in a good way. It’s becoming well-known around Big 12 basketball that Hurley’s team has yet to have a game with fewer than 10 turnovers all season. Finding a solution to this ever-present problem may require more than just an in-depth film session.
“In practice, we’re especially keying in on taking care of the ball,” Jihad said. “Being smart with the ball. That’s been an Achilles' heel for us.”
One area where ASU did hold a noticeable advantage on Saturday was bench points, outscoring the Cyclones 13-4 in that department. Much of that was due to the return of five-star freshman guard Joson Sanon. He’d missed five of the team’s previous six games with a mild ankle sprain, but the crafty shotmaker, who averaged 12.8 points per game heading into the contest, showed flashes of his great shot-making ability, scoring eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, including a picturesque pull-up three-pointer over an outreached defender.
Hurley is still waiting for his microwave scorer to progress in the playmaking department, however, as going up against one of the best programs in college basketball showed its difficulties when making decisions.
“Certainly, Joson will gain a lot from this game just not having played in a couple of weeks,” Hurley noted. “We’re traveling so much and playing so many games, so it’s hard to get him the live practice reps. So he’s going to have to do it on the fly as we play games.
“He had some big shots — he hit a big shot in the corner and another shot in the second half. He’s got to do some other things. We’ve got to watch the film, especially late in the game.”
Sitting four games under .500 in conference play, the upcoming stretch of games for the Sun Devils will have a significant impact on their overall season outcome. As the program’s goal of competing in the NCAA Tournament becomes more strenuous with losses piling up, the determination shown on both ends of the floor against Iowa State could be a mile marker for the standard moving forward, with former Pac-12 matchups on the horizon against Colorado and Arizona.
“I don’t think we’re sending anybody a message right now like we’re 2-6 in the league,” Hurley said. “It’s a results business, and we’re not getting results. I will say that I don’t think [Iowa State] thought it was easy or sweet here until they broke it open at the five-minute mark of the game. We’ve also been very competitive. So we’re starting to figure some things out. But ultimately, you’ve got to win, and there are no moral victories.”
