In late October, Duke basketball treasure Bobby Hurley returned to Durham for the inaugural Brotherhood Run, and his 10th batch of Arizona State Sun Devils left with a 103-47 loss to Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils.
At the time, the media’s outlook on the 2024-25 Sun Devils was quite dim.
Now, though, Arizona State looks primed to potentially return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2022-23 season. And Hurley has joined the 200-wins club as a head coach.
On top of holding their own in an 88-80 road loss to the No. 4-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs on Sunday, the Sun Devils (3-1, 0-0 Big 12) have picked up a couple of encouraging wins. They include Thursday night’s 87-76 home victory over the previously unbeaten Grand Canyon Antelopes, earning high praise from national college hoops expert Jon Rothstein:
“Two and a half weeks ago, Arizona State looked like it was headed for purgatory after its Charity Exhibition at Duke. It now owns a pair of likely Quad 2 wins over Grand Canyon and Santa Clara. Bobby Hurley has rallied the Sun Devils.”
The Valley’s Finest 😈@SunDevilHoops defeats Grand Canyon at the Footprint Center 🔱#ActivateTheValley /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/HJmyqRpI5F
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) November 15, 2024
Hurley, who remains the all-time NCAA assists leader (1,076) and is one of 13 Duke basketball players with their jersey numbers hanging from Cameron Indoor Stadium’s rafters, boasts a 158-132 record at Arizona State.
Counting his two seasons leading the Buffalo Bulls, the 53-year-old New Jersey native is now 200-152 overall (56.8 winning percentage).
ALSO READ:Â Twin Duke Recruiting Prizes Set to Face Future UNC Guard
Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more updates on former Duke basketball players and other Blue Devil news.
