Through 26 NCAA-affiliated sports on ASU's campus, teams share many differences. From highs and lows all around, two sports pop out with some similarities: men's basketball and hockey.
While these two sports aren't identical by any means, their 2025-26 seasons share some important themes. With big upsets and quiet endings, a dissection of the two seasons feels necessary.
Although a number of similarities exist, the future of these programs lies in the leadership at the top. Before the hiring of Randy Bennett, men's basketball head coach Bobby Hurley was let go in early March following months of swirling rumors regarding his job, while hockey head coach Greg Powers was extended past the 2030 season.
READ MORE: BREAKING: ASU to hire Randy Bennett as next men's basketball coach
Strength of Schedule
In a conference that went on to send eight teams to March Madness, ASU was against the odds to compete for a tournament spot. The Big 12 is arguably the best conference in college basketball, with three teams in the top six of the AP Top 25.
Playing tournament teams like Gonzaga, Texas and UCLA in non-conference play, Hurley emphasized the importance of challenging his team out of Big 12 play after a loss to the Bruins.
"I easily could have bought six games this year, seven games, and played a few hard games," Hurley said. "But not over here. Even after Maui and Oklahoma and Hawaii on the road, we played a lot of good teams already. You've got to play people. You've got to get exposed a little bit."
While men's basketball faced 19% of the NCAA tournament field, hockey found 37.5% of tournament teams on its schedule. Being in conferences stacked with competition, the Sun Devils saw ranked teams all over their schedules on both the court and ice.
Optimistic Outlook
While both seasons didn't have a fairytale ending, disappointment was not a season-long theme.
The teams shared a combined 16-9 out-of-conference record, both teams at or above .500 on December 27.
In both seasons since joining the Big 12, ASU men's hoops has had positive non-conference starts. The Sun Devils went 9-3 outside Big 12 play last year and 9-4 this year, but couldn't keep the momentum going as soon as conference play began.
On the ice, ASU didn't have a perfect start, but played its best hockey earlier in the season. All of the Sun Devils' ranked wins came in either November or December, also picking up a pair of wins in the Ice Breaker Tournament in October.
READ MORE: Cruz Lucius hat trick secures Ice Breaker Tournament win
Floundering by February
However, winter was coming for ASU, and the saying "all good things must come to an end" proved to be ever apparent. After a positive 2025 stretch to the 2025-26 season, the 2026 end did not treat the Sun Devils as well. The teams shared an 11-22 record in January and February combined.
Opening Big 12 play 3-8, Hurley was blunt in his team's assessment, stating he was "failing" and couldn't "get through to the team" following a loss to West Virginia, according to Justin LaCertosa of DevilsDigest.
With hockey going 1-7 in February to miss the conference tournament, an upsetting ending to the year was hard to ignore.
Powers shared a similar sentiment to Hurley in the rough winter stretch.
"For whatever reason, I couldn't tell you why, it's crazy," Powers said. "It's been a weird year. It's just a group we can't seem to whip through adversity. And then ultimately, that's on me, and then I take accountability for that."
Signature Wins, Streaky Seasons
The occasional peaks provided a glimmer of hope for both teams' year-long outcomes. Early in the season, ASU eked out a one-point victory over Texas, which now sits in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. After a poor conference start, the Sun Devils pulled off two huge home upsets over No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 14 Kansas, their first ranked victories of the season.
Hockey finds itself in a similar situation when reflecting on the team's resume. Wins against No. 2 North Dakota, No. 4 Denver, No. 6 Minnesota Duluth and No. 8 Dartmouth are on ASU's schedule from 2025-26.
Future Stars
Despite the middling results, Hurley recruited NBA-caliber prospects to Tempe in recent years. While Hurley wasn't able to retain young talent from the 2024-25 roster, he replaced them with three-star center Massamba Diop, who put up 13.6 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game.
The Senegal native featured for the Sun Devils down the stretch, highlighted by a 19-point, nine-rebound performance against Kansas, where he prompted Hurley to comment that NBA scouts in attendance "had to be looking at (him)."
While Diop shone on the court at Desert Financial Arena, a similar story was being told on the ice at Mullett Arena. Despite heavy production from seniors, a lot of focus was being placed on a young star poised for the pros in hockey. Sophomore forward Cullen Potter stayed in college after being drafted 32nd overall at the 2025 NHL Draft, but missed the final 12 games of the season due to injury. Like Diop on the court, Potter staying in Tempe will be a dominant topic in the offseason.
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Jack McCarthy and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at aswift10@asu.edu and pvallur2@asu.edu, and follow @alexswiftsports and @PrathamValluri on X.
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Pratham Valluri is a sports reporter at The State Press. He is a junior majoring in sports journalism with business and data analytics minors. He’s in his 5th semester with The State Press working previously as an opinion writer.
