Odum delivers 33-point masterpiece in Men's Basketball's win over Cincinnati

For the second straight contest, the Sun Devils got off to a strong start. The home team controlled the action early thanks in large part to the play of Moe Odum. However, this time they were able to maintain that level of play into the second half, securing a critical conference victory in front of the home fans.

Odum finished with 33 points and eight assists, putting on a prolific shooting display from behind the arc. He made 6-of-11 three-point attempts and 7-of-8 free-throws, creating offense in a plethora of ways. The Sun Devils wore down the Bearcats in the second half, with Odum piloting an offense that posted 45 second half points on 53.1% shooting on the nation's 33rd-best scoring defense.

The 82 points scored by Coach Hurley's squad were the second-most Cincinnati had allowed all season, as the offense was in sync against a worthy opponent. Pig Johnson (11) and Santiago Trouet (10) both put together double-digit scoring efforts, while Massamba Diop finished with a game-high ten rebounds and four blocks. Two trends that have been leading the Arizona State victories held true; ASU won the bench battle for the 13th time (10-3 record) and produced 19 fast break points (above their 15.3 season average). The Sun Devils are back on the road, as they head to Florida to take on UCF on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 5 PM MST. Watch on ESPN+ and listen on ESPN 620 AM (KTAR).

Series history
Arizona State takes a 3-2 advantage in the series with Cincinnati, avenging their road loss from last season. In the 5th meeting between the two programs, the Sun Devils captured their second home victory. This was the first time that ASU had beaten Cincinnati in Tempe since 1973, their only previous meeting with the Sun Devils as the home team. Hurley is 1-1 against the Bearcats during his tenure in Tempe.

11-9 start
The Sun Devils have started 11-9 or better for the fourth consecutive season. It is their eighth 11-9 start or better in the 11 years of the Bobby Hurley era. Five of their wins to start off 2025-26 have come away from home (4 neutral, 1 road). The 11-9 start comes against the nation’s 14th-strongest schedule according to ESPN. KenPom has Arizona State with the 15th-toughest schedule in the nation.

 

 

 

 

 

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Second-half surge
Arizona State dominated the second half to secure an 82-68 win at home over Cincinnati. Led by a coach known for his ability to engineer second-half comebacks, the Bearcats were unable to make it happen in Tempe on Saturday. The Sun Devils shot 14-of-26 (53.8%) in the second half compared to 13-of-31 (41.3%) prior to the break. ASU made 8-of-14 (57.1%) of their shots from behind the arc in the second half compared to just 2-of-11 (18.2%) from Cincinnati. The Maroon and Gold outscored their visitors 45-35 and led for nearly 16:31 of the game.

Second half shutdown
One of the biggest reasons why Arizona State was able to create separation in the second half was thanks to a fantastic defensive effort. After Cincinnati shot 14-of-24 (58.3%) in the first half, the Sun Devils held them to 13-of-36 (36.1%) in the second half.

Buckets against the Bearcats
Cincinnati came into the game ranked 33rd at the NCAA Division I level in scoring defense, allowing only 66.7 points per game. Arizona State scored 82 in a 14-point victory. It was only the fourth time all season that the Bearcats had given up 75 or more points. In fact, it was the second-most points allowed by Cincinnati all season. 

Cincinnati's most points allowed in a game this season
84, vs. Georgia (84-65 loss on 12/13)
82, at Arizona State (82-68 loss on 1/24)
79 at Xavier (79-74 loss on 12/5)
77, at No. 1 Arizona (77-51 loss on 1/21)
74, vs. No. 6 Louisville (74-64 loss on 11/21)

Don't count us out
While this wasn’t a patented halftime comeback win for Coach Hurley’s squad, he did accomplish a feat in the second half. He prevented Wes Miller from earning his 52nd comeback win after a halftime deficit since 2015-16, which would have tied Hurley for the second most by a DI men’s coach since 2015-16. Arizona State outscored Cincinnati 45-35 in the second half. Here is the full list of comebacks.

Most halftime comeback wins since 2015-16
Bill Self, 55
Bobby Hurley, 52
Eric Musselman, 52
Wes Miller, 51
Kevin Willard, 51
Kevin Baggett, 50
Chris Beard, 50

The Moe Show
Sun Devil point guard Moe Odum is one of the elite passers in college basketball. He came into the game 18th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 in assists and only added to his total. He finished with eigth assists and now has five or more in 17 of 20 games this season. He now sits with 132 assists through 20 games, which puts him on pace for 211 assists over a 32-game season. This would be the third-highest in program history.

Single-season assists record
294 – Ahlon Lewis, 1998
233 – Marcell Capers, 1995
211 – Moe Odum, 2025* (132 through 20 games)
200 – Marcell Capers, 1993
185 – Mike Redhair, 1990
177 – Jahii Carson, 2013
*32-game pace

Mo(e)mentum
Known nationally for his passing, Moe Odum is proving he can be one of the best all-around players in the Big 12 as well. Odum came into the game as one of only three players in the nation averaging 16.4+ points, 6.5+ assists, 2.9+ rebounds, and 1.3+ steals per game (Boopie Miller, SMU; Christian Anderson, Texas Tech). Odum came through with his second career 30-point performance, finishing with 33. He has at least 10+ points in 17 of 20 games this season and a team-best seven 20+-point performances. Through 20 games, he has already registered seven of his ten-best career scoring performances.

Moe Odum’s highest career scoring games

• 36 pts with ASU 11/24/25 against Texas
• 33 pts with ASU 1/24/25 against Cincinnati
• 31 pts with Pepperdine 3/7/25 against Portland
  
• 26 pts with ASU 11/25/25 against Washington State
• 26 pts with Pepperdine 2/22/25 against Loyola Marymount 
• 24 pts with Pepperdine 12/30/24 against Gonzaga
• 24 pts with ASU 11/17/25 against Georgia State
• 23 pts with ASU 1/14/26 against No. 1 Arizona
• 22 pts with Pacific 3/2/23 against Pepperdine
• 21 pts with ASU 1/10/26 against Kansas State
• 21 pts with ASU 1/3/26 against Colorado

Stop, Diop, and roll
Massamba Diop is establishing himself as one of the premier defenders in the entire conference. In a matchup of two of the best rim protectors in the country, he outplayed Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam on the defensive end. Diop finished with four blocks. Through seven conference games, he already has three 4+ block performances. His 19 blocks in Big 12 play are the second-most of any Big 12 player.

Diop now has 39 blocks on the season, which already puts him in the Top-5 in program history among freshman. He came into the game 5th among freshman nationally in blocks and top-10 in both field goal shooting and blocks for freshmen. He is one of only two freshmen who can make that claim (Brandon Benjamin, Fairfield).

When Pigs fly
Senior guard Anthony "Pig" Johnson has emerged as one of the nation’s best sixth men, coming off the bench to provide energy and scoring while living up to his nickname. “Pig” has 10 or more points in 15 of 20 games, with 11 of those performances coming off the bench. He delivered yet again, finishing with 11 points in 23 minutes. 

He continues his tear at the line, making 4-of-4 from the stripe. He is now 64-of-74 (86.5%) from the free-throw line over the past 12 games. He has gone from 64.6% to 77.4% from the line on the season during that stretch. Johnson is on pace to have one of the most productive seasons in program history from the free-throw stripe.

Top-10 ASU single-season FTs made
248 – Ike Diogu, 2005
243 – Ike Diogu, 2004
204 – James Harden, 2009
180 – Ike Diogu, 2003
173 – Freddie Lewis, 1966
169 – James Harden, 2008
159 – Tra Holder, 2018
156 – Jahii Carson, 2014
154 – Bobby Lazor, 1999
154 – Pig Johnson, 2025*

No Day-light
Cincinnati guard Day Day Thomas came into the game averaging over 12.0 points per game, second on the team. He was held scoreless by the Sun Devils, who held him to 0-of-6 from the field and 0-of-3 from three-point range. It is the first time in Thomas’ 86-game Cincinnati and Division I career that he had been held scoreless in a game.

Bench boost
A key to Arizona State’s season has been the success of its bench unit. They have outscored or tied their opponent off the bench in 13 of 20 games (10-3 record). Two of the three losses when winning the battle were on the road to Top-10 teams (No. 1 Arizona & No. 7 Houston). ASU’s bench won the battle tonight over Cincinnati 19-16 and now holds a 479-408 (+71) advantage in points this season.

Dialed in from deep
The Sun Devils made 13 three-pointers, which matched a season-high (Oklahoma). It is the sixth time they have made 10 or more threes this season. Moe Odum accounted for six of those makes. It is the second time he has made six threes in a game this season (Texas). Bryce Ford (2), Andrija Grbovic (2), Santiago Trouet, Noah Meeusen, and Pig Johnson all contributed to the impressive effort from deep as well. 

Pushing the pace
A big factor in Arizona State's 82-68 win over Cincinnati was their play in transition. The Sun Devils finished with 19 fast-break points, the sixth time this season they have reached the mark. ASU came into the game ranked 39th nationally, averaging 15.2 fast break points per game, and only added to that total tonight.

Notables

• Over the past nine games, the Sun Devils are 156-of-201 (.776) from the free-throw line. In the prior 11 games, they were just 202-of-281 (.719).
• The Sun Devils forced 15 Bearcat turnovers. It was only the sixth time in 20 games that Cincinnati had committed 15+ turnovers.
• Massamba Diop has his second straight game with two or more blocks and tenth on the season. He now has two or more blocks in all four Big 12 home games (7 vs Colorado, 5 vs Kansas St., 2 vs West Virginia, 4 vs. Cincinnati). He had double-digit rebounds for the second time this season. 
• This is the first time the Sun Devils have beaten a conference opponent by double-digits since their 81-61 victory over Colorado last season. This is the 28th time this has happened in the Hurley era.
• Arizona State had its 12th game with 15 or more assists through 20 games.  They only had 14 total in 33 games last season.
• Thanks to the 17-assist output, the Sun Devils already have more 17+ assists games (7) through 20 games than in 33 games (5) all of last year.
• Despite the fact that the Bearcats had a 13-8 edge in offensive rebounds, Arizona State did well in second and third defensive efforts. The Sun Devils still managed to outscore Cincinnati 11-9 in second-chance points.
• Cincinnati's starting backcourt of Day Day Thomas and Jizzle James came into the game combining for nearly 23 points as two of the team’s top-four scorers. The duo combined for 6 points on 3-of-13 shooting, facing the Sun Devils defense.
• Coach Hurley's squad moves to 6-0 when allowing 70 points or less this season. 
• Moe Odum had three steals, his sixth game with three or more steals this season. He now has 14 3+ steal games in his career.

33 points and the dub ✅

Have a night @mauriceodum6 🫡 pic.twitter.com/OhF7F4o4NN

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) January 25, 2026

Record chasing
Diop is in the Top-10 among freshmen in program history with three 20-point performances.

Sun Devil freshman 20-point games (1972-73 to present)
18, Jahii Carson, 2012-13
16, James Harden, 2007-08
12, Ike Diogu, 2002-03
9, Luguentz Dort, 2018-19
7, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
5, Steve Beck, 1983-84
4, Christian Polk, 2006-07
3, Massamba Diop, 2025-26
3, Joson Sanon, 2024-25
3, Josh Christopher, 2020-21
3, Eddie House, 1996-97
3, Ron Riley, 1992-93
3, Byron Scott, 1979-80
3, Gary Jackson, 1972-73

Diop is already third among freshmen in program history with 38 blocks this season.

Single-season blocks by a Sun Devil freshmen
63, Jayden Quaintance, 2024-25
55, Mario Bennett, 1991-92
38, Massamba Diop, 2025-26
33, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
31, Ike Diogu, 2002-03
29, Jalen Graham, 2019-20
24, Shawn Redhage, 1999-2000
23, Romello White, 2017-18
23, Jeff Pendergraph, 2005-06

Diop is currently having the second-best shooting season by a freshman in program history, making 64.0% of his field goals.

Single-season FG% by a Sun Devil freshman (min. 100 attempts)
.652, Romello White, 2017-18 (120-of-184)
.627 Massamba Diop, 2025-26 (106-of-169)
.608, Ike Diogu, 2002-03 (209-of-344)
.574, Mario Bennett, 1991-92 (159-of-277)
.570, Dwayne Fontana, 1990-91 (102-of-179)
.568, Eric Holloway, 1983-84 (79-of-139)
.545, Kyle Cain, 2010-11 (78-of-143)
.527, James Harden, 2007-08 (196-of-372)
.525, Jayden Quaintance, 2024-25 (93-of-177)

Diop is currently averaging 13.8 points per game, the seventh-most by a freshman in program history.

Single-season points per game by Sun Devil freshmen
19.0, Ike Diogu, 2002-03
18.5, Jahii Carson, 2012-13
17.8, James Harden, 2007-08
16.1, Luguentz Dort, 2018-19
15.4, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
14.3, Josh Christopher, 2020-21
13.8, Massamba Diop, 2025-26
13.6, Byron Scott, 1979-80
13.0, Ron Riley, 1992-93
12.6, Eddie House, 1996-97
12.5, Mario Bennett, 1991-92
12.0, Christian Polk, 2006-07
11.9, Joson Sanon, 2024-25

Diop is currently averaging 5.8 rebounds per game, tied for the eighth-most by a freshman in program history.

Single-season rebounds per game by a Sun Devil Freshman
7.9, Jayden Quaintance, 2024-25
7.8, Ike Diogu, 2002-03
7.1, Romello White, 2017-18
6.8, Mario Bennett, 1991-92
6.2, Marcus Bagley, 2020-21
6.2, Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91
6.1, Jeff Pendergraph, 2005-06
5.8, Massamba Diop, 2025-26
5.8, Johnny Nash, 1976-77
5.4, Kyle Cain, 2010-11
5.3, James Harden, 2007-08
5.2, Chris Sandle, 1984-85

Quotables

Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley
Opening statement
“The sky was falling the other night, and it's hard to always know what the response would be, but that's why, after the game the other night, I told everybody that I love coaching this team, because they are tough and resilient and they battle, and that's what they did. We had a really good practice yesterday, and I think there was a carryover effect to this game. It was probably the best we've been concentrated and focused on the day before a game. We looked like the team that we were early in the season. Cincinnati plays really hard. They're really good on defense. For us to get that many points, and we held them under our goal, which was 70 coming in. So it was just a good effort.”

On limiting the Bearcat offense from beyond the arc
“It was probably the best we did in scouting, just understanding personnel and what guys' strengths and weaknesses are. We didn't run and close out to a guy that doesn't want to shoot threes. The guys that were guarding individual players knew we were going to have more heavy help off this particular player. Thomas was their best three-point shooter, coming in 42% from the field, leading scorer, and he didn't score in the game. I think the guys, all the perimeter guys, did a good job of corralling him, but we also had an awareness for him, coming off screening actions and a ball screen to do a good job.”

On bouncing back from the loss
“I just respect how hard we competed and just the quality of the basketball that we played, like that's a good sign. Now we take whatever positives we can take out of this, and then we have to figure out a way to get ready to play again here real soon. We were really good at Arizona, and I thought, heck, if we could play the number one team in the country to a one possession game under a minute, that says something, that we could be competitive. Then we laid an egg in Houston, so we’ve got to put together and string together some quality games. If we play at this level on offense, 13 of 28 from three and good percentages, take care of the ball pretty well, then we should have a good chance to be very competitive the rest of the way.”

Senior guard Moe Odum
On how his shooting impacted the team
“It was super important because I feel like, with this team, if I'm off, we're gonna be off as a team, so I’ve just got to be consistent and just keep making shots. I can't have a good game like this, then next game go two for 10, or two for 11, or three for 15, that's not possible. That's not what's going to get us to win. So just not staying too high, not staying too low in these types of games, and just staying above water.”

On staying positive throughout the season
“It's just all about maturing through the season. It's possible to turn things around. Plenty of schools did it, that had a rough stretch and then turned it around. So that's what I have been preaching to the team, like it's still possible. We are in the best conference in the country. You get on a three game, four game win streak, and then you are back in the conversation. But it's just one game at a time.”

Senior guard Pig Johnson
On how important this game was for the team
“I feel like we need every game we play. I feel like we are the best team when we step on the floor. So we need every game we play, and we're gonna take it one game at a time.”

On playing at home
“Every time we play at home, we have a great crowd. We just have to get out there and perform and play the best we can. Give y'all a great show, so y'all can come back and it can be packed, more packed than what it is.”

Up next
Sun Devil Men's Basketball will take a trip down across the country, as they travel to Florida to take on UCF on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 5 PM MST. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and on the radio at ESPN 620 AM (KTAR).

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Head coach Bobby Hurley (X: @BobbyHurley11)