TEMPE — Bobby Hurley’s Arizona State Sun Devils (13-12, 4-8 Big 12) are entering a crucial juncture of their season – the first of the remaining six games in the regular season comes on Tuesday night against the #13 Texas Tech Red Raiders (19-6, 9-3) at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe.
The Sun Devils officially return to action after a week of in the aftermath of defeating Oklahoma State on February 10, while Texas Tech is coming off of a monumental road victory over Arizona on Saturday.
Hurley comes into this contest facing many more challenges compared to his counterpart in Grant McCasland, as it was revealed that Bryce Ford would be unlikely to play on Monday night – this development compressed the Arizona State rotation even more compared to what was previously seen.
Jan 24, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) drives to the basket against Arizona State Sun Devils forward Santiago Trouet (1) in the first half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Arizona State Reveals Starting Five
Odum has been the engine that has kept Arizona State functioning throughout the course of the season. The senior point guard leads the squad in scoring, assists, and steals this season – having also appeared in every single game in what is a true testament of consistency.
Meeusen is receiving his fourth career start in this game. The 6’5″ guard matches up better on paper with Texas Tech’s starting unit compared to Anthony “Pig” Johnson.
Trouet is coming off of the best performance of his junior season last Tuesday – the 6’11” forward scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win over Oklahoma State, arguably serving as the player that tipped the scales in the tight matchup.
Grbovic is officially set to go after being listed as questionable on Monday. The native of Montenegro is starting his 20th game of the campaign and will be called upon to knock down timely shots.
Diop is once again the Sun Devil that has the most ability to unilaterally impact the game on both sides of the ball. The freshman center will have his hands full against Texas Tech’s front-line, but the 21 year old is prepared to take on this challenge after largely performing well in a pair of games against Arizona.
The presumption is that the Sun Devils will be utilizing two bench players tonight – guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson and forward Allen Mukeba, although guard Trevor Best might see time as well.
Arizona State and Texas Tech are slated for a tip time of shortly after 9 P.M. MST.
Feb 4, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) goes up for a shot against Utah Utes forward James Okonkwo (32) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..
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