Arizona State defeats Texas, 87-86, to advance to the semifinals of the Maui Invitational.
(Maui, HI) Arizona State Men’s Basketball defeated Texas, 87-86, in a back-and-forth first round matchup at the 2025 Southwest Maui Invitational.
Behind the heroics of senior point guard Moe Odum, the Sun Devils (5-1) defeated the Longhorns (4-2) to advance to the semifinals of the Maui Invitational. It is ASU’s first win over Texas since 1991 and the seventh win over a current SEC team in the Bobby Hurley era.
Odum finished with 36 points, the most by a Sun Devil in a win since Tra Holder in 2017. He willed his team to victory with clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch. Despite Arizona State trailing by as many as ten points in the half, they did not quit, rallying for a resume-building non-conference win away from home.
The backcourt showed up in a big way offensively in the win, as fellow guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson‘s play throughout the game was a key reason for the win. He finished with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting and 7-of-10 from the stripe while adding three steals on the defensive end. The Longhorns came into the game averaging only 9.0 turnovers per game, the 18th-lowest mark in college basketball. ASU forced Texas to commit 19 turnovers thanks to a relentless and aggressive defensive gameplan.
Arizona State moves on to play Washington State later today, scheduled for a 6 p.m. MST tip-off with live coverage on ESPN. It is ASU’s first appearance in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational since 1994, when the Sun Devils won their lone Maui Invitational Championship.
Series history
Arizona State and Texas matched up for the 6th time, with the Sun Devils closing the gap to a 4-2 Longhorns’ edge in the series. This is the first Sun Devil victory since defeating the Longhorns at the 1991 Sun Devil Classic. Bobby Hurley has now defeated Texas Head Coach Sean Miller 14 times while the Head Coach at Arizona State.
5-1 start
The Sun Devils have started 5-1 for the second consecutive season. It is their fifth 5-1 start in the Bobby Hurley era.
Bench boost
Arizona State’s bench had the advantage yet again. After a 26-19 edge in bench points tonight, the Sun Devils now hold a 152-97 (+55) advantage in bench points this season. Anthony “Pig” Johnson led the way with his fifth double-digit scoring output this season. Noah Meesuen added four points and two steals, while Allen Mukeba finished with five points.
The Moe Show
Moe Odum delivered one of the greatest individual performances in program history. His 36 points were not only a career high, they were the most by a Sun Devil since Alonzo Verge had 43 vs. Saint Mary’s on Dec. 18, 2019. It was tied for the eighth-highest scoring output by Sun Devil away from home (road or neutral) ever. It is his second career 30-point game and second 20-point game. 36 is the most points by a Sun Devil in a win since Tra Holder had 40 vs #15 Xavier on Nov. 24, 2017.
Notables
ASU forced Texas to commit 19 turnovers. The Longhorns came into the game averaging only 9.0 turnovers per game, the 18th-lowest mark in college basketball.
Yet another opponent struggled from deep against the Sun Devils. Despite a 4-of-6 effort in the second half, the Longhorns still only finished at 31.6% (6-of-19) by the end of the night.
Arizona State defeats Texas for only the second time in six matchups in their first meeting since the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
Bobby Hurley now has seven wins over SEC teams during his tenure and 14 wins over Sean Miller while at the helm in Tempe.
Texas came into the game allowing only 62.6 points per game, the 21st-best total in the nation. ASU scored a season-high 87 points.
This is back-to-back incredible offensive efforts against great defenses. Arizona State put 83 up against Hawai’i, a Top-25 scoring defense that came into the game allowing only 61.6 points per game.
Noah Meeusen‘s defense has been key for the Sun Devils since his return from injury. In 54 minutes combined over the past three games, he has accounted for seven steals, including recording two steals in 24 minutes in tonight’s win.
The Sun Devils attempted 36 free throws, the second consecutive game they have finished with 35+ attempts from the strip (37 at Hawai’i). ASU had only two instances in which they attempted 35 or more free throws in 33 games last year and have already accomplished the feat twice through only six games this year.
They made 28 of those free throws to finish with a 78% clip.
ASU started the half 7-of-21 through first 3:15. They made their final five shots to end the first half on a 15-4 run and take a 39-34 lead into the break.
Moe Odum not only had a career-best scoring night, he also set new career highs with free throw attempts (18) and makes (16). Odum drew eight fouls and got the Longhorn backcourt in foul trouble.
Arizona State scored 48 points in the second half after scoring 49 in the win over Hawai’i in the previous game. They are averaging 46.0 points in the second half in their past three games and have eclipsed 40 points in each.
Anthony “Pig” Johnson came through with a clutch 17-point performance off the bench. He matched his career high and now has five double-digit scoring efforts as a reserve. He shot 5-of-6 from the field and drew seven fouls.
The Sun Devils shot 50% (9-of-18) from beyond the arc. ASU is 9-3 over the last four seasons when reaching the threshold.
Massmba Diop saved his best for last. After battling foul trouble most of the game, he delivered a timely five points over the final 5:38 of regulation, including a game-tying hook shot with under a minute left.
First half
The Lahaina Civic Center setting took some feeling out for both teams, as each side struggled from the field early on. Andrija Grbovic got the Sun Devils on the board with a three-pointer, while the defense held Texas to a 2-of-6 start from the field. Johnson came off the bench to give his team an offensive spark, scoring four points with his patented style of attacking the basket. ASU held Texas without a field goal for nearly five minutes allowing them to tie the game at seven.
Johnson continued to provide energy and crucial scoring off the bench. His explosive start, combined with a sturdy defensive effort, kept the Longhorns from pulling away. Mukeba went to work in the post to give ASU their first lead, 14-13 at the 10:03 mark in the first half. Texas started the half a putrid 4-of-15 (26.7%) from the field, including a 1-for-8 from behind the arc. A brief Texas run, with most of the points coming at the free throw line, allowed them to build a 23-17 at the under eight media timeout.
The Sun Devils answered with a free throw run of their own, scoring their next five points at the line to cut the lead in half. Odum proceeded to take over to trim the deficit even further, converting on all three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt followed by a mid-range jumper on the next possession. He would then set up Grbovic for behind the arc for a three that put the Sun Devils back on top. Odum electrified the crowd with a deep three from well beyond the line to push the ASU lead to 36-32 with under a minute left. On the final possession of the half, Odum broke a Texas defenders ankles, crossing over and stepping back to hit another triple. Odum scored or assisted on the final 13 points of the half for ASU as they ended the half on a 15-4 run to take a 39-34 lead into halftime.
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