Dominant defensive effort helps Men’s Basketball take down No. 14 Kansas

By Bill McCulloch

Posted on March 5, 2026

Moe Odum raises the pitchfork as he is being elevated by the crowd after Sun Devil Men's Basketball defeated No. 14 Kansas on Tuesday, March 3 at Desert Financial Arena.

Moe Odum (23 points) and Massamba Diop (19 points) team up to lead Sun Devil Men’s Basketball to another win over a Top-15 opponent in Tempe.

(Tempe, AZ) Arizona State Men’s Basketball earned another home win over a Top-15 foe, defeating No. 14 Kansas on Tuesday evening at Desert Financial Arena.

The Sun Devils (16-14, 7-10) upended the Jayhawks (21-9, 11-6), 70-60, thanks to a brilliant defensive effort and a two-headed monster on offense. Arizona State led for 39:17 of a possible 40 minutes of action, thoroughly outplaying the visitors from Lawrence for the entirety of the contest. Head Coach Bobby Hurley has now won four consecutive home games despite facing a difficult Big 12 league slate. This is his 15th win over a ranked team during his 11-year tenure and the 9th over a Top-15 team.

The relentless effort and determination of the Maroon and Gold proved to be the difference, as they earned their fourth Quad 1 win of the season. Behind the energy of the home crowd, the Sun Devils jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Arizona State built a cushion as large as 20, taking a 40-20 advantage into the break. Coach Hurley’s squad managed to withstand several valiant Kansas comeback efforts in the second half, as the Jayhawks fall to 0-5 all-time in Tempe. ASU held KU to only 60 points and 29.2% shooting, moving to 10-0 when allowing 70 points or less and 9-0 this season when holding opponents to 40% or less from the field.

In a fitting ending to his Desert Financial Arena career, guard Moe Odum went out in style, delivering a vintage performance that Sun Devil fans became accustomed to seeing in 2025-26. On Senior Night, Odum proved once again to be arguably the best player on a court full of potential future NBA Draft Lottery picks. He controlled the game by scoring 23 points and dishing out 6 assists, finishing 5-of-10 from behind the arc. Odum is two assists shy of moving into the Top-5 in single-season program history (176 assists).

During a night typically reserved to honor the Senior class, it was a freshman that ended up stealing the show in the Arizona State and Kansas matchup. No, it was not the Preseason All-American, Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Kansas guard Darryn Peterson in reference. It was Sun Devil freshman center Massamba Diop who proved to be the best freshman and arguably best player on a court filled with elite talent. Diop finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds, thriving in a matchup with All-American candidate Flory Bidunga. In a showdown of the two-best shot blockers in the Big 12, Diop finished with three blocks compared to Bidunga’s two. Diop broke the program’s freshman single-season blocks record (65) in the process.

Odum and Diop were far from the only two contributors to the critical victory over the Jayhawks. Senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson provided his usual boost off the bench, finishing with 9 points, seven rebounds, and was 4-of-4 from the line. He had his 13th game with two or more steals this season. Redshirt sophomore Santiago Trouet was active all evening, finishing with seven points and eight boards. Bryce Ford was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. All eight Sun Devils that saw playing time served vital roles in limiting the Kansas offense to their worst FG% (29.2%) in a regular season game since Dec. 1, 2020 (vs No. 20 Kentucky).

The Sun Devils look to extend their two game win streak and make it five wins in seven games when they travel to take on No. 6 Iowa State on Saturday, March 7 at 12 PM MST.

Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith

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Dominant defensive effort helps Men’s Basketball take down No. 14 Kansas

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